Hershey’s launched a new campaign with global girl group KATSEYE on September 1, 2026 to promote its new Creme bars, part of an effort to position the products as a more premium offering and connect with younger consumers.
New YouGov BrandIndex data shows that Hershey’s Ad Awareness score increased over the weeks that followed, with Gen Z recording the strongest improvement among the generations measured.
Hershey’s Ad Awareness increases following campaign launch
Hershey’s Ad Awareness score – which measures whether consumers have seen an advertisement for the brand in the past two weeks – stood at 14% among all U.S. adults on September 1.
The score increased gradually during the first half of September, reaching 15% by September 10. It continued to fluctuate around this level until mid-month, before climbing more noticeably in the second half.
By September 20, Hershey’s Ad Awareness had reached 17%, subsequently peaking at 18% on September 25. It ended the month at 16%, two percentage points above its score at the campaign's launch.
Gen Z records strongest uplift in Hershey’s Ad Awareness score
The increase in Hershey’s ad awareness was particularly pronounced among Gen Z. On September 1, the brand's score stood at 6% among this generation, but climbed rapidly in the days that followed, reaching 17% by September 8.
After fluctuating around the mid-teens through much of September, Gen Z's Ad Awareness score climbed again in the latter half of the month, reaching 20% on September 22 and peaking at 21% on September 25. At this point, it was the highest score recorded among any generation since the campaign's launch.
Although the score subsequently eased, it ended September at 19%, an increase of 13 percentage points from September 1.
Millennials' Ad Awareness fell from 15% on September 1 to 9% by September 8, before recovering to a peak of 19% on September 22 and ending the month at 15%.
Gen X initially rose from 17% to 19% in early September but subsequently declined, finishing the month at 11%. Baby Boomers+ saw comparatively smaller fluctuations, with their score ranging between 13% and 17% during September before ending at 17%, up from 15% at the campaign's launch.
Methodology:
YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Hershey’s Ad Awareness score is based on the question: Which of the following brands have you seen an advertisement for in the PAST TWO WEEKS? Scores are reported as percentages, based on daily surveys of U.S. adults. Data is weighted using a propensity scoring methodology with targets from the American Community Survey (ACS) to ensure representation by age, gender, race, education, and region. Figures are shown as a two-week moving average between August 15 – September 30, 2026.
Image credit: Getty Images
