Take Action to Stop Child Labor by Brand Jamming Hershey

by Tim Newman · 2011-03-03 06:16:00 UTC
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We have all seen Hershey's print and television advertisements depicting the pleasure of enjoying its chocolate. The company describes its newest chocolate product as "drops of happiness." It even sells candy with "bliss" and "joy" in their names. However, the company's advertisements do not show the harsh reality for the cocoa farmers who produce the key ingredient in Hershey products. You now have a chance to use your creativity to highlight this disparity.

Hershey spends millions of dollars on advertising and marketing to enhance its image. In 2010, the company increased its advertising expenses by 62%, and that figure is expected to grow again in 2011. Meanwhile, the cocoa industry in West Africa, by far the largest area producing this crop, is tainted by abusive child labor, forced labor and trafficking. Hershey is lagging behind its competitors in using cocoa that has been certified by third-party, independent organizations to meet international labor rights standards. That's enough to turn your sweet treat bitter.

Thousands of Change.org readers have e-mailed Hershey and sent the company Valentines calling on the CEO, David J. West, to agree to start using Fair Trade Certified cocoa for Hershey products. Now there is a new and creative way to take action to support this campaign. The International Labor Rights Forum, Global Exchange and Green America are sponsoring a Hershey Brand Jamming Contest.

As part of the contest, you can create a mock commerical video, mock print advertisement or mock product tagline that plays with Hershey's public relations materials to reveal the labor rights abuses in the cocoa industry. The contest ends on March 24th and at the beginning of April, the public will be able to vote for their favorites in each category. One grand-prize winner from each category will receive a Global Exchange Fair Trade "chocolate lovers" gift basket. First runners-up in each category will receive a Green America T-shirt, and four free tickets to a 2011 Green Festival in a city of your choice. All submissions will receive a 10-percent coupon for the Global Exchange online Fair Trade store. You can find all of the details online here.

So start getting creative! While you are working on your submission, don't forget to keep asking your friends, family and co-workers to sign Change.org's e-mail to Hershey and spread the word through Facebook and Twitter.

Photo credit: qbix08

Tim Newman is a campaigns assistant at the International Labor Rights Forum. He also works on the Stop Firestone campaign.

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