Hershey’s updated Christmas bells ad gets fan backlash
The Hershey Co. first aired their Kisses as Christmas bells ad in 1989. Now the ad is revered as iconic and the classic has remained virtually unchanged. However, 31 years later, since the classic first premiered, the commercial has been remixed and some fans are not happy with the updated result.
The classic ad features kisses as Christmas bells while playing to the tune of “We wish you a Merry Christmas,” but the 2020 version did something different. Instead, the new ad is called “Bells to Blossom”. Although it still features the first few seconds of the original commercial where Kisses performs with the classic Christmas song, a child reaches the frame to grab one of the Kisses. The cheerful child alongside her father uses kisses for peanut butter flower cookies in the new ad.
Watch the classic version below:
Now check out the new version below.
Fans of classic advertising rallied around and asked Hershey Co. to play the original. Hershey responded to reactions and requests from fans on Twitter, stating that both original and new commercials will continue to air this year.
While the new ad was recently created, Hershey also clarified further with Today’s food that classic ad ran this year as well – until Monday, November 23 to be exact. With the backlash from social media and Hershey announcing that both commercials will continue to run, fans won’t have to worry about not seeing the classic.
“We made the decision to do a slight update to the original which retained the opening holiday melodies and incorporated another holiday tradition, baking – merging these two age-old traditions. Whether it’s playing bells or baking peanut butter flowers, it’s Hershey’s kisses that have stood the test of time.
For viewers who love our original, don’t worry, we’ll be showing both holiday announcements this season. Keep an eye out for our classic and iconic Bells spot as well as the newest “Bells to Blossoms”.
For 30 years (before 2020), advertising has remained virtually unchanged. Hershey only made changes to improve the quality of the ad, including changing the ad tagline and updating the graphics to high definition in 2016, such as TODAY reported.
Hershey Community Archives lists the kisses as the Christmas bells advertisement as the oldest in the company, and by most fan feedback it’s definitely appreciated as is.
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