Setting its sights squarely on the growing Hispanic market, Hershey Foods Corp., Hershey, Pa., has signed a multi-year endorsement deal with popular Latin singer/actress Thalía.

The partnership includes sponsorship of her U.S. tour beginning May 4 in New York City, a Spanish-language advertising campaign, consumer and retail promotions and a new, co-branded Thalía line of Hershey products designed to appeal to Hispanic tastes in the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Hispanic market, comprised of 40 million people with $630 billion in purchasing power, “represents a tremendous growth opportunity for Hershey Foods,” says Thomas K. Hernquist, senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

Hershey will create a multi-million dollar campaign featuring Thalía in Spanish-language print and television ads for its flagship Hershey’s brand. TV spots are scheduled to begin airing this summer on national Spanish-language media outlets. Hershey also will profile Thalía in advertising to support the upcoming launch of its Hershey’s Kisses filled with caramel. The Thalía line, a variation on some of Hershey’s most popular brands, will include chili-based flavors and dulce de leche fillings.

Thirty-two-year-old Mexico City native Thalía Ariadna Sodi Miranda is a Latin pop music superstar who made her English-language recording debut in 2003. Her self-titled 2002 album hit number one on Billboard magazine’s Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts, achieved multi-platinum status and netted her numerous awards. She first gained fame as a soap opera star more than a decade ago, appearing in the “Maria” trilogies. Its finale, seen by more than a billion people, is the most-watched television show in Univision network history.

For the second year in a row, The Arcor Group sponsored the NASDAQ 100 Open, and its products were named Official Candy of the tennis tournament. The Open, which took place March 24 to April 4 at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Fla., was attended by about 270,000, second only to the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

Arcor used the opportunity to stage the U.S. launch of one of its major brands, Rocklets, and create awareness of its other brands through sampling, interactive games, raffles and cross-promotions.

Rocklets, a chocolate-coated and a peanut- and chocolate-coated lentil sized candy, is being produced in a special formulation for the American market, and will be offered to all trade channels in two flavors in different types of packaging.

Arcor conducted several cross promotions at the tournament. They included 10 percent discounts for Arcor products purchased at Office Depot stores and 10 percent dining discount coupons at 12 Miami-area restaurants that showcased and gave away Arcor products during the tournament.

Teaming with leading tennis ball manufacturer Head/Penn, the official ball of this tournament for the past 20 years, Arcor developed a billboard and newspaper advertising campaign and an extensive public relations campaign throughout the United States and Latin America.

Arcor and Jet Blue Airways, Ocean Drive Magazine and the NASDAQ conducted an internet tennis trivia game that offered winners several prizes, including two flights anywhere Jet Blue flies.br> The Arcor Group is a multinational corporation headquarted in Argentina.

Masterfoods, Hackettstown, N.J., won a gold and silver and Just Born Inc., Bethlehem, Pa., won a silver Reggie Award recently from the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA).

The Reggie Awards recognize superior promotional thinking, creativity and execution across the full spectrum of marketing.
Masterfoods’ gold in the Account Specific Promotion and silver in the International/Global Promotion categories recognized its “Pedigree Paws to Recognize” campaign. Just Born was honored in the National Consumer Promotion category for its “Marshmallow Peeps Celebration Tour 2003.”

Male Valentine’s Day shoppers were the target of 30-second television commercial spots produced by Russell Stover Candies Inc., St. Louis, Mo., for its Russell Stover and Whitman’s brands. They aired on one broadcast network and 11 cable stations prior to the lovers’ holiday.

The company purchased an extensive sports package from ESPN that included National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) games on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 plus spots on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

The Topps Co., New York, N.Y., has developed a wide variety of new promotions and partnerships.
Ring Pop, Push Pop, Baby Bottle Pop and Juicy Drop Chews are partnering with the Chuck E. Cheese chain of kids’ pizza-and-party venues to offer game token graphics redeemable at the chain.

Push Pop brand has joined forced with the Nick.com website affiliated with the cable kids’ network in a contest to name the Push Pop spokes-kangaroo featured on the packaging. Kids can also enter to win a trip to Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Fla.

Baby Bottle Pop teams with the popular Neopets.com website through June 10 in an interactive online promotion where kids can buy, sell, trade and feed Baby Bottle Pops and Candy Juice Baby Bottle Pops candy to their virtual pets.

Ring Pop’s dual partnership with Nickelodeon Games & Sports Network (Nick GAS) and Major League Soccer (MLS) will be printed on merchandising vehicles. Kids can enter online to win a chance to be a ball kid at the MLS All-Star Game this summer or a trip to its Cup and Awards Banquet in the fall. Ring Pop will also sponsor the MLS “Play of the Week” and soccer-themed “Trade Tricks,” which air regularly during the MLS season on Nick GAS. Ring Pop wrappers can be redeemed at stadiums for ticket discounts, and the brand will have a major presence on stadium signage and in the game day programs.

Juicy Drop Pop is launching a promotional tie-in with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, airing Saturday mornings on FOX-TV’s kids’ lineup, FoxBox. Dedicated ads will promote an online sweepstakes. Juicy Drop Pop will air an exclusive commercial on the Cartoon Network. A Cartoon Network online sweepstakes will give kids a chance to win a tour of the country’s top water parks. Juicy Drop Pop’s partnership with Radio Disney will involve sampling, games and concert sponsorships.

Good Housekeeping magazine, which recently conducted a consumer taste-test of sugar-free candies, proclaimed Atlanta, Ga.-based Innovative Candy Concepts’ Sinfully Delicious brand one of its favorites.

The sugar-free, zero net carb, no-fat, dessert-flavored hard candies in 12 varieties contain two calories per piece, are made with mannitol, and are safe for diabetics. In its January issue, Good Housekeeping described Sinfully Delicious as “a dieter’s dream.”

A partnership between the Jelly Belly Candy Co., Fairfield, Calif., and the ARCO Arena, home to the National Basketball Association Sacramento Kings and Women’s National Basketball Association Monarchs, includes exclusive promotions, concession sales and half-time prizes at 2004 and 2005 home games.

More than 17,000 Jelly Belly samples were distributed at the March 2 King’s game.