Hershey’s Valentine’s Day campaign offers a playful take on public affection

This Valentine’s Day, The Hershey’s brand has launched it’s new campaign, ‘Giving Kisses is hard, but there is Hershey’s Kisses!’, offering a culturally rooted take on love and public affection in India. Built on a simple yet powerful message that “Giving Kisses can be hard, but there is Hershey’s Kisses” while love is celebrated, giving kisses in public often comes with hesitation, the campaign positions Hershey’s Kisses as a playful, socially acceptable way to express affection.

The campaign rolled out through a digitalfilm, contextual location based outdoor innovations, strategic collaborations with brands and romantically themed on-ground activations across Mumbai and Delhi.

Hershey and Mullen Lowe Lintas have come up with an incredible 360-degree campaign that leans into the brand’s name to flip a familiar cultural tension. The digital film captures everyday moments of “love interrupted,” where young couples navigate unspoken social boundaries, only to find an easy workaround in Hershey’s Kisses. The message is clear: giving kisses can be hard, but there’s Hershey’s Kisses.

Extending beyond digital, the brand rolled out contextual, location-based outdoor hoardings across Mumbai, using humour and situational cues to reinforce that while some actions may be frowned upon, Kisses are always allowed.

On-ground, Hershey partnered with Zepto at the Zepto Valentine Prom Party, featuring a ‘Kisses Booth’ that encouraged couples and friends to exchange chocolates freely, bringing the campaign idea to life. On social media, a collaboration with Close-up on Chocolate Day and Kiss Day invited consumers to create personalised music videos via Closeup Love Tunes and gift Hershey’s Kisses.

Commenting on the campaign, Kamy Devaguptapu, Director India & APAC Market “In India, expressing love openly can be complicated, but sharing joy shouldn’t be. This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating the beauty of connection with a playful twist on our name. ‘Giving Kisses is Hard, but there’s Hershey’s Kisses’ acknowledges that while giving kisses might invite judgment, giving Hershey’s Kisses is simple, sweet, and universally welcomed. Our campaign recognizes the cultural realities young Indians navigate while empowering them to share affection in their own way—making Hershey’s Kisses the perfect, delightful gesture of love that everyone can embrace.”

Commenting on the campaign, Sarvesh Raikar, President, (Creative) “Many brands have various takes on Valentine’s Day. We wanted to have our own unique little point of view. Afterall, Kisses are one the world’s most distinct chocolates. India has always had a strong POV on PDA and the conversations peak around Valentine’s Day. Unlike the west, kisses aren’t the easiest thing for people in love to give and take. We thought this could be a beautiful, unique space for kisses to own in India’s peculiar cultural context. Giving and receiving kisses needn’t be so hard! It’s after all, the most fundamental expression of love.”

By blending cultural insight with playful brand storytelling across digital, outdoor, and on-ground touchpoints,‘Kisses Anytime, Anywhere!’ reinforces Hershey’s Kisses as one of the world’s most distinctive chocolates.