Last year, Hershey Canada partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities to run “Buy One, Hide One,” an Easter egg hunt at the charity’s Toronto location. This year, with physical distancing measures in play, Hershey needed to tweak the campaign.

Rebecca Paddock, Hershey Canada’s marketing manager for Easter and Valentine’s Day, says the goal of the event is for Canadians to help families celebrate Easter at Ronald McDonald Houses, which helps keep more than 25,000 families close to sick children as they receive treatment each year.

Footage for the 2020 campaign was filmed during Easter last year, Paddock says, and is running as normal. “But while our creative assets were ready, we had to quickly pivot the live activations at each Ronald McDonald house to ensure the families could have a safe Easter celebration,” she adds.

The staff at each Ronald McDonald house will now be delivering individual gift baskets of Hershey’s Eggies to families who are still staying at the house during Easter. Like the previous campaign, when Canadians purchase a package of Eggies from now until April 12, a second package will be donated to the families staying at Ronald McDonald Houses.

For Easter, Hershey is adjusting to COVID-19 realities, with a new egg hunt scavenger game available in grocery stores to be taken home for in-home hunts, as well as a Snapchat Lens Easter egg hunt for its Reese’s brand in which users can collect virtual eggs in their own home through an AR interface for a chance to win free Reese Mini 3D Eggs that will be shipped directly to their home.

Paddock says Canadians will be looking for new ways to create special moments with their immediate loved ones this Easter, as extended family gatherings and community events will not be taking place. Paddock says the campaign also supports the Hershey’s “Life Is Sweet” masterbrand platform, which is all about enjoying everyday moments with the people we care about.

According to Paddock, Easter is a high priority season for Hershey (as well other confectionery companies), targeting very different usage occasions than Halloween. “Buy One Hide One” targets Canadian mothers who are passionate about making Easter special and recreating traditions with their families, she says. While this year’s Easter will be different without extended family or community events, “our target mom will still want to make Easter fun and memorable while celebrating at home,” she says.

Hershey worked with Snapchat to create the AR Reese Easter Egg Hunt game, along with agencies Anomaly, and Media Profile on the broader campaign. UM took care of media planning and buying.