Next year, business wars is going even bigger starting January Fifth will bringing you knew longer episodes every Wednesday with even more inside stories, on the most outrageous and intense corporate rivalries of all time, a business wars every Wednesday starting January Fifth, on apple podcast. on music, the wonder, YAP joint work, we plan to listen. A business war is one we girly an ad free and the wonder yap down, the wonder yap in your apple or Google play Mobile appstore today quandary? This episode originally aired in twenty nineteen. its April nineteen. Seventy six and in a resort, hotel nestled in Pennsylvania's, Poconos Mountains, Hershey's top executives are facing the biggest challenge

in the company's history. Two and a half years ago. Mars did her. She is America's candy king. The victory was no fluke Mars, relentlessly focused on conquering the market and out the insular and tradition bound Hershey. Now Her she's new CEO, Build Durden wants to turn the tables. Fifty three year old CEO stands before team in a room overlooking a tranquil lake. He owes everything to her sheep. when he lost his mother at thirteen. His future look bleak, but then he got up said Hershey's school for orphans. Now he wants to read pay the Hershey chocolate company by leading it back to glory he scrawls. The word strategy on a flip chart a strategy. That's what we ve always lag, and it's what we now I'm not expecting

change to happen overnight. What we're doing here is building a ford. model T word model t that will one day become a rolls Royce over the next few hours. Do The team hammer out come back plan bill. We start advertising after a five year, Hiatus well identified money to buy they'll, develop new candy bars and they will become number one again. strategies bang, but for the first time since world war, two her she knows where its heading the executives, We won't be easy. Mars is a ruthless aggressive and powerful rival. There will stop at nothing to beat them. Victory is far from certain and failure, a distinct possible any. But the team also knows that they ve got something Mars. Doesn't

a reason to fight that goes deeper than the pursuit of profit they fighting for more than the bottom line there fighting for the too and their families and friends call home their fighting for France, whose lives will be transformed by the profits. They make therefore heading four Milton her she's believe that business must end prove society, not just lying pockets and fail to put all of that at risk, Monday, dot, com worker, is a customizable platform that gives teams the ability to easily create the work software they need and want for their organization. This freedom means you can build anything CRM, Workflow, HR management system. Imagine trying to build a podcast from scratch. You know all the stuff. It goes on behind the scenes where money, Doc

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go to Sun basket, dot com, slash wondering and enter promo code, wondering at check out that Son Basket Dotcom, Slash, wondering and Inter promo code wondering From wondering I'm David Brown- and this is business wars on them- step her. She tried tv advertising for the first time in a desperate attempt to stop Mars's advance, but after president. in imposed price controls her she stopped advertising and more became America's top confectioner in nineteen, seventy four victor

We are at last. Forest Mars leaves on a high by handing over the company to his sons, forest Junior and John now, Mars brothers want to ensure her. She never regains its lost crown. This is episode. Five chocolate rolls Royce. its nineteen. Seventy seventh enjoy doubt Russia's into the test kitchen inside her she's Pennsylvania headquarters down is the head of new products in five minutes ago. He got a call from the kitchen all these waited months for He makes a bee line for the head chef. So You got at this time. I do I do. take a seat, I'll get the sample back down. sound was stool by the kitchen island, the head Jeff brings over a bowl filled with small, yellow orange and brown candies. Here you are recent pieces.

Out and his team dreamed up the idea of months ago. He wanted a product, directly, challenge eminence Consumers can't resist the salty sweet combination of chocolate and peanut butter and races. Peanut buttercup so what are these shrunk them and added a little crunch, little candy coated sphere. that you can down by the handful like him and aims, but with a sigh weapon inside smooth peanut butter, Vermont the kitchen stride different recipes without success, but oil in peanut butter kept turning the candy shell soggy. It seemed like a possible challenge, but now now they think they'd cracked, it doubt grabs a yellow candy from the bowl pops it in his mouth and bites the shell cracks. He tastes, creamy, milk, chocolate and then the taste of peanut butter, spreads over his tongue like a wave. Its job

as he imagined after a few more. He turns to the head chef. These are correct what's the secret anew peanut butter recipe? Actually gave up on peanut butter. We used new key instead, basically peanut butter flavoured large same consistency, same taste, but not exactly peanut butter, doubt shovels a handful of races, pieces and his mouth. What I dont care- because these these are fantastic armed with this breakthrough, Hershey readies itself to launch rhesus pieces tests and select markets, and the response is great. Consumers go nuts. For these new treats finite Seventy nine risk pieces are ready to go national, but before they do a new report from the markets, lands on Dowd's desk. He scans it

and immediately races to the office of her? She, ceo building bill You gotta read this: what is it? The latest sales figures from the recent pieces test market dear scans, the report, its bad news, Recent pieces launched with a bang, but now the novelties wearing often people or drift back to eminent dear looks at Dowd Face full of concern. Should we cancel the National roll out? No, no, I don't think so. The declines, not critical just disappointing with the right adds. I'm sure we can turn it around. The launch is still a girl, but the omens are bad. recent pieces, just are The imminent killer, they'd hope for not the doubts got time frame she's come back. Strategy rests on his team, bringing three new products to market every year,

So as recent pieces head to the stores he focuses on rolling out other candies to nibble away at Mars's market share. Percy launches a chocolate covered, Toffee bar called score, then combined. chocolate, caramel and peanut, flavoured rice krispies to create it section. It dubbs what you might call it and wraps pretzels peanut butter, terrible and peanut shocks in milk chocolate to create gooey Julian Crunchy take five large together with rhesus pieces. These new sweets turn the tide after years of decline, Percy slowly, clawing back lost market share, but her she's, ever to regain momentum, haven't gone unnoticed it's early one thousand nine hundred and eighty and John Mars pulls his aging jeep into the lot of a bland three story office in Mclean Virginia. This is Mars headquarters

and it's as understated as the companies Co President, John Mars is one of America's richest men, but you ve, never know it to look at him. The forty four road where scuffed shoes dorky glasses in a pocket protector, his paw Esther suit, looked straight out of Macy's discount, section iii, energy first, through the back door, punches the time cardan, for the meeting room on the second floor on the way he passes black metal desks with copies of the company Bible, the five points levels of Mars and an actual butchers block. If they are to remind employees, they could get shot next if they dont live up to expectations, John enters the Glass Wall Meeting Room, the team, that's about it. present. Two m is already there. John sits in an uncomfortable plastic chair, so plan to stop her she's recent gains. The team leader, not our plan

it is a two pronged attack there will make her. She products, look like bad value. Now. Our intelligence unit predicts that cacao prices will fall and the near term. We want to use the savings to make our candy bars ten to twenty percent, bigger with raising prices, John folds, his arms, what supposed to achieve your created, lemme for her. She, while increasing our sales, you see there. These products are solid chocolate and, if they try to copy our size, increase it'll destroy their profits, but if they do Follow suit will thereby where's will seem like bad value. You get it. What about our profit margins? happens when ingredient cost rise again after the sale both from the larger bars, we'll just raise prices by a nickel. We predict her. She won't follow that either Johns lambs his fist on the table he's inherited his father's explosive temper. You want to lead

her she under cut us. That's your brilliant plan. The team leader didn't flinch. Employees who can't hold their own, don't last long and Mars, If we raise our wholesale price major tailors will raise the retail price of all candy bars. It's easy. for people working details, the result is Hershey bars, will look small and expensive compared to ours. John leaned back in smiles. Ok, let's Do it within weeks pumped up snickers in milky ways or having in stores heralded by full page newspaper rats, as predicted her she roof uses to follow suit sales of our products led by as much as two hundred and fifty percent, her steady advance sputters to hold a few months later

Mars quietly, increases its crisis and, as expected, big stores spawned by raising the price of all candy bars Mars. another sales, boosting consumer start, snubbing Hershey bars for being thin and overpriced, perceive Itself forced to increase its prices and bar sizes justice, Mars, peeling off any more customers, but then Mars gives Hershey a golden opportunity. its October nineteen, eighty one and in her she's Pennsylvania headquarters. A member of the new products team is call with universal studios, he since, as the movie studios RAP explains why she's called we're filming a new movie. It's about an alien that we're a boy. It's called e t e t extra terrestrial.

right. So why would we fit in? But the script calls for the boy to lure eighty into his house with Emma Names but Mars rejected the opportunity. So we want to use reason pieces, you interested the Hershey man most definitely is. Sales of Greece's pieces are fading he's willing to try anything to revive them the following week, Jack Doubt and the new products team headed office of Earl Spangler. Spain where's, the head of her she's chocolate division, buddy keen on paying universal a million dollars just two major rhesus pieces in e t. Aren't the public sector of sky wars, knowledge as yet This is a Steven Spielberg movie, you know the guy who did jaws and writers of the lost arc, Spangler Unmoved.

So a team member raises back to their floor and returns with the life size. Cardboard cut out of e t that universal set them, but Spangler Space drops at the sight of the wrinkly alien. What is that thing? It's disgusting get the hell out of my office, we're not doing this movie the next day The team returned Spangler Office and beg him to reconsider. Eventually, there were few so to let the matter drop where's him down here. Greece to let the team but races, pieces and e, provided they foot bill from their existing budget. June, nineteen eighty two and the two The theatre in Hershey Pennsylvania is wholly early showing of e t spend endowed sit in the middle row, munching Rhesus pieces Hershey's met big on e t. The companies

bending millions on e theme promotions, and now they are about to see. If the film justifies the high As the credits roll, the lights go out, the audience stands and applauds downturns. The spanker Spangler's eyes are red with tears, still think, eat. He's ugly Earl Spangler blows his nose, no no he's beautiful, The bottom line is beautiful to say, the Reese's pieces triple and orders from stores flood in rumors circulate that the enrage Marsh brothers fired the team that missed the chance to put Eminem's in e dot, t e dot t isn't marges only error while she grabbed market share with new candies. The Mars brothers are bowling down on their winners? They only care about blue

buster products like snickers, that deliver more than one hundred million dollars a year in sales, they eat stop making profitable candies that fall short of this sky high target and his mouth they. The middle tier of the market Hershey fills a gap when Mars kills off its kit cat rival. Some for only doing forty million dollars of business a year. Her she capitalize is with a new ad push for your cat based around a new catchy jingle by the nineteen eighties Hershey's Ford model T is fast becoming a sleek rolls Royce. that's closing in on Mars and then in nineteen eighty seven Hershey hits the gas pedal I buying the: U S: candy operation of Britain's Cadbury Schweppes

three hundred million dollar deal gives Hershey control of brands like mounds in York, peppermint patties as well. the right to make Cadbury cream eggs in America overnight, Hershey Leap, frogs Mars, after fourteen years, in the number to spot Hershey's back on top and full seven points ahead of Mars in market share but while Mars is feeling bitter now before long her she's led was Mt Haiti, you on a business, If you do, then you know there are enough hours in a data waste playing phone tag. Your time is precious and the of customers. You need to reach them. Get any shorter, especially when businesses good. So what are you gonna? Do Well, I can tell you that local businesses everywhere turned war sponsor podium because podium makes

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use promo code today at joint calibrate doc. Come visit, join calibrate, dot, com for availability and eligibility November. Nineteen. Eighty eight Mars headquarters, Maclean version John Mars sits at his desk with a man. He hopes will take his company back to the top that man is our po he's tall thirty two year old marketing executive and he spent the past few years, helping turn around Mars's pet food business now John hopes PO can take, is kibble knowledge and throw a bone to its care light regaining market leadership in candy is the priority out now. How would you do it oh already, has a plan is the same one. He used to boost interest in the company's pet food new products. I think John,

New products are a good way to lose money that the new prime I'm thinking up we'll be line. Extensions play our established brands to new products to give them instant. Consumer recognition, New varieties of imminent aims in snickers or so chocolate bars bearing the dove ice cream brand of things like that won't be, just cannibalize sales of our big brands, sure that's a risk line, extensions, increased interest in pedigree and whiskers and attract new customers. Now I see no reason why that won't work for candy to people get excited by new varieties of pet food when it seems obviously get excited by new varieties of their favourite candy, too We should also launch new products that directly challenge her she's, most popular items. That way we can their games job still worried about the risk, but posts sales pitch has convinced him. stands up and extends his hand welcome to the

Andy Division Al Use, tomorrow is head of marketing over the next three years. Politics Mars on the offensive. For company launches new twists on its biggest brands, snickers with almonds, dark chocolate, milk, you peanut butter in bananas. They also introduced dubbed bars to lure of people away from her she's milk, chocolate bars. Some moves fail How brings out a chocolate covered? Cocoanut bar called bounty to challenge Hershey's mounds, but bound fails to replicate its european success in the: U S suicide mark steadily: roads, Hershey's, led by now Eighteen, ninety one, the two rivals neck and neck again, feeling the he'd Percy fires with its own line: extensions soon: the charter

war descends into Trench warfare Mars launches a reduced calorie milky way, Hershey counters with a die bar of its own Hershey, introduces kisses with almonds Mars, Perry's with Almond Eminem's and its own answer to kisses mini chocolate, squares, called dub promises, but slowly Hershey gained the upper hand. thanks to its focus on new product development. First its course by moving in on the under exploited demand for white chocolate with cookies and cream and Hershey's hugs. The theme- nope, it's new Hershey's hog hogs are many Hershey's kisses my white chocolate her. She is also, first to spot the big bucks to be made from selling seasonal bags of candies. It's Halloween Christmas Easter, with its marketing muscle Hershey crushes this should a candy makers who, once dominated the holidays, earning too

of millions in the process. Meanwhile, MA is finding its blockbusters aren't delivering like they used to recent peanut cops are now threatening. Snickers position is America's hop selling candy. and even worse, Emmon are in serious trouble Eminem so become so every day that people are forgetting about them. Marge tries reviving interest by replacing tandem and aims with blue ones but it's not enough the company asks New York, add agency, baby. Deal for help. It's nice, Ninety five and a Mars team is in the conference room. It baby de Madison Avenue offices be Medio Cream directors. Susan Creedle leads the pitch. What I am currently lacks, is personality. Wait to stand out. Our proposal is that turn, the Eminem animated characters into a committee

ensemble each image Color will have its on personality. Creedle clicks are button on the laptop rigged up to the rooms, projector aligned of computer generated eminence characters, appears on the screen. We think of them, like a gang of court gestures. Red We, the sarcastic back stabber, yellow, dim witted, peanut green. What are the sultry women? Why go? Go boots blue The coup in the Mars executives approve the plan and the refreshing I'm spokes candies make their day during the nineteen. Ninety six superbowl look away under your friendly neighbourhood. Eminence the same Emmett aims at coming about one, but I'm really glad you came. Why was it because I'm all out of use pin up here? It's delicious money, the new eminent

characters shake off the branch, stale image and say start climbing again after years of decline, but it's too little too late. By summer nineteen. Ninety nine Hershey spar ahead of Mars in America's nine billion dollars a year candy market Hershey boasts a twenty seven percent share, while Mars trails with seventeen percent But now that Hershey's secure dominance in America there's a new threat, pennies, controlling shareholder, is the Orphan school founded by Milton Hershey and its thinking that now might be a good to cash. In its chips by selling off America's top chocolate makers on the next episode. her. She goes on. The block

Mars allies with Warren Buffett and Hershey and craft compete for Cadbury's hand in marriage, from wondering this is episode, five of Hershey's verses, Mars for business wars, if you like our show, give us a five star rating interview and be sure to tell your friends: follow business wars on Apple podcast, Spotify, Amazon, music, the wondering app or wherever you're listening right now, listen free by joining wonder replies. You'll also bind links and offers from our sponsors and the episode notes. Supporting them helps us keep offering our shows for free and other, where you can What this shows by filling out a small survey at wondering, dot, com, slash survey and tell us which business or, as you like, to hear a quick note, recreations. You ve been hearing. In most cases we can't know exactly what was said. Those scenes are dramatization, but their based historical research. I'm your house the Brown Tristan Donovan wrote this story. Karen low is our senior producer and editor edited and

by Emily Frost, sound designed by Kyle Randal, and they area sound our produce. was David. Shilling, our exact producers are Jenny, Lauer, Batman and martial Louis created by earn on Lopez for wondering any war books and Agatha two names forever committed by Vincent made, one of the richest girl in the womb. answered the other puss Genji media presents tomorrow an original scripted audio adventure inspired by any the musical. We fell in love with s case story Tony me, winner, Laura A is Agatha, as our is great and less with Oliver tomorrow, from on January, seventeen free wherever you get Podcast

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