Social Media
Snickers Peanut Butter Marketing Wins Over 'Reeses', Targets Industry Leader
Snickers challenges the leader in the peanut butter chocolate market with an ingenious marketing campaign: inviting a group of consumers named 'Reese' to participate in focus group tests, and launching an online pledge campaign. This move not only strengthens the market promotion of its new peanut butter product but also cleverly responds to recent product formula controversies of an industry rival.
Quick Brief:
- Snickers is courting consumers named "Reese" in the U.S. market through a new marketing campaign to promote its peanut butter-flavored snacks. This information comes from apress release。
- A video ad's creative concept was inspired by focus group testing: strangers were brought together to share their honest opinions on Snickers products. Surprisingly, almost all participants were named "Reese" (with slight spelling variations like Rhys or Reece), leading Snickers to declare that "Reeses want you to try Snickers Peanut Butter."
- The creative, directed by actor and comedian Eric André, will run on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok's Pulse format, and NBCUniversal platforms. As of June 11, U.S. consumers with "Reese" in their name who sign a pledge supporting the brand have a chance to win a year's supply of Snickers Peanut Butter.
Deep Dive:
Snickers, under Mars, is launching a direct assault on the established leader in the chocolate-peanut butter candy segment by enlisting the support of real people named "Reese." This jab at Hershey's Reese's brand is part of a larger marketing push for Snickers' new peanut butter product line, including chocolate squares, bite-sized snacks, and ice cream bars.
In April, Snickers launched an ad called "Stuck," which is an extension of itslong-running "You're Not You When You're Hungry" marketing platform. In the ad, two climbers are trapped by a rock in a canyon, echoing the film "127 Hours," and they ease the tension of their dangerous situation by eating Snickers Peanut Butter.
The latest ad takes a more "observer" perspective, documenting a focus group of people named "Reese" (or variations like Rhys or Reece) as they rave about the taste and texture of Snickers Peanut Butter. These "Reeses" gradually realize they all share the same name, but one participant named Greg—an exception—is quickly escorted out of the group, creating a touch of awkward humor. A humorous disclaimer notes that "Greg" is a paid actor, a disclosure required by Snickers' legal team. BBDO New York is Snickers' creative agency.
Snickers extends the "courting Reeses" concept beyond the ad with an online pledge campaign. The first 100 signers with "Reese" in their name (first, middle, or last) who sign the document on thebrand's websitewill receive a special reward; another 25 randomly selected winners will receive a year's supply of Snickers Peanut Butter.
Snickers cites survey data from Puratos showing that 71% of consumers consider texture a key factor in their eating experience. The Mars brand is emphasizing its use of real creamy peanut butter and crunchy peanuts to gain an edge in texture.
This positioning comes amid recent criticism of the Reese's brand. Earlier this year, the grandson of the candy's inventor accused Hershey ofreducing product quality by using cheaper ingredients. Hershey has acknowledged the criticism and says it plans toreturn to its classic recipe starting next year。