• by Aaron Baar , January 6, 2011

LAS VEGAS--In the world of electronics, everything is getting smaller. The same apparently holds true for candy.

Hershey took advantage of the multitude of media at the Consumer Electronics Show (and its position as the "official candy" of the show) to introduce Reese's Minis, a smaller version of the popular candy.

"When you think about it, there are Intel chips, and we have chocolate chips," said Jim St. John, vice president of research and development for Reese's, who added that the product was the result of more than five years of research and development. With a crowd gathered, he then pulled away a fabric display made to look like a trunk.

The snacks, touted as the "Next Big, Little Thing," are about the size of a dime and will come in packages like other popular small candies like M&M's. Unlike the brand's miniature cups, the Minis will be unwrapped in the packages.

Company executives unveiled the candies by opening a giant orange box in the lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the site of the Consumer Electronics Show. As the "official candy" of the show, the event provided a high-profile opportunity for a launch, Anna Lingeris, public relations manager for Hershey, tells Marketing Daily.

The product, which will be available in stores on Jan. 6, will be part of one of the company's largest product launches in of the year. Marketing elements will include a "full 360" advertising campaign, as well as public relations, promotional support and co-marketing with other Hershey's products, Lingeris says.