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Lava Love: Reese's Second Super Bowl Ad Brings The Heat

Reese’s, which used last year’s Super Bowl to successfully launch Reese’s Caramel Big Cups, is back in the game. In a 30-second spot from Erich & Kallman, scheduled to run in the second quarter, a determined grandma and a runaway bride will charge up a mountainside to find Reese’s Chocolate Lava Big Cup.

Ryan Riess, vice president of brand strategy and creative development at the Hershey Company, tells Marketing Daily why the big game is an ideal stage for the country’s No. 1 candy brand.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Marketing Daily: You had a hit with your Super Bowl spot last year, launching Reese’s Caramel Big Cup. The ad sparked a viral debate – not everyone approved. It also got praise from ad critics, and the product sold well. But the Super Bowl is still a high-risk strategy. What made you decide a pricey ad was the best way to launch the Chocolate Lava Big Cup, too?

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Ryan Riess: It’s true that the Super Bowl media has become so fragmented, but humans want to have shared moments. Even if they are not diehard sports fans, people want to go to work on Monday or Tuesday and have something everyone can discuss. Maybe it’s the game, the ads or the halftime show. It’s almost like an American holiday -- it is a mass moment. That’s an incredible time to have a captive audience.

The game is also a way to communicate with many people, which is another reason it makes sense for Reese's, especially when we have an innovation. Last year, we knew we had a great item with the caramel product, and we wanted to tell as many people as possible.

And our category is unique compared to other advertisers. Not many people will go out and buy a car or insurance on Monday, but people can go and buy Reese’s immediately.

This year, it’s the same thing with Lava -- we want to tell people about it. After last year’s success, we know our customers like hearing from us, and we thought, “Why not delight them again?”

Marketing Daily: The ad stars a very determined grandma making her way to the top of the volcano and a bride on the lam. Why?

Riess: What’s important is to make advertising that's breakthrough and memorable, that people want to see, that excites people. And the grandma was a great story, in that as soon as you meet her, she’s a delight -- her personality comes across so well. She’s 94.

And the bride is great, too. We didn’t know when we cast her, but she used to run cross-country. So here she was, charging up the mountain toward the lava in take after take -- she was in great shape! The idea is that people will wonder what could be exciting enough to tempt a bride away from the altar and make Grandma hop on her Rascal scooter.

The spots are meant to be simple and highlight people's real energy and love for lava. We wanted to capture the enthusiasm people have for the brand.



Marketing Daily:
What’s your release strategy? Some brands want the Super Bowl ads out early. Others want it to be a surprise.

Riess: There’s the full Super Bowl spot, which also works as two 15-second spots and as 6-second versions. We’re releasing these teasers now, which say, “Reese’s has big news. It involves lava.” We’ll release the full ad closer to the game. We’ll be on social and on streaming. We’ll be everywhere.

Our goal is to drive sales. It's important to have a brand that people love, and advertising is supposed to let an interested public know about your product or service. Of course, everyone wants their ad to be talked about. I want consumers to love it. I want critics to love it. But the main goal is for our fans to say, "I can't wait to go out and try Reese's Chocolate Lava Cups."

There is long-term equity in big brands doing big things, and Reese's needs to show up at these moments and reward our consumers with our messaging.

Marketing Daily: How much of your audience are peanut butter cup purists, and how many want more innovation?

Riess: Our household penetration is about 50% annually and 70% for three years. That’s enormous. Most of us have our favorites, but that doesn't mean we don't want to try other versions. Just because you love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups as they are doesn’t mean you might not also have a passion for the eggs because they have more peanut butter or the miniatures because they have a little bit more chocolate.

We're always trying to come up with new combinations. We know innovation in this category plays a critical role. That’s an important reason we’re using this creative approach -- we want people to see exactly what they’re getting.

Marketing Daily: How so?

Riess: We go to a full screen of the product. That’s a key element in our advertising. We want to drive people's desire for the product, so the teaser starts with the peanut butter cup as it is and then, at the end, with the layer of lava. It’s a close-up introduction to the product, which is exactly the goal of advertising.

Our product is the celebrity. Sometimes, using a celebrity can help, but on the Monday after the game, I want people saying, "Did you see the Reese’s ad?," not "Did you see Celebrity X?"

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