Dive Brief:

• Twenty-nine percent of U.S. consumers age 18 and older say they have seen an ad for Hershey brand Reese’s over the past two weeks, compared to 20% who said the same a year ago, on October 8, 2017, and the brand’s ad awareness peak of 28% in early November last year, according to an analysis by YouGov Plan & Track of the brand's ongoing #NotSorry campaign. Hershey has an ad awareness score of 24%, compared to 20% last year. 
• Conversations around Reese’s are also up this Halloween season, with 17% of consumers saying they had mentioned the brand in conversation over the past two weeks. Last year, 14% of consumers said the same. 
• Thirty-seven percent of consumers said they would be open to purchasing Reese’s during their next shopping trip, compared to 33% last year. The higher number of people seeing ads and talking about the brand is contributing to the rise in purchase consideration. 

Dive Insight:

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are an iconic Halloween treat, often ranked No. 1 on best-Halloween-candy lists, a fact the brand appears to be successfully capitalizing on this year. For marketers, the results show how a well-coordinated multi-channel campaign that is entertaining and contextually relevant can drive conversation, awareness and purchase intent. 

The boost measured by YouGov is linked to Reese’s latest incarnation of the #NotSorry marketing campaign, which launched in June, with the 29% in ad awareness representing a 10-point increase since June 1, according to MediaPost citing YouGov. Reese’s has released several TV commercials over the past few months, with Halloween-themed spots debuting recently. The campaign, which includes a sweepstakes, also appears on social media with posts themed around current events, like football. A landing page features videos and recipes. The original incarnation of Reese's #NotSorry was a response to the campaign “Sorry, I Was Eating a Milky Way” launched by competitor Mars in 2012. 

The Halloween season is a highly competitive time for candy brands, as they attempt to lure consumers and drive sales ahead of trick-or-treating. Mars brand M&M’s recently debuted its first Halloween campaign in 11 years to run across TV, digital and print. Halloween spending is expected to reach $9 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation, representing the second-highest spend in the report’s 14-year history. Among Halloween shoppers, 95% are planning to purchase candy, spending $2.6 billion. 

Hershey’s has been working to enhance its digital strategies to better target younger demographics, including integrating ecommerce and in-store personalized experiences. The company recently ranked No. 3 in Engagement Labs’ TotalSocial ranking of how food brands are doing in offline and online conversations, which is in line with Reese’s ability to drive conversations around the brand.