- Reese’s has unveiled a new product innovation: The Chocolate Lava Big Cup, a dessert-inspired candy designed to complement the iconic chocolate and peanut butter candy with an extra layer of gooey chocolate filling.
- To promote the new candy, the brand created a virtual CGI chocolate and peanut butter lava volcano and shared it on social media.
- The brand released a TikTok on Monday 8/26 and has already garnered 5.3m views, 4.6K likes, 95 comments and 249 saves to kick off the CGI experience.
Despite consumers scaling back on some categories, confectionery sales are going strong, reaching $48 billion in 2023, according to the National Confectioners Association. The report projects that U.S. confectionery sales will reach $61 billion by 2028.
As consumers continue to reach for their favorite sweet treats, they are drawn to classic favorites and innovative novelties, according to John Downs, president & CEO of the National Confectioners Association. The Hershey Company has an opportunity to increase sales of its classic Reese peanut butter cup with a new twist on the product.
“Today, consumers have more choices than ever before. We know bold and exciting ideas, rooted in rich flavor insights will continue to help us connect with not only our loyal brand enthusiasts, but new brand fans as well,” said Ian Norton, senior director, Reese’s Franchise at The Hershey Company. “As we look to the future, we’re laser focused on finding new and innovative ideas to continue to meet consumers where they are and provide experiences that wow them.”
The innovation is not just in product but also in the company’s approach to marketing. “To ensure we’re always innovating, we’re making strategic investments and shifts to our media approach,” added Norton. “The majority of our media plan now is digital. We’re focused on engaging on these critical platforms, new platforms including YouTube, Meta, and TikTok in a new and exciting way to grab consumers’ attention…Leveraging CGI technology helps us provide the type of content that all consumers – especially new generations of consumers – value, including interactive digital platforms.”
