Candy Campaigns: Reese's

“There’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s.” If you’re a millennial like me, you probably had that slogan burned into your brain thanks to countless Reese’s Cups commercials playing during your Saturday morning cartoon block. (Which, if you were anything like me growing up, you watched while munching on a bowl of Reese’s Puffs.) The slogan has since evolved as the company has metamorphosed its marketing – and its products – to stay current with the times, but one thing remains the same.

If you thought I was going to say the Reese’s cup itself, well, that isn’t wrong, but not where I was going with that thought. What hasn’t changed is advertising. Whether it was cheesy commercials back in the 80s, star-studded commercials in the 90s, or the rise of the tongue-in-cheek social advertising revolution of the 00’s and beyond, parent company Hershey has relentlessly marketed its popular peanut butter and chocolate treat since its inception. And “popular” is no joke, either. When a rumor spread earlier this year that Reese’s Cups would be pulled from store shelves in October, there was such a huge consumer outcry that both Reese’s and parent company Hershey were forced to publicly respond confirming the iconic candy was here to stay.

Seems like consumers can’t imagine a Halloween – or store shelves year round – without their favorite bite of peanut butter and chocolate. So let’s take a look back at some of Reese’s most popular commercials.

How [Celebrity] Eats A Reese’s

These commercials dominated my TV set and my young mind as a kid. If you’re a millennial, you too may feel a surge of nostalgia at the Charlie Armstrong version of the commercial, which I saw easily hundreds of times and which I instantly remembered as soon as the commercial started to play. For sheer nostalgia factor alone, I kind of want to run out and buy a Reese’s.

Reese’s Pieces … Cup

This new version of Reese’s two most iconic products – the classic Reese’s Cup and the modern Reese’s Pieces – combines the best of both worlds into one crunchy, chocolatey peanut butter cup. The new candy has drummed up quite a bit of excitement on social media, and raised Hershey’s sales by a whopping 10%. The commercial has garnered about 16k views on YouTube, but also inspired copycat remakes, unboxing videos, and more which have earned millions of views between them. The commercial, and the candy, have both been a huge success.

In the comments below, share your favorite Reese’s candy and tell us why it’s won your heart!