This Halloween looks anything but spooky for Reese’s

Ted MarzilliCEO YouGov Direct
October 09, 2018, 6:30 PM GMT+0

Consumer sentiment toward the brand is healthier now than this time last year

This Halloween season, the National Retail Federation estimates that consumers will spend $2.6 billion on candy alone. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the biggest day of the year for the Hershey Company — maker of Hershey’s, Reese’s, and Kisses, among other popular candy brands — falls on October 30.

This year, new data from YouGov Plan & Track shows that Reese’s is in an even better position to benefit from the trick-or-treat holiday than last year. On October 8, 2017, for example, 20% of US consumers aged 18+ reported seeing an advertisement for the chocolate peanut butter cups at some point in the past two weeks. At present, that percentage stands at 29%, having already surpassed 2017’s Ad Awareness peak of 28% in early November.

By comparison, the Hershey’s brand, which isn’t marketed as a Halloween treat as heavily as Reese’s, has a current Ad Awareness score of 24%. This time last year, 20% of US adults remembered seeing an advertisement for Hershey’s within the past two weeks.

More people are talking about Reese’s now than last Halloween season, too. On October 8, 2017, 14% of US consumers aged 18+ indicated that they had mentioned the brand in conversation with a friend or family member at some point in the past two weeks. Today, that number is 17%.

The higher rates of people seeing a Reese’s commercial, along with more shoppers talking about the chocolate peanut butter cups, coincides with a higher Purchase Consideration score. Last year, when asked if they'd be open to buying Reese's when next in the market for consumer goods, 33% of US consumers aged 18+ said they would. Currently, Reese’s Purchase Consideration score stands at 37%.

Photo: Getty

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