How Reese's sweetened an emotional rollercoaster

Anticipating the nation's reaction to the news that it's changing the formula of one of its biggest confectionary hitters, Reese's return to the Super Bowl is something of a fanfare for the brand's lasting appeal.

Created through Erich & Kallman and directed by dummy.'s Harold Einstein, Yes! is an anarchic interpretation of the emotional rollercoaster that change can provoke; the group of six (or seven, if you count the dog, which we do) neighbourhood friends expressing their inner ids to comedic effect.

Buoyed by a genuinely teasing teaser campaign, shots caught up with Vice President Brand Strategy and Creative Development at The Hershey Company, Ryan Riess, Erich & Kallman Creative Directors Clark Chamberlin and Jason Goldberg, and Executive Director Of Production Operations Kati Haberstock to find out what the fuss was all about...

Ryan Riess - Vice President Brand Strategy and Creative Development at The Hershey Company

Why did you choose to make such a big announcement at the Super Bowl and why was comedy the right choice?

The Super Bowl is the one time of year you can guarantee that people are watching. 

We knew that we had this incredible product, and we knew that if we could just get them to try it, they were going to love it. So, it was really about telling the most amount of people at once. 

As for comedy; Reese'shas always been a brand that’s been a bit cheeky, a bit fun. We wanted to make sure that we were doing something that was true to who we were as a brand but also engaging people in a way that was gonna make them pay attention.

The teasers for the spot are genuinely teasing. What was the thought behind that?

The thought behind the teasers was really to play with our consumers. We wanted to make sure that we were triggering emotion, making them feel something for Reese's. 

We knew that if we could just get them to try it, they were going to love it.

Importantly, it wasn't about creating an ad for an ad. It was really about how we engage our consumers in a way that makes them feel a part of the brand, and rewarding them for being fans of the product.

The hero spot is endlessly rewatchable. How did you construct it to encourage several viewings?

From the very beginning, it was a very collaborative process. We were always thinking, always making decisions. 

What was great about working with Erich & Kallman and Harold was that everyone was always thinking about how to elevate the work. We thought about how to make every second of the 30 engaging, especially considering the Super Bowl party environment where attention is divided. We aimed for an ad that would be enjoyable whether you caught three, 15, or all 30 seconds of it. The reveal of caramel is just the start; the ad then rides into a roller coaster of reactions, aiming for constant engagement rather than a single punchline. 

With seven characters, including six humans and a dog, each showing five different reactions, we captured 35 individual reactions. This variety encourages viewers to rewatch the ad, discovering new details each time. Someone might say, "I love the dog," and another might respond, "There was a dog?" 

The ad rides into a roller coaster of reactions, aiming for constant engagement rather than a single punchline. 

This approach was about hitting hard in those 30 seconds and maintaining that impact on subsequent views. The simple message that Reese’s now has a caramel cup, a product causing all these reactions, is clear. The product is the catalyst for every moment, and we wanted to ensure that every rewatch reveals something new about the characters and their experiences.

It was always about making sure that we were doing something that was gonna get people’s attention.

Clark Chamberlin and Jason Goldberg - Creative Directors at Erich & Kallman

What was the proposition from the agency for their Super Bowl work? What was your first reaction?

Reese’s approached us to make a Super Bowl commercial for their new product: the Reese’s Caramel Big Cup. Our first reaction was excitement and absolute shock. Caramel? In a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup?! What incredible news!

Shortly after that, we got excited to make a commercial.

How did you come up with the concept? Were there mountains of insights or did you just know that people shouting “noooooo” was inherently funny?

We wanted to lean into the intense love that fans have for original Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, so showing their anger and excitement at the big news felt like a no-brainer. 

We wanted to lean into the intense love that fans have for original Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

We had a few different versions of this construct, but landed on the simple “YES!” and “NO!” formula because it led to the most laughs internally. 

We even had the entire agency do a few practice reactions for animatics.

What was the planning for the stages of the campaign? Did you always consider it as a tease-then-reveal?

We thought about just saying the news at the outset, but because this whole spot is pretty rooted in reactions, we wanted to give the audience a chance to have their own reactions too. 

It has worked pretty well so far: check out how Jason Kelce is feeling about the whole thing. 

Our launch strategy helps reinforce the insight behind this whole spot – changing something that’s already perfect is kind of a mega-huge-deal.

What’s the pressure like for putting out a SB spot? Do you feel the difference between it and other campaigns?

Sure, the audience is larger, but we felt the same pressure here that we always do. Every piece of work we make needs to live up to the quality of the product we’re selling, whether that’s a simple social post or the most expensive TV buy in advertising. 

Hopefully people love the spot just as much as they love Reese’s.