REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups

The Objective

As a seasoned advertiser on TikTok, Hershey is continuously seeking new ways to innovate and test and learn on the platform. One product that was identified as a priority was their REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups. Having established the iconic REESE'S cup wrapper as a key campaign visual element in their 2021 REESE'S equity campaign, the next step was to initiate a debate around the best way to eat a REESE'S cup. They had learned from social listening and consumer research that one of the more polarizing aspects of "uncupping" a REESE'S was whether the wrapper came off satisfyingly clean or there was a delicious little smudge of chocolate left behind to enjoy. They took this insight and ran with it, posing the question to their fans; are you #TeamCleanCup or #TeamStickyCup, and inviting the TikTok community to weigh in.

To improve ad performance, engagement, and to bring this insight to life on TikTok, the team decided to test new products while utilizing popular creators and Spark Ads in the auction.

The Solution

For this campaign, REESE'S partnered with creators that closely aligned with their brand's vision and objectives. Those viral creators included @kallmekris, @yoleendadong, @newt, @aileenchristine, and @caleontwins. By letting them put their own creative spin on the debate, REESE'S campaign was the perfect embodiment of the concept "Don't Make Ads. Make TikToks."

In addition to partnering with creators, REESE'S also leveraged voting stickers - a first-to-market product innovation - to engage their existing and new customers on TikTok by having them vote for Team Sticky Cup or Team Clean Cup. Voting Stickers are an interactive element that helped the campaign drive stronger engagement and view rates.

To amplify these efforts and to help drive reach and impressions, REESE'S targeted their audience of Canadians 18-34 through Auction In-Feed Video Spark Ads.

The Results

With 24M impressions served over the campaign flight and a 31.5% lift in ad recall, The Sticky vs Clean Cup campaign solidified what REESE'S already suspected to be true - that TikTok is the perfect place to reach a hyper-engaged audience and drive brand engagement in a meaningful and authentic way. Working closely with creators not only resulted in a highly creative campaign but it also resulted in native ads that distinctly cut through clutter, plus built a solid roster of organic views and engagement that further amplified the Sticky vs Clean Cup campaign. Furthermore, testing innovative features such as Voting Stickers resulted in stronger ad performance and brand metrics due to longer engagements, view rates, and better memorability thus demonstrating that leaning into first-to-market opportunities will allow your brand to innovate and reach your audiences in a native and engaging way.

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