1

I’m fairly certain that most people have fond memories of trick or treating on Halloween,

loading up pillowcases with as much candy as we could possibly collect. Being the youngest of

five siblings, I often found myself in a constant battle to protect my favorite pieces of Halloween

candy. Although we all participated in trading our candies, I always ended with the short end of

the stick. What this all boils down to is that my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were always at risk

of being snatched from beneath me.

With over 30% of Halloween candy being purchased in the week leading up to

Halloween, The Hershey Company decided they wanted to be the main topic of conversations

for that week. In order to make this happen, Hershey’s developed a Reese’s Halloween Candy

converter and placed it in New York City’s Washington Square Park. For the individuals who are

not in NYC there is the option of sending their Halloween candy in after Halloween to be

donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities in exchange for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Finally, those who purchase Reese’s candies the week leading up to Halloween will help

contribute to the RMHC with 10% of the purchased Reese’s proceeds being donated. The overall

goal of Hershey’s was to keep Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in the lead for top-selling Halloween

candy by retail sales and to stay current despite their competitors. This campaign was successful

by generating more than 1,300 media placements in the three days leading up to Halloween as

well as collecting 536,000 engagements on Reese’s 12 promotional social media posts.

Furthermore, more than 100,000 people sent bags of candy into The Hershey Company to be

donated and traded for Reese’s. This write-up will include an analysis of the Reese’s Halloween

Candy Converter campaign including research, action planning, communication, and evaluation.
 2

Background

Environment

While Reese’s is currently a top seller in the candy industry, there are candy competitors that

are constantly growing and creating major threats. These threats are why it is essential that The

Hershey Company stays fresh and relevant amongst candy buyers, specifically Reese’s Peanut

Butter Cup buyers. This is significant because if they fail to stay fresh and relevant, it is likely

that their sales will decline. Similarly, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups are on the more expensive side

of candies, which could cause purchasers to choose other candies for Halloween.

There are many Reese’s Cup fanatics that will purchase the candies until the day they die,

however, there are also people who enjoy Reese’s but may find purchasing a different type of

candy a better option. Candy purchasers may begin to buy other types of candies based upon the

lower prices and larger quantities. This combined with the fact that Reese’s has not created any

significant changes in their product creates a risk of The Hershey Company seeing a decline in

sales (prweek.com, Reese’s The GOAT of Halloween).

Client

The Hershey Company produce a variety of the most popular candy bars including the

Hershey’s bar, Kit-Kat, Reese’s, Cadbury, Almond Joy, and Heath. These products are loved and

sold all around the world, being recognized for their consistent and quality flavors. In 1894,

Milton Hershey founded The Hershey Company in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. After facing

multiple failed confection endeavors, Hershey had finally found a company that was grounded

and made an impact. The Reese’s Peanut Butter cup was invented by a man named Harry

Burnett Reese; he founded the H.B. Reese Candy Company which was most popular for the

famous Peanut Butter Cup. In 1963 the H.B. Reese Candy Company was acquired by the
 3

Hershey Company for $23.5 million (Businessinsider.com, Rise of Reese’s). Hershey’s was

certainly lucky to purchase this company as the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup quickly rose to be

one of their top sellers.

Market Research

The Reese’s Peanut Butter cup is an American favorite year-round, with a peak around

Halloween time. What is essential is making sure the candy remains fresh and relevant. When

conducting primary research, The Hershey Company’s earned media and brand publicity lead,

Anna Lingeris, discovered that over 30% of candy purchased for the season is purchased in the

week leading up to Halloween. This information made it clear that the week of Halloween was

the perfect time for Reese’s to make a statement. They commissioned a survey that discovered

90% of Americans would trade their unwanted candy for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. This

became the motivation and inspiration for the Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter

(prweek.com, Reese’s The GOAT of Halloween). With this discovery and the idea of the

Reese’s Candy Converter, the only final step was to make it practical and help people understand

the simplicity and reward that results from it. Trick or treaters will now just need to be informed

on where the converter is and the other things they can do with their unwanted candy.

Trick or treaters will also need to learn about the option to send their unwanted candy

into Reese’s to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The individuals who are

purchasing Halloween Candy are able to help a charitable cause also by purchasing Reese’s

Peanut Butter Cups. For every package of Reese’s purchased the week leading up to Halloween,

10% of the proceeds are donated to the RMHC. If we are unable to get information to our key

publics, they will not know about this opportunity to help others and to receive free Reese’s.
 4

SWOT Analysis

Strength Weakness
• Reese’s are currently the most • There have been no significant changes
popular Halloween Candy in the product.
• High association between Reese’s • Reese’s are more expensive than other
Peanut Butter Cups and Halloween. candies.

Opportunity
• Over 30% of Halloween candy
purchases are purchased in the
week leading up to Halloween.
• A survey that found 90% of
Americans would trade their
unwanted candy for Reese’s Peanut
Butter Cups.
Threat
• People are looking for cheaper candy
options, their competition may provide
that.
• Competing companies are constantly
appearing, causing more competition for
the position of most popular Halloween
candy.

Situation analysis

Currently The Hershey Company’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is of the most popular

Halloween candies. This means that people are already buying the product and enjoy the taste of

it. There is also an extremely high association between Reese’s and Halloween, with Reese’s

topping the charts for favorites (USAtoday.com, Peanut Butter Cups are most popular Halloween

candy). With no recent significant changes in Reese’s products, however, there is the risk that

individuals will become unenchanted with the product and decide to take their business

elsewhere. Similarly, with a bag of Reese’s costing more money than some of the newer and less

popular candies, the alternatives may capture the wallets of previous purchasers. Because over
 5

30% of Halloween candy is purchased in the week leading up to Halloween, it is the prime time

for Reese’s to make a statement within the community.

With a variety of outside influences, we are able to discover the threats and opportunities

that are affecting our current situation. There are a few threats that are placed upon The

Hershey’s Company that they are unable to change. For example, people are always looking for

cheaper and similar products, their competition may provide these products. Furthermore, these

same competing companies are constantly appearing, causing more competition for the position

of most popular Halloween candy, a position that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups currently hold

(USAtoday.com, Peanut Butter Cups are most popular Halloween candy). Fortunately for The

Hershey Company, a survey found that 90% of Americans would trade their unwanted candy for

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, giving them a great opportunity to keep customers and run a

successful campaign (prweek.com, candy converter).

Core problem

If The Hershey’s Company cannot effectively keep Reese’s fresh and relevant in the

minds of purchasers and consumers, then individuals will stop purchasing candy, while Reese’s

will see declining sales and lack of business.

Goals and Objectives

Goal

To inform Halloween candy purchasers and trick or treaters about Reese’s Peanut Butter

Cups exchange campaign and charitable donation opportunity.

 6

Objectives

1. Within the two weeks leading up to Halloween, reach 65% of Halloween candy

purchasers with news of the candy exchange and donation campaign.

2. At the Tarrytown Halloween Parade and Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter’s debut,

distribute 2,500 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to get individuals excited about the same

classic product they love.

3. Receive 1,000 media placements in the three days leading up to Halloween causing

people to be informed about the campaign and the product.

The Big Idea

Based upon the Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter, the ability to donate unwanted candy to

the Ronald McDonald House Charity in exchange for unwanted candy, and 10% of the

purchased Reese’s candies proceeds going to RMHC candy purchasers will be motivated to

continue purchasing Reese’s. The big idea is to promote the donation of unwanted candy so that

individuals can end up with the type of candy they love and people in need will also be able to

enjoy their holiday season.

1. Big idea strategy: Motivate individuals to continue purchasing Reese’s Peanut Butter

Cups.

2. Big idea message: Although there is a large variety of candy options for Halloween,

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the best option.

3. Tangible representation: The “Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter” will provide an

interactive experience for individuals in New York City during the week leading up to

Halloween. Following Halloween, The Hershey Company will allow individuals to send
 7

in their less favorable Halloween candy to be donated to The Ronald McDonald House

Charities for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

4. Optional slogan: Every child deserves to have a happy Halloween.

Key Publics and Message Design

Key Public 1: Halloween Candy Purchasers

Demographic: Halloween candy purchasers are in charge of buying candy to either pass

out or to consume. They are the main people who are going to purchase Reese’s Peanut Butter

Cups. Halloween candy purchasers usually range from ages 20-60 or have their own place of

residency.

Self-Interest: Halloween candy purchasers have the responsibility to purchase candy to

pass out on Halloween or around the holidays, they may feel the desire to purchase cheaper or

newer candies.

Influencers: Celebrities who are purchasing candy, popular “mom bloggers.”

Objective: Receive 1,000 media placements in the three days leading up to Halloween

causing people to be informed about the campaign and the product.

Within the two weeks leading up to Halloween, reach 65% of Halloween candy

purchasers with news of the candy exchange and donation campaign.

Primary Message:

Purchase Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for Halloween in order to help The Ronald

McDonald House Charities and the families there for the holidays.

Secondary Messages:

Purchasing Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups during the Halloween season help give to those

in need. When children are sick, often they’re unable to spend the Halloween season dressing up
 8

or trick or treating, the RMHC can help families to stay together while a child is being

hospitalized and to help the seasons be a little bit happier. RMHC currently has 368 houses, 252

family rooms, and 50 care mobiles (rmhc.org, what we do).

Key Public 2: Trick or Treaters

Demographic: Trick or treaters are primarily composed of children going house to house

collecting candy on Halloween.

Self-Interest: Trick or treaters are collecting the candy and can be motivated by the

quality of candy they receive.

Influencers: Popular children celebrities.

Objectives: At the Tarrytown Halloween Parade and Reese’s Halloween Candy

Converter’s debut, distribute 2,500 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to get individuals excited about

the same classic product they love.

Primary Message:

The Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter and donating your unwanted candy to the

RMHC can both help you to receive free Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Secondary Message:

“In mid-October, Reese's commissioned a survey that found 90% of Americans would

trade their unwanted candy for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups” (prweek.com, candy converter).
 9

Strategies and Tactics

Strategy for Halloween Candy Purchasers

Convince the Halloween candy purchasers through interactive charitable promotional

activities that Reese’s should remain a Halloween favorite.

Tactics

1. For the week leading up to Halloween, print labels on all of The Hershey Companies

products explaining the candy donation and exchange campaign.

2. Reese’s will post 12 original social media posts to Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and

Facebook.

3. Donate 10% of the proceeds of Reese’s Halloween Candy purchased the week before

Halloween to The Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Strategy for Trick or Treaters

Persuade trick or treaters through free Reese’s and the ability to donate their unwanted

Halloween candy to the Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter and through mail to The Hershey

Company in order to help families through The Ronald McDonald House Charities while

keeping Reese’s at the top of the trick or treater’s minds.

Tactics

1. Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter will make its debut at the Tarrytown Halloween

Parade in New York City on October 28, three days before Halloween.

2. Post signs in major seller’s checkout lines explaining the candy donation and exchange

campaign.
 10

3. Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter will be in NYC Washington Square Park on the

evening of Halloween.

4. Individuals can mail in their unwanted Halloween candy to be donated to RMHC for a

bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Budget
 11

Calendar
 12

Evaluation Criteria and Tools

Evaluation of Objective 1

Within the two weeks leading up to Halloween, reach 65% of Halloween candy

purchasers with news of the candy exchange and donation campaign.

Tool

The tool that we will use is web-based analytics to observe in the data if the targeted candy

purchasers are viewing the online campaign posts.

Why

We will use the online social media posts to establish whether people are viewing and interacting

with the campaign messages. Using these social media outlets will help to ensure that a wide

variety of people are viewing our content.

Evaluation of Objective 2

At the Tarrytown Halloween Parade and Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter’s debut on

October 28th, distribute 2,500 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Tool

At the end of the evening of the 28th we will be able to see how many people used the Halloween

Candy Converter and how many Reese’s were traded for through using a computer built into the

machine.

Why

With hitting a goal number of Reese’s being distributed with the machine we are able to access

the accessibility of the machine as well as the amount of engagement the campaign is receiving.
 13

Evaluation of Objective 3

Receive 1,000 media placements in the three days leading up to Halloween.

Tool

Use web-based analytics to find Reese’s name and the campaign being mentioned through a

variety of news sources and websites.

Why

Receiving media placements are an easy way to achieve unpaid promotions and to get Reese’s

trending online.

Heineken’s Ladder

The Reese’s Halloween candy converter campaign would fall at about the level 7,

groundbreaking portion of Heineken’s Latter. This is the case because the whole campaign is

something that hasn’t been done before. Up until this point, the idea of turning in your less

popular candy for a better piece without any catch would be a dream. The Hershey Company and

Reese’s were able to make that dream a reality for so many people. Furthermore, bringing the

charitable cause into it with the RMHC helped to bump it up a little bit, getting close to step 8 of

the ladder. Step 8 on the ladder would mean that the campaign is contagious. Through both the

Reese’s Halloween Candy Converter and the charitable donations to the RMHC, this campaign is

both groundbreaking and contagious, one that will spread to all parts of the country. The Hershey

Company created a whole new aspect of Halloween that will inspire trick or treaters and

Halloween candy purchasers to continue purchasing Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.