Reese’s Releases

reeses.jpgReese’s needs to learn to love itself for the way it is.

I understand that capitalism pretty much dictates that companies must endlessly increase sales, and this translates to continuously messing with classic products. This is why when you go to buy toothpaste it takes 45 minutes and two copies of Consumer Reports to decide. See, for example, Oreos. Now, granted, innovation has led to undeniably remarkable new products: Double Stuff, Halloween, and mini Oreos being good examples. But look also at the dilution of the brand: The Clorox-colored Spring collection, the bland peanut butter variety (and I’m normally a big fan of all things peanut butter), and congealed Oreo cheesecake.

But no brand has engaged in as many pointless variations of its base than Reese’s. They realized long ago, probably in the years following ET, that little more could be done with Reese’s Pieces (although the M&M forays into other fillings should serve as inspiration), so they turned to bastardizations of what can best be described as peanut butter Kit Kats. As I drove past a billboard for a Reese’s peanut butter cappuccino a couple of weeks ago, I had to wonder, does this relentless product roll-out really work?

HERSHEY WILL RELY ON RAMPED-UP consumer marketing spending to bring it out of a slump this year. The nation’s largest candy maker yesterday reported a dismal fourth quarter due largely to aggressive trade promotion to clear out unsold merchandise

-MediaPost