Super Bowl commercials and popular celebrities go together like peanut butter and chocolate. So how come there's no famous face putting a spotlight on Reese's candy during the Big Game?
A new Super Bowl ad for the Hershey's-backed treat will show fans taking extreme measures at the site of an active volcano to taste lava, clearly confused after the introduction of a new version of Reese's that has chocolate lava. There is a 94-year-old woman among the crowd who gets into an interesting mix-up, but there are no movie stars, no sports figures, no politicians.
"I don't think we want to share the stage with someone else, you know?" says Ryan Riess, vice president of brand strategy and creative development, The Hershey Company, during a recent interview. "I think there are definitely times to use celebrities, but the Super Bowl is one where our goal is to have Reese's be the star."
Reese's will rely on a strategy that is embraced with less frequency each year. The current norms for Super Bowl advertising make the use of celebrities almost de rigueur. Thanks to exploding costs for commercial time — Fox has sought from over $7 million to more than $8 million for a 30-second slot — advertisers need assurances that their promotional messages will get noticed. Celebrities tend to help.
Indeed, the use of popular actors, musicians and other notables has increased notably since 2020, according to research done by Kim Whitler, an associate professor of business administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, who leads a research team that has analyzed more than 500 Super Bowl commercials from between 2015 and 2024. In addition to enlisting stars, advertisers are trying to pair them in interesting ways, resulting in a 150% increase in so-called "generational mash-ups" that group celebrities from multiple age demographics
Still, all the famous faces seem to blur together on the night of the event. In 2024, for example, Super Bowl viewers saw Danny DeVito join Arnold Schwarzenegger for State Farm; Pete Davidson work with Kate McKinnon for Hellmann's; Heidi Gardner and Dan Levy pair up for Homes.com; and Chris Pratt pitch Pringles. Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Aubrey Plaza and Ice Spice were also on hand, as were cast members of "Saturday Night Live," such as Heidi Gardner for Homes.com. There have already been revelations for this year's crop of commercials, including Willem Dafoe and Catherine O'Hara for Michelob Ultra and, in what will likely generate some attention, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan reprising their roles from the popular 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally."
Focusing on something funny or zany instead might seem counterintuitive, says Hershey's Riess, but it also just might stand out. "It's like there's a bunch of black umbrellas, but then there's the red one, right?"
Other members of the 2025 ad roster will embrace the tactic. Hims & Hers, the telehealth upstart, will focus on the problems of obesity in the U.S., using a minute-long spot that features a collage of different images focused on the dangers of being overweight. "We are not trying to make you laugh or just make you remember the celebrity," says Dan Kenger, the company's chief design officer. "Our hope is that it will cut through the noise and that it will resonate with people in a bit of an authentic way."
Reese's has grown accustomed to running in the Super Bowl on its own steam. Last year, it relied on an assortment of regular-looking people screaming in delight or agony upon hearing about Reese's Caramel Big Cup. Some threw themselves out windows or on top of tables. In 2020, Reese's used the Super Bowl to spotlight the Reese's Take5 candy bar, which combines chocolate, peanuts, caramel, peanut butter, and pretzels. Erich & Kallman, an independent agency based in San Francisco and Austin, has worked on all Super Bowl efforts this year and last, while Dentsu was behind Take5.
Reese's has a little extra sugar that other marketers may not. Reese's is the company's top-selling brand, says Riess, and has 50% penetration among consumers and is available at all kinds of stores, so anyone who sees the commercial can find the candy quickly. "It's not tough to sell to people," he adds.
Because Reese's is easily recognized by consumers, the executive says, its commercials can spend more time entertaining them than trying to catch their attention. In the new Super Bowl ad, "every single beat matters, and we keep the energy," Riess says. "I want you to have fun all 30 seconds, you know?" The company is betting that chocolate, peanut butter and a group of kooky characters will be enough to carry the day.
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