Small town girl, big city dreams. You’re doing social media wrong. Co-Founder and CEO of Spice Studio
Today I saw a Reese’s commercial. As a marketer, I am accutely aware and constantly evaluating the marketing that makes up my life. But I have to say this one missed the mark for me. Here’s why: If an advertiser could create a profile on me based on my purchases, browsing history, consumed content, etc they would find, I am a health-conscious 20 something female who values career and personal development, family and faith, and I have a creative edge. I definitely was not the target for this ad. It wasn’t so much the simple, somewhat boring visuals but where the wheels of this ad really fell off the tracks was in the voiceover. “If you’re making a to-do list today. Make it easy on yourself. Just write down ‘Reese’s’ then write ‘eat them’, and then… you’re kinda done for the day.” I almost scoffed as I slicked mascara through my eyelashes at 6 AM this morning effectively checking off the third item on my long list of productive to-dos. The irony of it was not lost on me. In 15 seconds, my perception of Reese’s changed. I associated Reese’s with lazy, undisciplined behavior. I associated people who consume Reese’s with a lack of motivation. I thought of Reese’s as a sugar packed, unhealthy food filled with ingredients I wanted nowhere near my body. This is all quite the change from how I use Reese’s in my life. I often purchase dark chocolate Reese’s thins as a small reward for hard workouts or celebrations of completed tasks, but 15 seconds was all it took to change my perception. Had Reese’s shown me a different ad, it may have gone differently. Reese’s could have positioned themselves as a sweet treat that brings forth feelings of warmth and nostalgia. If they had shown grandpa sharing a Reese’s with his grandson on the fishing dock, or a couple sharing a Reese’s on the top of a mountain after a hike, or even a group of friends smashing Reese’s in between two graham crackers and a toasty marshmallow, it would have been a better match for me. But instead, I’m almost angry at Reese’s. How could they suggest that I would be the type of consumer that sits around and eats Reese’s all day? I’m pontificating a bit to give you the picture, it’s not really that deep and yet for a marketer this insight is everything. You may say to me “Well, Natalya, budget is at play here.” “This isn’t their main marketing channel” on and on. But at the end of the day they missed a fundamental marketing truth: Message - Market - Match. That’s where Reese’s went wrong. I’m not here to say don’t eat Reese’s or that Reese’s marketing department sucks. I’m using my evaluation of their ad from a consumer perspective to teach you a simple question you should ask yourself every time before posting that ad: Who is this for, and why should they care? If your answer doesn’t match, is not compelling, or feels inauthentic to your brand - you’ve probably built yourself a dud of an ad, and you should reach out to me for help fixing it. The Hershey Company
