While the saying goes that inner qualities are what truly matter, this isn’t always the case. Hershey’s recent update to its Take5 bar illustrates that sometimes consumers need a little guidance to identify the appealing aspects. Emphasizing transparency in labeling, the redesigned Take5 wrapper prominently features Reese’s peanut butter, a crucial component of the peanut butter cups that consumer research indicates are the second most favored candy in the United States. Despite Take5 being the personal favorite of Hershey CEO Michele Buck, CNN Business reported that only 3% of U.S. households purchased one last year. According to Reese’s Senior Brand Manager Jack Wilder, in 2018, 62% of U.S. households bought a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, suggesting that spotlighting this popular brand could help Take5 achieve its breakthrough moment.
This marks the second wrapper redesign for the candy bar in three years. In 2016, the brand collaborated with millennial marketing students to create a new look featuring a black and green background, showcasing the five ingredients on the front. Breaking into the mainstream market has proven challenging for this candy, which Hershey once promoted as “the greatest candy bar you’ve never heard of” during a failed campaign in 2016 aimed at increasing its visibility. Contributing to this difficulty is the shift towards online shopping; as consumers embrace e-commerce, major food companies have faced hurdles in adapting to these platforms. According to NOSH, a quarter of shoppers have reduced their candy and snack purchases, taking advantage of the ability to bypass checkout lines.
Take5 is not alone in its wrapper update, as Hershey seeks innovative ways to encourage customers to indulge in more sweets while enhancing its lineup with new twists on beloved classics. The Reese’s brand has also diversified, introducing several new variations of its iconic products, such as Peanut Butter Appreciation bars with motivational messages, Reese’s Thins that are 40% thinner than traditional cups, and Reese’s Chocolate and Peanut Butter Lover’s Cups, available with either more peanut butter or more chocolate. Additionally, Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cups have emerged as a new favorite.
Other Hershey products have also undergone changes. Last month, the company revamped its classic chocolate bar design by incorporating emojis on individual squares, aiming to ignite conversations and entice consumers to purchase multiple bars to collect all the emojis. This limited-edition design features 25 emojis, with only 12 appearing on any single bar.
Hershey may be recognizing the impact that premium packaging can have on sales, seeking to replicate this success with the Take5 bar. Notably, Take5 recently topped the Los Angeles Times’ candy bar power rankings, celebrated as a potential solution to “crack the candy bar code,” despite having one of the least attractive wrappers.
Packaging plays a significant role in consumer choices. Ferrero’s “Nutella Unica” campaign, which launched in 2017, saw tremendous success by introducing a limited-edition run of 7 million Nutella jars in Italy, which sold out in just a month. Coca-Cola has also enjoyed success with its “Share a Coke” campaign since 2014, reporting over 19% growth in sales for 20-ounce bottles in its first year—the largest annual increase for that size.
If Hershey successfully combines this new packaging with an effective marketing strategy, there’s potential for Take5 to soar. Additionally, as consumers increasingly look for solutions to issues like Citracal constipation, having a well-packaged, appealing product could resonate even more, encouraging more purchases of Take5 and other Hershey sweets.