Most of you are very familiar with the peanut butter and chocolate discs synonymous with the Reese’s brand name. Not only are they sold in massive volumes by themselves—they’re incorporated into desserts and other dishes in restaurants around the country, and Reese’s has a full line of peripheral confectionary delights.
As a sub brand of larger company Hershey’s, Reese’s borrows a lot of marketing and brand voice strategies, but over the years Reese’s has developed a keen brand rhetoric of its own. Beginning with a marketing gimmick in which peanut butter and chocolate accidentally cross, Reese’s marketing language often revolves around unity and complementary elements.
Ethos (Authority)
Reese’s often downplays its commanding Ethos, despite having much potential to do so. The brand belongs fully to Hershey’s, one of the most familiar brands on the planet, yet Reese’s does very little to capitalize on that fact; many people do not even know there is a relationship between the two brands. Reese’s also does very little to emphasize its long history, despite the fact that it could be a powerful selling point. Instead, Reese’s focuses on emotion and logic to appeal to its consumers.
Pathos (Emotion)
The primary emotions Reese’s focuses on are nostalgia and comfort. Reese’s language often features many callbacks to previous marketing efforts—even though they downplay the “history” element of it, it still conveys a certain nostalgia to familiar consumers. The brand also frequently employs marketing strategies that make people feel comfortable with eating and liking the brand, such as in their slogan, “there’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s.”
Logos (Logic)
The logical appeal in Reese’s rhetoric is minimal, but evident. The brand spends much time illustrating the power of chocolate and peanut butter’s complementary culinary relationship. While most people are already familiar with this, repeating the tastiness factor surely wins some people over.
Reese’s strategy is somewhat surprising since it doesn’t borrow from the Ethos of its parent brand or its long history. Instead, most of Reese’s brand power comes from its attention to emotions and logic.
