Disruption? Confusion? Not the best way to launch a product. But when social media leaked a photo of Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cups months before the product hit shelves, PR saw a delicious opportunity. Our team was closely monitoring the unexpected brand conversation surging online. Speculation was heightening interest among the brand’s biggest fans, potentially a huge asset for driving sell-in of the product to retailers. So instead of shutting down speculation, why not fuel it? Why not have some fun by adding to the confusion?

Within hours, our PR team was feeding the Internet branded memes and cryptic messages that fell just short of official pronouncements, fueling a fresh wave of speculation that spread our #Cupfusion hashtag and emoji-inspired graphic. Most importantly, we maintained constant social listening and analysis to determine how far to push the prank, ending with an “official” announcement with the brand’s first-ever Facebook press conference.

The brand immediately began posting cryptic images and GIFs on its Facebook and Twitter channels that neither confirmed nor denied the new product. Instead, we bantered with followers to keep the conversation—and confusion—going, even hinting that the product might be a dream. The calendar gave us two other openings. We quickly created a Cinco de Mayo meme of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup piñata filled with Reese’s Pieces, and a Mother’s Day GIF of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup talking to its Reese’s Pieces “offspring.”

The #Cupfusion campaign was originally intended to last two weeks before the brand would confirm the product. But when Twitter followers started telling Reese’s not to be such a #cuptease, our team decided it was time to pivot and fess up. The confusion ended with an irreverent Facebook “press conference,” but the #Cupfusion continued, fueling another wave of comments, conversation and news coverage.

What started as fast-thinking on social media turned into a game-changing way for Hershey to go-to-market with PR.

The official announcement post on Facebook received nearly 750,000 views in less than 24 hours—topping out at 1.3M views. Within days, the news reached more than 1.1 billion people through online news stories and in national and local broadcast segments. The online conversation generated 43 million social impressions and 2.2 million engagements.

And the playful confusion led to real business results. In the weeks following the PR blitz, retailers inundated The Hershey Company sales team with calls asking how soon they could receive the now infamous Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cups. Retail orders increased more than 300 percent, far surpassing original projections. Initial demand was so strong that production couldn’t keep up with orders.

The Hershey Company considers #Cupfusion to be one of the most successful and cost-efficient product launches in company history. The company is now using PR as a sell-in tool for retailers—a first for its brands and a rewarding result for us.

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