Reese’s Lava Erupts with Super Bowl Success
The Super Bowl is a spectacle not just for football, but for the dazzling ads that debut during the commercial breaks. This year’s lineup introduced us to a number of innovative products. From Liquid Death’s soda-flavored sparkling water to Coffee Mate’s cold foam, brands showcased their latest creations on advertising’s grandest stage. And why not? There’s no better way to launch a new product than during the year’s biggest advertising event!
At System1, we tested these Super Bowl food and beverage innovations to gauge their emotional appeal, purchase potential, and overall impact using our Test Your Innovation platform. Among the crowd of contenders, one sweet treat stood out and reigned supreme: Reese’s Chocolate Lava Big Cup. This chocolatey delight captured consumers’ hearts and taste buds, proving once again that chocolate is an enduring favorite. Though Reese’s Chocolate Lava Big Cup hit the shelves in August, its buzz has only grown stronger, amplified by a standout Super Bowl ad this past Sunday.
Big Lava Cup in the Big Game
If you missed it (perhaps you were taking an Angel Soft ad-inspired potty-tunity), Reese’s “Don’t Eat Lava” commercial aired during the second quarter and was a hit online in the days leading up to the game. The 30-second spot, brimming with slapstick humor, features a park ranger broadcasting live from an active volcano. Reese’s fans go to hilarious lengths to get their hands—and taste buds—on the molten chocolate lava.
The ad’s blend of humor and indulgence earned it a solid 4.1 Stars, landing it in 10th place on System1’s ad rankings. With 72 ads in contention this year, Reese’s finds itself in excellent company at the top.
Leveling Up with Lava
But it wasn’t just the humorous ad that won over consumers. The Test Your Innovation report showed that Reese’s Chocolate Lava Big Cup scored an impressive 5.8 Stars out of a possible 5.9. A whopping 72% of consumers reported feelings of ‘Happiness’ or ‘Surprise,’ with comments like, “I didn’t think there was anything more Reese’s could change,” and “It caught me off guard,” proving that even established favorites can still surprise and delight with new twists.
One respondent noted, “It is slightly different than a standard Reese’s peanut butter cup,” emphasizing that while the product is new, it retains the classic chocolate goodness fans adore. As System1 founder John Kearon wrote in System1: Unlocking Profitable Growth, it’s crucial for brands to lean into familiar assets over new ones—the ideal balance is 80% familiar and 20% new in product development, which is likely to yield the most commercial potential. The familiarity of the typical peanut butter treat, offered with a molten chocolatey center, is the perfect balance of familiar and new.
The Super Bowl is a highly competitive battlefield for ads, making the right story and execution crucial. Reese’s demonstrated that even six months after a product launch, a well-crafted product launch and campaign can maintain momentum. By opting for showmanship over salesmanship, Reese’s created a memorable narrative that not only has the power to boost immediate sales but also fosters a long-term emotional connection with consumers.
Create with Confidence
System1 helps the world’s biggest advertisers predict and improve the commercial impact of their advertising. Watch our Super Bowl webinar download our “How to Win the Super Bowl” report, packed with insights on the top ads and why they worked.
With a database of over 54,000 innovations to benchmark against, Test Your Innovation empowers brands to Create with Confidence and launch new innovations. So, which idea will be your next star? Use Test Your Innovation to predict your winner from an early stage and finetune it throughout the innovation process. We can’t wait to help you bring it to market!
