Snickers Settles 'Creamy vs. Crunchy' Debate With a Group of Reeses

SNICKERS is settling the "creamy versus crunchy peanut butter" debate by handing the verdict to a focus group that is anything but neutral.

The brand launched a new campaign for SNICKERS Peanut Butter featuring a tasting panel made up entirely of people named Reese (and its many variations).

In a series of fly-on-the-wall clips directed by comedian Eric André, the group samples the product for the first time.

They then deliver unscripted reactions that swing between skepticism, confusion, and enthusiasm.

Developed with BBDO New York, the work extends the brand’s earlier "Stuck" platform, which saw hunger as something that drives indecision.

This time, the idea is pushed into a room full of Reeses, evaluating whether SNICKERS Peanut Butter resolves the long-running creamy vs. crunchy divide.

"When it comes to peanut butter and chocolate, people usually feel they have to compromise," Martin Terwilliger, VP of Marketing at Mars Wrigley North America, said. 

However, that isn't the case for SNICKERS Peanut Butter, which Terwilliger describes as the "ultimate multisensorial satisfaction."

"We’re so confident in our product that we put it to the test. The verdict is in, and it’s clear nothing else satisfies quite like it," he added. 

The campaign runs across YouTube, TikTok Pulse, Snapchat, and NBCU, with short-form clips made to travel natively across feeds.

Inside the Reese Test Room

The two-minute spot, shaped by André’s comedic direction, sees people gathering in one room to take part in a focus group discussion. 

They're asked to try the SNICKERS Peanut Butter bar, which they describe as both smooth and crunchy, as well as salty and chocolatey. 

Little did they know that they were all named Reese, and viewers witness the shock on their faces upon the reveal.

"So, Reese is obsessed with SNICKERS Peanut Butter," the moderator tells the guests, to their surprise. 

He then doubles down on the "coincidence," confirming with everyone that Reeses love SNICKERS Peanut Butter, an obvious dig at its competitor.

The brand is also inviting anyone named Reese (including other spelling variations) to pledge loyalty to SNICKERS Peanut Butter online to win product rewards.

All they have to do is sign a pledge at snickers.com/peanutbutterpledge, and the first 100 will receive rewards, while 25 will be selected for a year’s supply.

Parent company Mars has consistently used category tension as a storytelling engine, and this campaign follows the same pattern.

It capitalizes on the ongoing debate and inserts SNICKERS as the resolution, covering everyone's textural preference. 

The Strategic Reframe

The "Reese-only focus group" establishes SNICKERS Peanut Butter as both participant and referee in a long-running category argument. 

Instead of holding a standard product test, it borrows the language of social experiments to create a lighthearted and witty comedic sketch to challenge its competitor.

And while entertainment is its priority, the effort also drives curiosity. 

It makes consumers wonder whether the SNICKERS Peanut Butter can, in fact, deliver both creamy and crunchy textures.

Here are a few lessons we can learn from this effort:

• Turn a competitor association into a campaign asset: Mars made a category rival into a source of curiosity and conversation by having Reeses join a focus group. 
• Build participation and incentivize your audience: The pledge mechanic gives consumers a reason to engage with the brand, lowering friction while expanding reach.
• Design social content around an idea that sticks: Having your entire creative revolve around a name resembling your competitor's is a bold move, but one that grabs your attention.

The campaign shows how a simple product truth can generate outsized attention when you pursue ideas that disrupt the snack market and invite consumers to participate.

Our Take: Can a Competitor's Name Become a Creative Asset?

Taking subtle digs at competitors is an old advertising trick, but one that makes consumers ask themselves: "Did they really just do that?"

A recent example was when Burger King mocked McDonald's CEO's Whopper taste test, one of many fast food brands to jump into the viral video trend. 

Like Burger King, SNICKERS teaches us that when a marketing opportunity like that presents itself, you have to take it.

Overall, SNICKERS showed how quickly a simple idea can be turned into something people wouldn't just share, but also try. 

Meanwhile, MARS Incorporated recently dropped a campaign promoting SKITTLES Gummies, taking a surreal cinematic approach to redefine softness in the candy category.