How E.T. Saved Reese's Pieces
The candy almost disappeared from shelves 40 years ago
Hello, friends!
Last week, when I’d normally be writing this newsletter, I was visiting Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida with my family.
I remember visiting Universal Studios in Hollywood when I was a kid.
It didn’t have the roller coasters (or Harry Potter connections) that Universal has today, but it was still magical.
Universal Studios in Orlando did not have the tram tour with an attack from Jaws, the chance to sit in (and talk with!) KITT from Knight Rider, or the A-Team1 Stunt Show I remembered from my childhood visit to Universal in Hollywood.
But, it did have E.T.!
[Loyal Curious Minds readers will know that I have an extra soft spot in my heart for E.T. (and The Goonies), and that I am raising my children to enjoy these classics.]
The E.T. ride is the oldest ride at Universal Orlando, and you can definitely get the 1990s feeling from it (though I mean that in a good way).
And as all rides must, the E.T. Adventure finishes in a gift shop, full of E.T. stuffed toys and T-shirts.
But what caught my eye was the candy they were selling:
Twix? Snickers? M&M’s?
Have these people SEEN the movie?!
Anyone who has watched E.T. knows that E.T. is loyal to a chocolate candy, but it ain’t these!
It’s these…
Reese’s Pieces2 play a key role in the film, as our young hero Elliott leaves a trail of the candy outside that E.T. finds and returns to him.
The popularity of E.T. back in the 1980s had kids everywhere suddenly wanting to eat Reese’s Pieces.
But Reese’s Pieces weren’t that popular back then, so how did they end up being the candy associated with E.T.?
I was curious…
The story of Reese’s Pieces begins in 1954, when US candy company Hershey introduced a new chocolate product to the market – Hershey-Ets.
Hershey-Ets were small football-shaped pieces of chocolate surrounded by a thin candy shell.
The football shape helped distinguish Hershey-Ets from its main competitor (M&M’s), but problems with the shell forced Hershey to change the shape to a round lentil, similar to M&M’s, in 1960.
But Hershey-Ets were no match for M&M’s - and Hershey removed them from the standard product line in the mid-1970s.
But Hershey-Ets weren’t a total disaster.
Through the process of creating Hershey-Ets, the team at Hershey had acquired special equipment and expertise in candy coating.
So they decided to try another experiment – and set out to create a product similar to the Hershey-Ets, but with a peanut butter center.
But creating a new candy proved difficult.
Experiment after experiment failed as they tried to perfect the peanut butter center.
They eventually brought in scientists who developed ‘penuche’ – a peanut butter-flavoured sugar filling with the consistency of chocolate.
They struggled to get a smooth consistency for the penuche, and then had to conduct experiments to find the ideal thickness of the outside candy shell.
They wanted to capitalize on their popular Reese’s brand, and manufacture the candy in the Reese’s colors of orange and brown, but struggled to get the right hue of orange.
But they persisted – and in 1979 introduced their new product – Reese’s Pieces – to four test markets.
Sales started off well, and Hershey chose to launch Reese’s Pieces nationally in 1980.
But Reese’s Pieces weren’t performing as well as they hoped, and Hershey needed to find a way to market the product.
Then Hollywood came calling.
Universal Studios wanted to use Reese’s Pieces in their new film about “a space creature who befriends a little boy.”
The film’s producers explained that the creature would be lured into the little boy’s house by a trail of Reese’s Pieces.
Although Hershey had never done anything like this before, executive Jack Dowd agreed to back up the movie – called E.T. – with $1 million worth of promotions.
In return, Hershey would be able to use E.T. for its own advertising.
Without a script or idea of what the creature would look like, Dowd returned to Hershey to tell the staff about the deal.
Earl Spangler, then-President of Hershey, was skeptical.
His concerns were not abated a few weeks later when Universal sent a picture of E.T. to use on the promotional materials.
“That’s the ugliest creature I have ever seen,” Spangler told Dowd.
But the deal was done, and Dowd and the team at Hershey carried on.
They had posters and stickers printed proclaiming Reese’s Pieces as “E.T.'s favorite candy” and made sure there was enough product in the pipeline for the demand they hoped the film would generate.
E.T. was released in June 1982, and it was a smash hit.
It became the highest grossing film of the year — and of all time (a record it held until Jurassic Park was released 11 years later).
Sales of Reese’s Pieces took off, too, tripling within two weeks of the film’s release.
“It was the biggest marketing coup in history,” Dowd recalled.
“We got immediate recognition for our product, the kind of recognition we would normally have to pay 15 or 20 million bucks for.
“It ended up as a cheap ride.”
So there you go.
E.T. didn’t just win the hearts of children.
E.T. also saved Reese’s Pieces.
One more thing…
Interestingly, Reese’s Pieces were the second choice candy for E.T.
The filmmakers first approached Mars about using M&M’s in the film.
But Mars passed.
If you’re feeling nostalgic for E.T. (or grew up without the magic of it), check out this piece from The Washington Post celebrating the film’s 40th anniversary.
And here’s the trailer from the 20th Anniversary release:
What else is on my mind?
Aside from overcoming jetlag, that is…
Say What?! — A Peloton instructor’s workout wasn’t the only thing that hit me in my core.
How Can I Help?
I’ll keep saying it: Communication matters.
If you want to improve your communication (and get all the good things that come with that), I’m your gal.
So many companies could reap massive rewards – from performance and culture to retention and engagement – by improving their communication.
So, if you know someone who could benefit from some help (as even the most seasoned leaders do), please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
You can also see my Top 10 list of what I can (and can’t) do for you here.
And if you see any communication examples (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that you think are worth analyzing or sharing, please send them my way!
Stay Curious!
-Beth
Anyone else feel nostalgic? Or know these references?
Hands up if you’ve found yourself pronouncing these as Reesee’s Peesees
Definitely have pronounced them “Reecees Peecees.” :)
Loved this post, and also the article about the Peloton workout; oof. Very well said.