Fans not impressed by depiction of youth in Reese’s Chocolate #sorrynotsorry campaign
Reese’s Chocolate’s ongoing #sorrynotsorry campaign has been slammed by fans on social media for its “irrelevant” and “out of touch” representation of young people, its target demographic.
Reese's #sorrynotsorry latest ad
The brand first hijacked the popular #sorrynotsorry hashtag in January 2016 as part of its first ever UK-specific digital advertising campaign. Aimed at millennials by millennials, it has featured a number of videos and images across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube of young people indulging in Reese’s treats.
However, a number of the short clips including ‘Orange hair, don’t care’ and ‘Walk of unashamed’ that intend to represent the youth of today have been called out by fans for missing the point.
A 10-second video that features a young woman getting her hair dyed a Reese’s shade of orange while her friend and hairdresser high fived in the background received criticism by one Facebook user for projecting an image of young people that most millennials don’t identify with.
“Don’t know who the target demographic of this video is but it’s certainly not me,” the user wrote.
Another user was confused what the point of the ad was: “Even as a Reese's fan, i just don't get what this advert is trying to say.”
The brand’s latest film, shot entirely on iPhones to imitate home-made video footage, has received similar criticism. Released last week (5 January) on Reese’s UK Facebook page, one Facebook user vowed never to buy the brand’s products again “thanks to this cynical hipster shit of an advert”.
It was a sentiment echoed by another user “This is the most hipster, tedious advert that there has ever been been.”
Meanwhile Christopher Charnley, a publicist at Charnley Communications, took to Twitter to point out the campaign’s irrelevance to its fans, calling it “one of the worst brand campaigns ever seen”.
The work by Havas agency Field Day will run online throughout the year, with additional relevant content will roll out to coincide with UK events and holidays, including Valentine’s Day, Easter and the London Marathon, to take advantage of online conversations already taking place.
Hershey's could not be reached for comment by time of publishing.