Hot Stuff: How Reese’s Lava’d Up the Super Bowl

Among the galaxy of blockbuster commercials aired during this year’s Super Bowl, none shone brighter than Reese’s—rocketing to the top of our annual rankings (and by some margin!). One of America’s most beloved candies, Reese’s has steadfastly created a foundation for its advertising that has set the brand up for long-term success—providing the freedom to produce wildly creative ideas while simultaneously ensuring their ads remain unmistakably on-brand. So, how did they do it?

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By cultivating a bold and distinctive personality over the years, Reese’s has made humor a core part of the brand’s DNA. Reese’s doesn’t just grab attention and spark an emotional response—it effortlessly strengthens brand connection by reinforcing what people already know and expect. In “Don’t Eat Lava” these elements were dialed up to the max. The surreal, absurd scenes of people being hypnotically drawn to the lava didn’t just make it impossible to look away, but it sounded a clear and unmistakable siren that the ad could only be for Reese’s.

That said, relying on comedy to build a distinct brand identity isn’t without its risks. With humor being notoriously polarizing, brands that take this approach face an increased risk of the joke falling flat—opening the brand up to an eruption of negativity. For both “Don’t Eat Lava” and the brand’s 2024 Super Bowl spot, “Yes!”, Reese’s struck a winning formula—with the ads being enjoyed for their humorous absurdity while rubbing only very few people up the wrong way.

While the humor worked to ensure the ad felt like a Reese’s ad, brand connection was strengthened by making sure the ad looked the part as well. While last year’s blue-tinted “Yes!” was similarly attention-grabbing, it wasn’t quite as attributable to the brand. "Don’t Eat Lava” in comparison stayed true to Reese’s signature orange. The color was weaved throughout every visual, from each characters’ clothing to the flowing lava and, most notably, the now iconic concluding product shot set against an orange backdrop.

This culminated in the ad reinforcing Reese’s identity as a fun and relatable brand. Furthermore, despite the absurdity of the theme, the clear connection between “irresistible” molten lava and chocolate lava left people in little doubt about the candy’s great taste, thus delivering on the category’s most important job-to-be-done.

Ultimately, there is so much to learn from Reese’s 2025 Super Bowl commercial, a true masterclass in tying together all three C’s for short- and long-term success (Captivate, Connect, Compel). With an immediately recognizable and highly memorable theme, “Don’t Eat Lava” cemented itself as something of an archetypal study on how to achieve branded memorability while simultaneously delivering to people’s wants and needs in a way no other candy could.

View our full ad rankings of Super Bowl 2025 here.

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