Kit Kat rules Halloween social media buzz

By Oliver Nieburg

- Last updated on GMT

Nestlé Kit Kat is manufactured in the US by Hershey
Nestlé Kit Kat is manufactured in the US by Hershey
Nestlé’s Kit Kat, manufactured on license in the US by Hershey, has grown its social media standing more than any other candy brand over the Halloween period, according to a report by social media benchmarking company Unmetric.

Unimetric’s Halloween Candy Report analyzed social media activity of the top eight candy brands to see how they were attracting attention on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest in the lead up to Halloween.

Mars M&M’s scored highest, but Kit Kat grew at double the rate of other brands.

Significance?

Whether the figures translate into improved sales remains to be seen, but a recent report from Keynote said that “The rise of interactive campaigns is energising the confectionery market on a whole new level.”

An analyst at Mintel also told this site that "social media remains a genuine opportunity to engage with consumers".

Unimetric said that its scoring factored in more than just the number of fans and was based on content strategy, engagement, growth, timing and frequency of posts.

Unmetric Score

Brand

Unmetric Score

M&M’s (Mars)

55

Reese’s (Hershey)

54

Kit Kat (Nestlé/Hershey)

46

Hershey’s (Hershey)

40

Snickers (Mars)

37

Growth

Brand

Growth

Kit Kat

20.6%

Nestlé Crunch

8.8%

3 Musketeers (Mars)

6.8%

Sour Patch Kids (Mondelez) 

4.9%

Hershey’s

4.4%

Facebook fans

Brand

Fans

Reese’s (Hershey)

9,926,317

Kit Kat

8,026,272

Hershey’s

5,429,317

Snickers (Mars) 

4,523,350

M&M’s (Mars)

3,904,936

 

Concentrating on Facebook

Unmetric said that Kit Kat had boosted growth through its Facebook Fan of the Month contest.

“Interestingly, the majority of American candy brands have focused their social media efforts on Facebook,”​ said the report.

“Succeeding at social media is more complicated than fan numbers and growth. It’s about identifying with your fans, posting engaging content and creating real conversations,”​ it continued.

Hershey’s, the brand, posted more than the competition and sent out almost double the content of its nearest rival on Facebook, but fans were most responsive to posts from Nestlé Crunch, according to the report

Profiling

Gender

Unmetric also identified the sex and age of Facebook fans, which may provide insights on consumer profiles for each brand.

Every product measured had more female fans than males.

Around 67% of Kit Kat fans were under 21, while only 29% of Nestlé Crunch fell below this age.

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