a color story: reese's orange packaging

Orange peanut butter only existed figuratively in Reese's.

These cups of joy consisted a sweet milk chocolate covering with a distinct salty peanut "butter". Nothing in it connected with any citrus fruits or flavors. 

Why was Reese's orange? 

The inventor, Harry Burnett (H.B.) Reese worked at the Hershey Factory and had 16 children to support. In order to make extra money, he worked on his own sweet chocolate products with fillings. His version of peanut butter filling became popular, which is now as we know as Reese's chocolate. The distinct taste comes from roasting the peanuts right before it burns.

When the family sold Reese's to Hershey in 1963, it became a huge hit. Hershey decided to rebrand Reese's as a "new" product even though chocolate covered peanut butter has already existed in the market since 1907. Connecting "new" and the color, orange wasn't a novel tactic but it worked. One of my favorite instant noodles, Samyang Ramen employed the same new-orange tactic when they debuted as the first Korean instant noodle in 1963 (Isn't that a neat coincidence between Reese and a Korean instant noodle?).

I found it interesting that Reese maintained its orange color. I understood that breaking into well established market required an edge, or attention grabber. But, Reese's was established - it sold $2 billion annually. Maybe I was approaching the color wrong. History only told one perspective. 

I searched deeper into the web and found an interest lawsuit.Mars Dove Peanut Butter was infringement with Reese's trademark; the packaging was similar toward Reese's color motif.  How odd. There wasn't a resemblance in the packaging- maybe just a sliver of the color orange. Or they took it out of Google Image searches. This pretty much stated that you can't go on our color turf if you are also selling Peanut Butter Chocolate.

Reeses used orange to get started and now  they have trademarks that infringes other to do so. 

The familiarity of that event alluded to this Batman quote. 

'You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain…'

I went to my local grocery and grabbed some non-dairy milk. I noticed the Reese's on the shelf by the cashier. The packaging was distinct like its taste.

Salty but sweet. 

https://www.mashed.com/205754/the-untold-truth-of-reeses/#:~:text=Family%20lore%20says%20that%20when,so%2Ddistinctive%2C%20unmistakable%20taste.

Unusual ad campaign. Something NEW. chocolate and peanut butter was no go. Marketed like a brand new product. even though 1907 had choclate covered peanut butter product before. 

dynamic sensory contrast

sweetness of chocolate. saltiness from the peanut butter. 

Family lore says that when Reese was first trying to figure out how to make his peanut butter cups, he roasted his peanuts to the point where they were on the verge of burning — and that's what still gives Reese's peanut butter that oh-so-distinctive, unmistakable taste.

Read More: https://www.mashed.com/205754/the-untold-truth-of-reeses/?utm_campaign=clip

Hershey bought Reese's in 1963

According to Atlas Obscura, Reese was still working for Hershey when he decided to strike out on his own. He quit his job in 1923, but first, he went to Hershey and asked for his permission not just to quit, but to set up his own candy company. Hershey said yes under the stipulation that all of Reese's chocolate had to come from the Hershey company.

Orange can be attention grabbing

Research has shown that longer-wavelength colors such as orange and red tend to induce higher levels of arousal.

 It delivers. Sweet, salty, creamy.  Even 

using similar color infringement. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-05-24/hershey-drops-suit-claiming-mars-infringed-reese-s-candies-trademarks

I noticed the same use with one of my favorite instant Korean ramen. https://www.samyangfoods.com/eng/index.do

Use of orange. First Korean instand noodle for export. 

In 1963, Samyang Food debuted the first Korean instant noodle.