How Reese’s and Scream turned Halloween into an international growth moment
Halloween may be deeply familiar in the U.S., but in many international markets, the season is still developing as a retail and consumer behavior moment. For Reese’s, that created both a challenge and an opportunity.
The brand is already strongly associated with Halloween in the U.S., but expanding that same seasonal relevance internationally required more than exporting an American playbook. Reese’s needed to build excitement in markets where Halloween traditions varied, peanut butter and chocolate was not always an actively sought-out flavor combination, and retailers needed a reason to prioritize the brand during the season.
To do that, Hershey’s and Flywheel helped Reese’s connect with a cultural behavior consumers were already embracing: scary movies.
The result was Scream for Reese’s, the brand’s first-ever international film collaboration, created in partnership with the iconic Scream franchise ahead of the February 2026 release of Scream 7. The campaign brought together two bold American favorites to drive consumer excitement, increase seasonal visibility, and establish Reese’s as a must-have Halloween treat across key international markets.
The work earned Reggie Gold, recognizing a campaign that helped solve a market-specific growth challenge by building relevance through culture, retail, and consumer experience.
The challenge: make Halloween and Reese’s matter in new markets
Reese’s had a clear growth opportunity internationally, but the path was not simple.
In the U.S., Reese’s and Halloween are already closely linked. Internationally, the brand faced a different context. Halloween did not have the same cultural pull across every market, and the peanut butter and chocolate flavor profile was not yet a default consumer preference in many regions.
That meant the campaign needed to do more than drive seasonal awareness. It needed to shift both retailer and shopper mindsets. The challenge was twofold:
Build demand for a uniquely American flavor combination
Create stronger consumer excitement around Halloween in markets where the season was still gaining momentum
A standard seasonal campaign would not be enough. Reese’s needed a culturally relevant reason to show up, one that could make Halloween feel exciting, familiar, and worth participating in.
The insight: consumers were already engaging with Halloween through entertainment
Flywheel’s strategy started by looking at what did resonate across international markets.
While Halloween traditions varied by country, consumers were already engaging with scary movies during the season, especially well-known horror franchises. That made entertainment a powerful entry point.
The Scream franchise was a natural fit. It is bold, recognizable, and deeply connected to Halloween culture. With Scream 7 set to hit cinemas in February 2026, the partnership gave Reese’s a cultural moment with built-in momentum and a clear reason to activate internationally.
The strategy was not to ask consumers to adopt Halloween from scratch. It was to meet them in a cultural space they already cared about, then connect Reese’s to that behavior in a way that felt fun, timely, and ownable.
The solution: bring “Scream for Reese’s” to life across markets
The Scream for Reese’s campaign was designed to generate buzz, drive trial, and build stronger seasonal relevance across five key markets: Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
The campaign connected advertising, social engagement, in-store merchandising, sweepstakes, and immersive experiences to make Reese’s highly visible during the Halloween season.
Across markets, activations included:
Co-branded social media campaigns
Themed in-store displays
Sampling and retail events
Sweepstakes and branded giveaways
Experiential activations tied to Scream 7
Opportunities to win private “Screamings” of the film with Reese’s treats and exclusive gear
Each market brought the idea to life in a locally relevant way.
In Australia, exclusive themed in-store displays and sweepstakes increased visibility among Halloween shoppers.
In the United Kingdom, co-branded social activations and pop-up events targeted younger consumers. On London’s South Bank, a Reese’s-themed phone booth invited passersby to answer a mysterious call and walk away with free Reese’s treats.
In Germany, experiential prizes, including VIP movie screenings, helped build stronger consumer connections and drive Halloween engagement.
In Mexico, a flagship OXXO location was transformed into a Halloween experience with eerie decor, Ghostface-inspired elements, and Reese’s treats. Additional activations appeared at universities, parks, plazas, Six Flags, and more than 95 retail locations.
In Puerto Rico, the campaign created a multi-touchpoint Halloween experience across key retail locations through in-store events and branded giveaways.
Together, these activations helped Reese’s show up as more than a candy brand. The campaign positioned Reese’s as part of the season’s entertainment, excitement, and ritual.
The results: a scary good partnership that drove retail momentum
The campaign helped drive mass awareness for Reese’s in international markets and positioned the brand as a must-have seasonal treat.
By pairing Reese’s with the Scream franchise, Hershey created a campaign that gave retailers a stronger reason to prioritize Reese’s placement during Halloween and gave consumers a more compelling reason to engage with the brand.
The partnership supported:
Increased seasonal brand visibility
Stronger consumer engagement across key markets
Higher retail excitement and demand
Market-specific activations that connected with local consumer behavior
A clearer role for Reese’s in international Halloween moments
Most importantly, the campaign showed how the right partnership can solve a growth challenge by connecting a brand to a cultural behavior consumers already understand and enjoy.
For Reese’s, that meant using entertainment to build seasonal relevance. For retailers, it created a stronger story at shelf. For consumers, it made Reese’s feel like a natural part of Halloween, even in markets where the holiday is still growing.
The bigger takeaway
With Scream for Reese’s, Hershey’s and Flywheel helped turn a U.S. seasonal association into an international growth opportunity.
The campaign proved that when a brand finds the right cultural partner, localizes the experience, and connects the idea through retail, seasonal moments can become powerful engines for awareness, trial, and long-term brand relevance.
And in this case, the result was frighteningly good.
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