Butterfinger Moves From Rectangle to Circle

The crunchy candy bar has morphed into a Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cup.

October 18, 2013

GLENDALE, Calif. – Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is about to get some new competition: the Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cup. The best-selling candy bar in the United States will debut its new cup size in early 2014, USA Today reports. Nestle U.S.A. will launch the Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cup with its first Super Bowl commercial.

“The peanut butter cup is America's favorite candy,” said Jeremy Vandervoet, brand manager for Butterfinger. “This is the first time the peanut butter cup will change.”

Hershey, which makes Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, said that it isn’t fearing the new version, given Reese’s status as the number-one selling peanut butter cup with $1.5 billion in sales last year. However, analysts are predicting the introduction of Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups will change the landscape of peanut butter cups.

“Butterfinger will have something that Reese's doesn't,” pointed out Gary Stibel, CEO at New England Consulting Group. “There is definitely room for two in this market segment.”

Nestle said part of the reason for the smaller size is that most buyers only want a small bit of its crunch and sweetness at a time. “People prefer Butterfinger in small doses,” said Vandervoet. The new candy already has its slogan: “The cup just got crunchy.”

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement