HERSHEY, PA: Last Sunday, one observant Instagrammer noticed the Hershey candy brand Reese’s only follows one other user: Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon. The brand had only been waiting nine months for someone to notice the hidden gem.
Witherspoon has shared her love of Reese’s--see here and here--and the brand had taken notice, so it wanted to showcase its appreciation for "Reese’s love of Reese’s," said Eric Bowers, Reese’s brand manager.
One way to do just that was through the launch of Reese’s Instagram account last September, said Mike Nolan, Reese’s social media manager.
"It’s not often that two fan favorites share the same name, a great name at that, so we decided to make her our first follow and we haven't added anyone since," said Bowers.
?????? the one person the @reeses account follows on instagram is @RWitherspoon pic.twitter.com/g3LHpSzeoP
— miss lambie (@julp) May 7, 2018
No one noticed until May 6, when Twitter user @Julp posted about the finding.
Reese’s responded to @Julp’s tweet with an explanation:
She has a great name
— REESE'S (@reeses) May 7, 2018
Bowers said Reese’s has never had any direct contact with the actress.
"We’re hopeful that one day our namesake fan will meet up with her namesake candy; and until then, all we can say is, we’ll be ready," he said.
Reese's Instagram stunt garnered coverage from outlets including Time, Today.com, Mashable, and Thrillist.
Last fall, KFC created a similar Easter egg, following no one but all five Spice Girls and six men named "Herb," a nod to the fast-food chain’s secret recipe blend of 11 herbs and spices. However, that social media unicorn was spotted in the wild after only a month.
