Brand Passion Index: Candy Corn Steals the Buzz

I can’t quite believe it, but this week marks the 3^rd annual Halloween Candy Brand Passion Index – something I am very excited about, because it has always been my favorite. I’m always interested to see where candy corn is positioned, and this year was really a surprise. In last year’s Index, candy corn generated less than 1% of the overall chatter, and had a Passion Intensity of 48 and a Net Sentiment of 52. Check out its less-than-impressive position from 2011 here:

In this graphic, the amount of chatter about a brand is indicated by the size of the bubble, while the placement of the bubble shows both the sentiment and passion intensity.

As we, at NetBase, have learned in the last year with SAP, a partnership makes you even stronger. Who’d have guessed this also applied to candy? When it comes to candy corn this year…well, what a difference a year makes. This time around, the tri-color seasonal staple was the buzz winner, generating 35% of the overall chatter, and its Passion Intensity surged to 82, while Net Sentiment settled at 55. Check it out:

In this graphic, the amount of chatter about a brand is indicated by the size of the bubble, while the placement of the bubble shows both the sentiment and passion intensity.

In the last year, the iconic flavors of candy corn are being incorporated into the very classic and very famous flavors of products ranging from Oreo to Jelly Belly and M&Ms. Looks like being single is great…but partnering can be even better. See how online consumers are buzzing about candy corn’s latest partnerships:

@chevylady96 sounds good! Those candy corn M&Ms are good, I had to avoid buying more bags as I would probably just sit around & eat them all.

I’m glad that @Target and Oreo knew my guilty pleasure… Those candy corn Oreos are the beez kneez!!!! :).

Holy Crap They Put Candy Corn in Oreos As if there wasn’t enough temptation this time of year with store shelves overflowing with Halloween candy, now Nabisco has created this weird mutant lovechild of deliciousness that will be impossible to resist.

Candy Corn Jelly Bellies are evil in all the right ways…

And, in another change from last year, Reese’s moved across the chart into the most loved position – reaffirming my theory that people know two good things together when they see it: chocolate and peanut butter. So why the change from last year? Verbatim surfaced from social media users showed that people can’t get enough of Reese’s minis, a newer product offering, and they can’t stop talking about the treat as a guilty pleasure. This time around, Reese’s generated the highest Net Sentiment of 82, up from 77 last year, and a Passion Intensity of 88, up from 45 in 2011.

reeses peanut butter cup minis are the best.

Reeses cup minis are the perfect chocolate to peanut butter ratio.

as a reeses connoisseur, my expert opinion is that the new reeses minis are indeed the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

Reese’s peanut butter cups are my #guilty pleasure.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is what I stock up for on Halloween. It is my guilty pleasure, so I always buy extra!

What’s your candy of choice this year? Let me know in the comments, and have a happy and safe Halloween!