Dive Brief:
- Snickers on Tuesday debuted a new creative campaign for Snickers Peanut Butter and Snickers Peanut Butter Ice Cream that centers on indecisiveness, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- The hero spot, “Stuck,” features two climbers wedged behind a boulder while a set of product-focused ads highlight creamy and crunchy sensations. The effort is running across TV and social and was developed by creative agency of record BBDO New York.
- “Stuck” builds on the Mars candy brand’s long-running “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” platform. Snickers is also marketing its Peanut Butter Ice Cream products with an effort around the NFL draft.
Dive Insight:
Snickers is going all-in on its peanut butter-infused products with a new ad campaign and an athlete-focused activation tied to its ice cream bars. The former effort highlights the snack’s creamy and crunchy qualities, engaging the 71% of consumers globally who identity textural interest as a key part of their eating experience, according to Puratos survey data shared by the brand. “Stuck” also iterates on a long-running creative platform from the Mars marketer.
“With the 'Stuck' campaign, we’re adding a new, hilarious chapter by exploring the world of hunger-fueled indecisiveness,” said Ashley Gill, vice president of brands and content at Mars Snacking. “It’s a creative platform that allows us to playfully show how the satisfying creamy and crunchy texture of Snickers Peanut Butter is the perfect solution to that all-too-familiar feeling of being caught in between.”
In “Stuck,” one climber deliberates over the best text message to send for help before the other climber offers a Snickers and says, “You’re indecisive when you’re hungry.” Separate product-focused spots use meta humor to poke fun at campaign voice overs. The ads are running across TV and social platforms including YouTube, Meta, Snapchat and TikTok.
In addition to the new campaign, Snickers last week teamed with former Ohio State University wide receiver Carnell Tate for a campaign in support of the brand’s ice cream products. The partnership is timed to the NFL Draft, where Tate is expected to be a first-round pick. The Draft kicks off on April 23.
Snickers, via a microsite, will dole out special-edition ice cream bars with packaging that reads “Chill” in a message to football fans and commentators during the heated offseason that peaks during the draft. Tate will also debut a custom-designed, jewel-encrusted Snickers Ice Cream Chill Chain during the draft, which fans can enter a sweepstakes to win.
“The passion surrounding the NFL Draft is what makes it so exciting, but the non-stop speculation can turn up the heat quickly,” said Chanel Gant, marketing director at Mars Ice Cream, in a press statement. “We wanted to enhance the fan experience by giving them a fun and delicious way to chill the hot takes — so they can relax, cool down with a Snickers Ice Cream and enjoy the NFL Draft without getting caught up in the heat.”
