Mars – Message From Mars
Posted: July 29, 2011 | Author: fra30774 | Filed under: Cannes Lions, Case History, Direct, Promotion, The Nederlands | Tags: alphabet in Mars typography, BBDO, Cannes Lions, Case History, Demy Sapthu, design, Direct, Gijs Sluijters, gold lion, iconic brand, Joris Tol, Joris van Elk, Mark Muller, Mars, message from mars, packaging, Thomas Aberson |Leave a comment »


Describe the challenges and key objectives
Engage youngsters with the Mars brand; allow them to participate with the brand. Prove that Mars, as an iconic brand, is able to keep coming up with innovative, fun stuff. Raise brand awareness by doing a remarkable campaign.
Describe the brief from the client
Mars is one of the most classic brands in its category: it’s a true iconic brand.
To stay top of mind the brand has to keep proving its relevancy and therefore shifted its focus on engaging youngsters (16-24) with remarkable campaigns and actions.
Mars asked us to create a sales activation in which we engage the target audience. Not by telling them the ‘feel good energy’ brand proposition, but by giving them the opportunity to experience the brand in a whole new way.
Describe how you arrived at the final design
We erased the logo from the Mars bar thereby creating a black bar. We developed a set of stickers with the complete alphabet in Mars typography, including punctuation marks.
This way the bar became an interactive object that gave people the possibility to create their own messages and give these to friends, colleagues or family. Interaction was thereby created through the heart of the brand: on the package where normally the logo is printed.
Give some indication of how successful the outcome was in the market
The black bar and the campaign around it stimulated the target audience to create messages and personalise their Mars bars.
24.000 extra sticker-sets where ordered via the campaign-website. Mars saw an increase in sales of 12 % in OOH and 5% in grocery. Additionally brand preference amidst youngsters increased by 4%.
Advertising Agency: FHV BBDO, Netherlands
Creative Director: Mark Muller
Copywriter: Mark Muller
Art Directors: Joris Tol, Gijs Sluijters, Thomas Aberson, Demy Sapthu, Joris van Elk
Photographer: Studio Beerling