Mars Brand Elevates Travel Experience with Snickers Airborne Campaign

Article Brief:

Mars launched a campaign encouraging fliers to pack its Snickers product on their next flight, according to a press release.

The "Hungry Skies" campaign is a worldwide expansion of the "You're Not You When You're Hungry" brand platform. It playfully addresses the challenges of flying and how the chocolate bar can help make tough flights a little easier.

Created in collaboration with Omnicom's BBDO New York, the campaign is set to continue until the first quarter of 2025 across more than 30 countries. To connect with travelers, the campaign includes digital, social, airport, and in-flight activities. It will also encompass other forms of mass transportation.

Snickers' Growth and Travel Strategy

Snickers is on a roll with global growth exceeding 13% in 2023. To capitalize on the increase in post-pandemic travel, the brand is launching a new campaign called "Hungry Skies." This campaign humorously highlights bad in-flight behavior and emphasizes how Snickers can help make a challenging flight more bearable for consumers.

A short ad lasting 45 seconds features a plane filled with disruptive passengers like an elderly lady repeatedly pressing the call button, a person practicing yoga in their seat, a noisy group of business travelers, and even someone with an emotional support snake. But when a flight attendant hands out Snickers bars, the whole flight suddenly becomes calm and serene.

Expanding the famous "You're Not You When You're Hungry" brand platform to the air seems like a natural fit for the Snickers candy bar. The focus is usually on how a Snickers bar can help calm stressed individuals who are simply hungry. Therefore, showcasing this concept on a cramped airplane with viral videos of misbehaving passengers is a clever setting for a Snickers advertisement.

Matt Low, senior vice president and creative director of BBDO, mentioned in a press release, "When we realized that Snickers had never taken their iconic You're Not You When You're Hungry campaign to the realm of travel, we knew it was time for Snickers to come to the rescue."

Focusing on unruly passengers adds an extra layer of relatability to the campaign, given the rise in passenger outbursts. Bad behavior and assaults on airline crew members have significantly increased, making flying even more stressful than before the pandemic. In 2023, there was a 70% increase in unruly passenger incidents compared to 2019.

The campaign, "Hungry Skies," will debut on TV, digital, and social platforms in the U.S. and Australia. It will then be introduced in Asia, Africa, the European Union, Brazil, Mexico, China, and the Middle East, reaching over 30 countries by the first quarter of 2025.

Editor's P/S:

The "Hungry Skies" campaign by Snickers cleverly addresses the common stressors and annoyances of air travel. By humorously depicting disruptive passengers and the transformative power of a Snickers bar, the campaign highlights the brand's ability to alleviate hunger and improve mood, making it an ideal companion for travelers.

The campaign's focus on unruly passengers adds an extra layer of relatability, as the rise in passenger outbursts has made flying even more stressful. By incorporating this element, Snickers positions itself as a solution to the challenges of air travel, offering a moment of calm and satisfaction amidst the chaos. The global reach of the campaign, spanning over 30 countries, demonstrates the brand's commitment to supporting travelers worldwide and making their journeys more enjoyable.