Snickers campaign focuses on changing personas to reposition candy as energy bar

BBDO in Beijing created the online efforts, which tout Snickers' functionality and highlight the 'energy food' product attribute of the brand known better as confectionery.

Last year's rendition saw a hungry goalkeeper turning into Lin Daiyu from Dream Of The Red Chamber, then changing back to his original self after eating a Snickers bar.

The tonality of the Snickers spots is consistent with its global positioning of 'You Are Not You When You Are Hungry', executed in China with aplomb and unique localised humour.

Ex-BBDO executive creative director Ng Tian It told Campaign Asia-Pacific that the work significantly disrupts the confectionery category. "China is extremely conservative, as everyone is afraid to take chances in advertising. The usual treatment for such ads is happy people eating and being happier after that," he said.

Launched earlier this month, the 'Say Bye to Hunger Faces and Say Hi to Your True Bloke Self' campaign targets Chinese males. In one spot, one hungry guy turns into a Korean actress and delivers intense emotional lines in the trademark exaggerated manner of Korean dramas.

Ng explained that the bloke has "lost himself" because he is too hungry, adding that Snickers is selling itself as "the perfect antidote against all the symptoms of hunger—frailness, anger, laziness, inertia—which are causing the misbehaviour".

Put simply, Snickers is attempting to reposition its brand as "man-fuel": a substantial energy bar that can remove hunger pangs, and the product plays "a pivotal role in overcoming these negative states of mind when one is hungry", he continued.

According to recent Euromonitor data, Snickers is set to pass M&M's and Trident as the top global confectionery brand by the end of the year, advancing from its third place slot in 2011. Snickers is expected to surge from $3.29 billion in global sales last year to $3.57 billion for 2012, capturing a 1.8 per cent share of the global candy market.

CREDITS

Client: Mars Food China (Sergio Peniche, Sophia Xu, Amanda Xing)
Agency: BBDO Beijing
Executive Creative Director: Ng Tian It
Creative Director: Oscar Liang
Art Directors: Hilbert Chen, Victor Qu
Writers: Gason Wu, Oscar Liang
Agency Producer: Elaine Lee
Planner: Tim Denley
Account Servicing: Koo Yeat Mung, Chan Juu Ann, Eiska Zhou
Director: Robin Walters
Producer: Stuart Giles
Production House: Curious Films with Gwantsi
Executive Producer: Eric Lai
Post Producer: Fiona Yan
Post House: Digital Horizon Post Production
Editor: TH Lee
Online: Jane Zhang
Music: Sync Music
Composer: Xiao Wei
Audio house: Smile Studio