Reaching out to the TikTok generation pays off for major confectionery brands
Mars has devised a slick movie inspired ad for its latest global Twix campaign. Pic: Mars
Ask anyone in the marketing world about precisely how you reach out to target demographics, and invariably, you will receive a response that you have to reach out to people, whatever their age or background, on their own terms and preferred platforms and outlets.
This very much rings true for approaches to selling the latest confectionery ranges around the world, which has seen manufacturers of all sizes become ever-more creative in their campaigns to engage with their audience.
Indeed, this was very much the case with Mars this week, as its flagship Twix brand has taken centre stage with a new campaign themed around the very direct message of ‘two is more than one’ – which might of itself not seem a bold step for mankind in literary terms, yet this simple statement comes alive when its meshed together with a dynamic Youtube video featuring a high-octane chase. You really wouldn’t expect such treatment for a confectionery advert, which has been bestowed with the kind of gloss that makes it appear almost like a getaway scene from Pulp Fiction or Death Race movies. There’s no doubt it has impact.
In addition, as part of a major $70 million campaign, the company is set to launch a number of activations (in the wake of a ‘Twixmas’ influencer backed song), across other social media channels including Tik Tok, Meta and Snapchat – placing its targets squarely on the under 35 demographic. This is clearly seen as the ‘sweet spot’ for many confectionery brands, and it will be incredibly interesting to see whether younger generations do indeed take to the classic brand that will most readily resonate with those in the over 40 age bracket.
Clearly, Mars is not alone in its ambitious marketing, as has been seen by Perfetti Van Melle this week, as it seeks to revive a campaign favourite in the form of its Coca-Cola link-up, which takes the ‘exploding Coke’ and Mentos’ experiment one step further. It now takes the form of the “Fizzooka” which has been created in a special gaming tie-in with the global Fortnite gaming phenomenon.
The manufacturer has gone the full distance this time, in actually creating 30 real-world replica Fizzookas, that it will be distributing to lucky fans of the brand over the next couple of weeks, offering the brand exposure to many millions of fans around the world. This is surely a piece of marketing gold that reaches the gaming generation right on its turf with some very cool engagement.
Furthermore, companies have shown that they have been willing to go to an out-of-this world level in recent years in the name of raising the profile of a brand, as was seen in Ferrero’s extremely memorable Tic Tac campaign, which it devised in the wake of “UFO” sightings of the notorious Tic Tac ships that may or may not be of extra-terrestrial origin.
In the wake of some especially memorable potential sightings of the distinctive shiny ET’s, Ferrero took some timely inspiration in embarking on a mission to send its actual Tic Tac brand into space, which certainly gave fans of the brand some intergalactic inspiration.
Neill Barston, editor, Confectionery Production magazine
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The shift towards targeting younger audiences on their preferred platforms makes a lot of sense. It seems like these campaigns not only sell products but also tap into cultural trends that resonate with TikTok users, making them more organic and less like an advertisement.