In the latest manifestation of message packaging — and Snickers' "You're Not You When You're Hungry" campaign — the Mars brand is replacing the logo on many of its bars with 21 adjectives and nouns that it calls symptoms of hunger. Examples include grouchy, cranky, feisty, testy, snippy, confused, goofball, princess, and curmudgeon.
The idea is to encourage consumers to call out their friends by giving them a bar when they're acting up.
The attention-grabbing wrappers urge fans to share snaps of the message bars on social, using #eatasnickers, and visit Snickersmeme.com. There, they can choose from a selection of images with messages ("I'm a baby when I'm hungry," "I'm a caveman when I'm hungry," etc.), insert their own face photos, and share them on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.
advertisement
advertisement
In addition, the brand is promoting a simulated hotline to call when your friends aren't themselves due to hunger. Those who call 1-844-HUNGER-BAR are greeted by a recording explaining that operators "are treating a high volume of Snickers Hunger Bar emergencies right now," and advising callers to give one of the hunger bars to friends who are exhibiting any one of the hunger symptoms (all reamed off during the recording).
A "Dial-a-Snickers" video by BBDO New York that's being promoted on Snickers' social channels shows a guy portraying a hotline operator taking calls about hunger emergencies, diagnosing the symptom and prescribing the appropriate Hunger Bar message — whereupon a bicycle messenger is shown grabbing the prescribed bar and speeding off to deliver it. The brand's Facebook and Twitter cover images are also promoting the message bars.
The brand has said that in coming weeks, the Hunger Bar campaign will expand to print ads, and enable fans to create custom Hunger Bars and other shareable content through the augmented reality app Blippar.
I think it's a great campaign. I stumbled upon these Snickers bars by accident and quickly established that the symptoms of hunger are also comically symptoms of menopause! I have 8 bars at home right now to thwart menopausal symptoms. I suggested to Snickers on social media that they also target these appropriately-wrapped bars to the menopausal set, but all I've heard from them so far is crickets. Regardless, I still love Snickers and whenever I'm feeling "Whiny," "Irritable," or like a "Drama Mama," I shall turn to Snickers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/valerie-albarda/menopause-how-one-candy-bar-got-it-right_b_8119662.html