• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, February 7, 2025

Twix knows that most people watching the Super Bowl are “two-screening,” and will likely be as riveted to their phones as the TV. Building on the brand’s two-bar positioning, the Mars-owned candy bar hopes to turn the phenomenon into a game, with two solid gold bars as the prize. So without having to actually buy a spot on the game, the brand may get to bask in some Super Bowl marketing glory.

Starting with the first ad break after kickoff and during every  break afterward, fans can use their phones to visit the Twix website and play the Second Screen Staredown. The phone’s camera tracks their gaze. The longer they stare, the more entries they earn, all in an attempt to win the grand prize: two solid gold bars that look at least a little like a Twix candy bar.

“We’re the brand of two,” says Ashley Gill, vice president of brand and content at Mars Wrigley North America, “and we're always looking for authentic and engaging ways for our brands to play in culture. We're also staying close to how consumers behave.”

With the insight that 79% of Super Bowl viewers will be second-screening, and 60% plan to connect with their friends to discuss the game, “we felt we could do something ownable for Twix.”

The brand thought about buying a spot on the game to promote the contest. “The Super Bowl is an incredible moment, and always something marketers consider,” she says. But the second screen option seemed a better -- and doubtless more affordable -- choice.

The company is close to introducing a new marketing platform for the brand, “Two is more than one,” she tells Marketing Daily. “This is a bit of a teaser for that launch.”

“We felt this sweepstakes is such an authentic fit for the brand and gave us a bit of a different way of approaching this talked-about cultural moment,” she says. “This is a great way for us to meet our consumers and fans where they are, with something they're naturally doing.”

And while Twix may be the brand of two, there is only one prize of two bars. (And no, she says the company didn’t buy the gold bars, valued at $170,000, at Costco.)

The brand is promoting the sweepstakes with content from the Ying Yang Twins and other influencers, and the company is closely tracking all engagement metrics, particularly in earned and social media.  Adam&eveDDB created the campaign.