Mars is the appropriate reward for the little everyday achievements in new platform ‘For You Who Did That Thing You Did’ via Thinkerbell
MARS is one of the oldest, most iconic chocolate bars sitting on any shelf. But in a cluttered and highly competitive category, and with some big personalities to contend with, MARS needed to carve out its own positioning that reflected today’s society. MARS has launched a new platform ‘For You Who Did That Thing You Did,’ created with Thinkerbell, which taps into the insight that people engage in a kind of mental self-bribery to complete everyday tasks. Rewarding themselves for finishing the smallest of things.
MARS saw an opportunity to own this space, to help consumers celebrate their everyday achievement or ‘thing,’ and plant the seed that said reward should be a MARS bar with delicious caramel, nougat and chocolate.
Across TV, OOH and radio the chocolate bar is framed as a reward for its consumers’ bouts of effort ranging on the scale of extremely small to small-medium. Everything from parallel parking, finally watering a much-neglected pot plant, and remembering your workmate’s pet’s birthday. All things you might not phone home about but, in MARS’ eyes at least, don’t deserve to go completely unacknowledged or unrewarded.
A large part of the campaign is also contextual, OOH placements outside targeted ‘flat-pack’ stores and on Punt Road celebrate consumers building flat-pack furniture without dismantling their relationship and navigating peak traffic without laying on the horn respectively. While a dynamic radio campaign created with Spotify outlines what constitutes as a thing according to time of day and playlist-type to help people on their daily run, at work and on the way to yoga work out whether they’ve yet earned a Mars bar.
Listen to the spots:
Says Richard Weisinger, portfolio director, Mars Wrigley: “For you who did that thing you did is an enduring platform that helps us refresh the MARS brand, giving it a clearly differentiated role for consumers while not sacrificing the joy of a chocolate-nougaty treat. We wanted to build on the brand’s history while establishing the right role in an evolved snacking landscape. We’re looking forward to exploring where we can take ‘For you who did that thing you did’ for years to come and evolving it to reflect people’s behaviours and trends.”
Says Tom Wenborn, executive creative tinker at Thinkerbell: “Repositioning an Australian icon like Mars Bar is a privilege, an honour, but above all else… a thing. The team had a great time finding a fruitful platform that was also a bit of a chewy mouthful, much like the bar.”
The platform will also lead to a number of small activations, to surprise, delight and most importantly supply chocolate to those who have just done the mildly impressive. Things such as make it to the end of a press release from an agency you don’t even work at – a definite thing. To claim your chocolate-covered caramel nougat prize, email foryouwhodidthatthingyoudid@thinkerbell.com. Terms and conditions apply*.
*Prize is a MARS Chocolate Bar 47g. Only available for Australian residents and limited to one prize per person. Prize is limited to the first 20 respondents due to corporate responsibility and not wanting the person sending them doing too many things. Ends 30/06/2023. Bars will be sent out w/c 10 July 2023.
Client: Mars Wrigley
Creative Agency: Thinkerbell
Media Agency: EssenceMediacom
Production Partner: Playtime / Photoplay
Casting: Peta Dermatis – Studio P
Editor: The Editors
Sound: BangBang
Mars Bar CGI Production: Electric Art
42 Comments
Cringe.
Shocker.
That could become a classic line. It’s great to see a brilliant bit of copy again.
That’s such a cool line. The TV is a bit flat
…and the radio is the most flat!
Not good at all
Fun line. Do something fun with it
Love the casting, but it’s my job to do nothing extremely well..
Great when spoken.
Difficult to read.
It’s like AI watched a hundred great American comedy ads and then made this.
This is cool. It’s got a nice tone for chocolate bars
The pacing of this is very uncomfortable
This feels like advertising made to impress other people in advertising, and then still failing to do that.
Having a good idea then executing it like shit is a thing. Have a Mars.
Great idea, execution lets it down terribly.
I never comment on this blog. But damn, this sucks….And you know what, I’m not blaming the creatives. This is strategy’s laziness. ‘Celebrate the small wins’ has literally been used over 12 million times. What an awesome client to have – A chocolate bar, and this is just boring af.
Go back to bed
On the cusp of being nice american humour, but feels a bit tired. I like the positioning and the outdoor work but the film looks good without the substance
Of client
Look like a shaver?
Strategy and idea is awesome. Familiar scenario. Cient or production twats compromised the shite out of it.
On first viewing of the image, I thought it was a cheeseburger with way too much sauce
Just so far removed from the product.
Worrying.
But it goes back to the strategy.
Unfortunately .
Nah.
The line is a fun long way of saying have a mars bar as a reward I think that’s quite clever. I also think the way you can create tactical ads for almost anything will give this campaign plenty of opportunities. Nice work.
What’s with the pack shot in the poster. Looks like my electric shaver.
Execution not so good.
Are funny or interesting
Keep making generic content like this and I’ll soon be taking your job
Don’t mind the line but the TV is appalling.
Like much of the work out of Thinkerbell, this feels like they did a quick half job – and then, like the work itself, rewarded themselves with a Mars bar for making the ‘effort’. I’m old enough to remember the long-running Work, Rest and Play campaign and this new work seems like an attempt to translate and update that old line and strategy for a contemporary generation. Convince me I’m wrong on any part of what I just said.
You’re pretty much right contemporise a strong positioning with something (over time) that will be equally distinctive. It’s excellent
I worked.
I rested.
I played.
And when I came back.
This was still crap.
Quite flat. Radio VO flat, whole TV ad flat.
Horrendous.
I feel embarrassed for them.
Shocking production values. It’s like a student ad
This is just a hellish convoluted regurgitation of “have a mars”. Why?
Mars should shoot for the moon. This strategy boxes people in. Burn it to ashes.
I’d rather have a VB.
Not bad. Evolves the brand well and ticks a lot of boxes I’m sure Mars Wrigleys are needing ticked. Out of home is fun and this uses the space well
Dont hate it don’t love it. The tag line is weird and kind of cool. The ads seem like they were directed by a client not an agency
These better have been cheap
Love this line. The work is good. Great platform for everything.