Interactive snickers advertising
M&M/Mars incorporated the silliest catchphrases of the year 2000 into its Snickers campaign
M&M/Mars incorporated the silliest sayings of the year 2000 into their Snickers campaignBy Thérèse BalduzziFor the launch of their new product Snickers Cruncher, the company M&M/Mars advertised in America with two completely absurd spots. Not only the product is new, but also the creation of the spots. Thanks to an interactive website, the audience was allowed to help determine their content.
The first spot seems right on cue for noise-plagued New Yorkers: First, the alarm of a car parked on the street at night goes crazy - an all too familiar test of nerves for American city dwellers. Suddenly a sofa falls onto the car and destroys it. The camera moves up the wall of the house, and the perpetrator, an elderly woman in a nightgown, is seen rubbing her hands in satisfaction. Surprising is the voice from off-screen. She says, without reference to car or sofa: "Need to crunch something? Grab a Snickers Cruncher."
The woman's exaggerated reaction to the nocturnal disturbance as well as the absurd connection between a crushed car and a crunchy chocolate bar provide humor. Finally, the sofa slips off the car and touches the next one, whose alarm also goes off.
An even more absurd scene is depicted in the "Toys" spot: A street vendor sells small talking dolls that utter everyday phrases from American slang. One by one, people come to the booth and buy the doll that recites the phrase they hate the most, and stomp it.
At the beginning, the street vendor praises the slogans like items: "Don't go there" (don't start it), "Get a life" (take care of your own crap), "I love you, but I'm not in love with you" (I can't be in a relationship right now). A young woman asks for "I think your sister is pretty" (your sister is pretty). Another man asks for "What's up," the statement no one has wanted to hear since Budweiser's "Whassup" campaign.
One after the other, various people stomp on different puppets or sayings. At the end of the spot, a man asks for "Don't worry, happens to a lot of guys," the American cliché slogan that is always used in the case of premature ejaculation.
The spots were first introduced during the Superbowl, the annual football match staged as a huge media event. Visitors to the Snickers website www.snickers.com voted on which were the silliest sayings of 2000. The votes were collected up until the night before the Superbowl at the end of January, after which the BBDO New York agency, which was responsible for the commercials, cut the final version of "Toys".
The first spot seems right on cue for noise-plagued New Yorkers: First, the alarm of a car parked on the street at night goes crazy - an all too familiar test of nerves for American city dwellers. Suddenly a sofa falls onto the car and destroys it. The camera moves up the wall of the house, and the perpetrator, an elderly woman in a nightgown, is seen rubbing her hands in satisfaction. Surprising is the voice from off-screen. She says, without reference to car or sofa: "Need to crunch something? Grab a Snickers Cruncher."
The woman's exaggerated reaction to the nocturnal disturbance as well as the absurd connection between a crushed car and a crunchy chocolate bar provide humor. Finally, the sofa slips off the car and touches the next one, whose alarm also goes off.
An even more absurd scene is depicted in the "Toys" spot: A street vendor sells small talking dolls that utter everyday phrases from American slang. One by one, people come to the booth and buy the doll that recites the phrase they hate the most, and stomp it.
At the beginning, the street vendor praises the slogans like items: "Don't go there" (don't start it), "Get a life" (take care of your own crap), "I love you, but I'm not in love with you" (I can't be in a relationship right now). A young woman asks for "I think your sister is pretty" (your sister is pretty). Another man asks for "What's up," the statement no one has wanted to hear since Budweiser's "Whassup" campaign.
One after the other, various people stomp on different puppets or sayings. At the end of the spot, a man asks for "Don't worry, happens to a lot of guys," the American cliché slogan that is always used in the case of premature ejaculation.
The spots were first introduced during the Superbowl, the annual football match staged as a huge media event. Visitors to the Snickers website www.snickers.com voted on which were the silliest sayings of 2000. The votes were collected up until the night before the Superbowl at the end of January, after which the BBDO New York agency, which was responsible for the commercials, cut the final version of "Toys".
