Snickers: SNICKERS URBANIA

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Branded Content

Advertiser: MARS

Product/Service: SNICKERS

Date of First Appearance: Aug 30 2010

Entrant Company: MPG, Mexico, MEXICO

Entry URL: http://www.snickers.com.mx/urbania2010

Brand Manager: Andrea Aguilar (MARS)

Strategist: Adriana Peña (Havas Entertainment)

Conceptor/Writer/Designer: Alfredo Cottin (Havas Entertainment)

Account Manager: Mariat Vega Graham (Havas Entertainment)

Producer: Juan Pablo de Urrutia (Havas Entertainment)

Director: Axel Elizondo (Gravedad Zero)

Producer: Abraham Dayan (Phoenix Films)

Director of Customer Care: Sandra Zerda (MPG)

Accounts Director: Abigail Mendez (MPG)

Head of Planning: Nadia Jaramillo (MPG)

Media placement: National TV - C2, C5, C9, C7, C13 - August 30th

Media placement: Pay TV - Tnt, Mtv, Fox, Fox Sports, ESPN - August 30th

Media placement: Radio DF - Digital, Reactor, Exa, 40 Principales, Beat - September 13th

Media placement: Metro - DF - August 30th



Insights, Strategy & the Idea

The challenge: increase sales by 10% and return to 70% trial levels of 2008 despite negative market trend and an increase in the product´s price.



Snickers biggest marketing effort is Urbania. By its 5th year, the music and extreme sports festival has gained ground in the saturated entertainment environment of Mexico City.



Our specific challenge was to refresh Urbania, to shift it from a simple event to a brand property that resonates with a wider community of consumers and improves brand loyalty.



Our audience is elusive. The counter-cultural street guy strives for credibility and is wary of brands and mass media. He knows his worth but doesn't brag about it… though attention and recognition is ok with him.



So we integrated him into our story. We found urban athletes who lived the street-hero life, put them on the road and filmed them. Their life on the road became Snickers story.



Creative Execution

We turned street guys into street heroes. The content of the tour became a teaser for Urbania. These mini insights into their world were shared through social media building anticipation for the event. We listened online to fine tune the music headliners and to search for opening bands and DJs.



We also took to the streets, advertising and giving away event tickets in urban contact points such as subways.



Our street heroes proved themselves against the best at URBANIA. Participating rock bands and competitors gave interviews at radio stations, and live coverage through social media.



Social media became the after party. Kids who met at the event kept in touch via Facebook and the event´s rituals translated to the community.



The content of the tour and the event turned into a TV series, with more than 180 minutes of brand storytelling.



Results and Effectiveness

The results were overwhelming satisfying:

• The festival gathered more than 120,000 people

• We doubled Twitter followers

• Facebook fans increased five times with +39,000 interactions in a month

• YouTube generated +120 user-generated-clips and +140,000 views

• The website saw +340,000 visits in one month

• +160 minutes of free air on pay TV

• Coverage tripled the media value



This engagement translated in brand health

• Spontaneous awareness 52% vs 42%

• Ad awareness 70% vs 62%

• Love 35% vs 24%



Sales grew along with the buzz: (Aug – Oct)

• +12.9% National Sales Volume vs 2009

• +57.7% National Grocery Sales Volume vs 2009

• +19% Off Take Walmart despite declining trend (-17%)