Dive Brief:

• Mars' 3 Musketeers brand is building on its now yearlong #ThrowShine campaign with the announcement of the "Shine Corps," a nine-month paid position for teens to "spread the power of positivity to their peers around the country," per a press release.
• The first two "Shine Corps Specialists" for the brand are Britain Bennett of Sandusky, OH, and Denis Estimon of Boca Raton, FL. They and the other corps members are tasked with using social media, speaking engagements and media interviews to promote the power of positivity through personal stories as well as by sharing inspiring stories from other teens.
• The initial Shine Corps members have both already developed positivity efforts. Bennett created a national anti-bullying campaign as well as a county-wide day in Erie County for parents. Estimon launched an inclusive lunchtime dining club at his high school that has since spread to 26 spread schools.

Dive Insight:

3 Musketeers' extension of its #ThrowShine campaign combines a number of marketing trends, including by promoting a message of positivity and attempting to foster real change in the world. Marketers like Mars are also more often eschewing a focus on traditional advertising channels like TV to instead market directly to young consumers through their peers. Mentos, another candy brand, launched a campaign earlier this month that similarly is focused on a student, who's been tasked with distributing 43,000 bottles of its gum.

The "Shine Corps Specialists" project isn't 3 Musketeers first marketing push catered to Gen Z. Last year, it rolled out a digital-only campaign with YouTube clips that starred unknown teens the brand hoped to turn into social media influencers. That effort intended to create reach and relevance of its own by building a trio of influencers from scratch, Tribal Worldwide, the agency behind the campaign, said at the time. 

Candy brands flexing their digital marketing muscles comes not only as young consumers are watching TV less but also favoring healthier eating options. In May, Mars, along with a number of other big confectionary players, committed to making 50% of their individually wrapped products 200 calories or less by 2022.