Dive Brief:

• Mars Inc., owner of brands including M&M’s and Pedigree, unveiled an updated brand identity, with a new typeface and color palette for its confectionary, food and pet-care segments, Adweek reports. 
• The company also introduced a purpose statement, "The world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today," and shorter tagline, "Tomorrow starts today." Mars released a YouTube video showcasing its diverse brands and its philanthropic efforts, covering climate change and sustainable ingredients sourcing. 
• In separate news, Marriott International-owned Sheraton Hotels & Resorts debuted a new logo, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive. The brand released a YouTube video explaining that it "re-envisioned" its iconic laurel imagery into a circle to represent a space "where the world comes together."

Dive Insight:

The brand refreshes underscore how legacy marketers are revamping their strategies from the ground up — and not just simply deploying targeted campaigns — as they look to engage a new generation of consumers. For Mars, the new logo is part of the company's efforts to better define its core business divisions: food, pet care and confectionary. By emphasizing its commitment to important social causes, like pet adoption and sustainable ingredients, the company aims to connect with the next-generation consumer and heighten their interested in the consumer packaged goods giant's products. Younger consumers expect brands to stand for something and align with their personal values. Gen Z influences about $4 billion in discretionary spending, and 50% say knowing a brand is socially conscious influences their purchasing decisions, according to MNI Targeted Media. 

Similarly, Mars brand Pedigree this week debuted a new campaign "Every Pup's Superpower," a campaign aimed at raising awareness about pet adoption and featuring a partnership with advocate Katherine Schwarzenegger and a documentary film sponsorship. The brand will donate a bowl of food to shelter dogs when consumers share stories about their dogs on social media using hashtag #EveryPupsSuperpower.

The brand revamp comes after Mars selected WPP’s GroupM for its consolidated media planning and buying functions last August, following a review. The company cited factors including digital transformation, innovation and data insights for the move. Mars spent $745 million on paid media in the U.S. in 2017, according to Kantar Media. 

For Sheraton, the brand refresh aligns with a growing trend in the hospitality industry, where brands are focusing on offering unique, memorable experiences. Millennials, especially, prefer to spend on experiences over products. By modernizing its brand image, Sheraton is focusing on socialization, productivity and personalization, areas which hotel brands are using to stand out with consumers. Sheraton is launching a new experience for guests later this year with the opening of the Sheraton Grand Phoenix.

Marriott, owner of Sheraton, recently announced a new loyalty program Marriott Bonvoy, merging loyalty programs for its Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood hotel chains. The new program included a new logo and branding, and Marriott kicked off a multimillion-dollar global media campaign in February. The relaunch followed a major cyberattack on its Starwood Hotels reservation system that led to more than 380 million customer records being stolen.