Dive Brief:

• Mars launched a campaign encouraging fliers to pack its Snickers product on their next flight, according to a press release.
• The “Hungry Skies” campaign is a global extension of its “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” brand platform. It takes a playful approach to the stresses of flying, and how the chocolate bar can make any difficult flight a bit easier.
• The campaign, which was created in partnership with Omnicom’s  BBDO New York, is slated to run through the first quarter of 2025 in over 30 countries. To ensure “Hungry Skies” reaches travelers, the campaign includes digital, social, airport and in-flight activations. It will also extend to other mass transport methods.

Dive Insight:

Snickers is looking to build its momentum — the brand experienced global growth of over 13% in 2023 —while taking advantage of a surge in post-pandemic travel. “Hungry Skies” pokes fun at poor in-flight behavior and reminds consumers Snickers can make a difficult flight a bit easier. 

A 45-second ad shows a plane packed with unruly passengers, such as an older woman who won’t stop pushing the call button, someone doing yoga in their seat, a group of loud businesspeople and even someone with an emotional support snake. However, after a flight attendant passes out Snickers bars, the entire flight turns quiet and peaceful.

Expanding the “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” brand platform to the air feels natural for the candy bar, which usually focuses on how a Snickers bar can calm stressed out individuals who may simply be hungry. With videos of airline passengers going viral for misbehavior, a cramped airplane seems like a good setting for a Snickers advertisement.

"When we noticed that Snickers had never extended their iconic You're Not You When You're Hungry campaign to travel we knew Snickers had to come to the rescue," said Matt Low, senior vice president and creative director of BBDO, in a press release.

Focusing on unruly passengers gives the campaign an extra layer of relatability, as there has been an increase in passenger outbursts. Bad behavior and assaults on airline crew members have increased substantially, making flying an even more stressful activity than it was pre-pandemic. In 2023, unruly passenger incidents were up approximately 70% from 2019.

“Hungry Skies” will first appear across TV, digital and social channels in the U.S. and Australia before being introduced in Asia, Africa, the European Union, Brazil, Mexico, China and the Middle East, for a total of over 30 countries through the first quarter of 2025.