I have been enjoying the recent spate of Snickers billboards, which seem to be multiplying like rabbits. As in the message above, the ads smoosh together Snickers-related words with other words and phrases to form a non-word and, often, a clever pun. I find the ads funny, memorable and recognizable, but colleagues and friends have wondered aloud if they are too arbitrary: do these words convey real meaning?  They don’t necessarily make one hungry for a Snickers bar, so is it enough that they are memorable — are they relevant?

An article by Stuart Elliot, published in the New York Times earlier this year, talks about how the ads have invented a new language, Snacklish, which not only keeps the ads light, something consumers apparently crave in the current economic crisis, but also mimics the phone vernacular of its target audience, men ages 18 to 34. Elliot writes:

The Snickers language will resonate with ‘‘young adults who are texting each other,’’ said [Walker vice president for integrated marketing communications at the Mars Snackfood U.S. division of Mars in Hackettstown, New Jersey.] ‘‘making up their own words, their own shorthand.’’

So the ads are relevant: they may not make the audience drool for nougat, but they build brand loyalty and recognition, and that’s what’s important here. We all know Snickers is packed with roasted peanuts, creamy nougat, rich caramel, and milk chocolate; they no longer need to hammer that home at every consumer touch point.

This is an awesome example of how a brand with huge recognition can move beyond features and benefits to do bold –and successful — things with advertising.

Thanks to AdMe.Ru for the photo.

Posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 by Susan Pagani