Every substantial moment in life has a set of euphemisms guys use to describe it. And let’s face it, eating a Snickers is a pretty substantial moment. So we wrote our own phrases for enjoying a Snickers and then acted them out in these spots with the help of NBA legend Patrick Ewing, rap star Master-P and a Sir Lancelot look-a-like. Our goal was to give dudes a few new ways to say they’re eating a Snickers, make them laugh, and that’s about it. After all, we’re talking about a candy bar here.

The campaign launched in March 2009 beginning with an out-of-home saturation in markets across the United States. Next were the TVCs, which began airing a week later. From there we rolled the campaign out in every possible media channel from retail, print, transit and interactive to sponsorship, PR and B-to-B. We then began to run a series of 5second TV bumpers that were contextually linked to TV shows guys watch. Each show got a unique execution specifically written for it.

By combining such a large and integrated media buy with executions that were so contextually relevant, we were able to create a seemingly endless flow of unique words and phrases. Snacklish, as a fully functioning language, was established.

The new Snickers work began during a time when both sales and the economy were down. But despite an overall lethargic environment, consumers appreciated our fun, light-hearted tone and design. The campaign got instant coverage from industry magazines, national newspapers, culture magazines, and from what really matters – blogs. Our clients were obviously thrilled with the attention and support the campaign generated right from the start.We achieved the most success when consumers could easily recognize the link between the ad and the location they saw it in. Executions in New York City that poked fun at traditional subway ads, for example, were some of the most talked about of the entire campaign. But the most compelling aspect of the work for both the consumer and the client was that Snickers’ national, fully integrated campaign never actually mentions the word “Snickers.”