It’s not uncommon for a brand to hang onto the same slogan for years, or even decades. Nike has used “Just Do It” since 1988, for example. McDonald’s has embraced “I’m Lovin’ It” since 2003. And, for its part, Snickers has been telling Americans that they’re just not themselves when they’re hungry for the last 15 years.
Today, Mars’ candy-bar colossus will remind them yet again with a pair of spots starring Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Of course, the tricky part about sticking with a longtime slogan is finding fresh interpretations of it, and that’s especially true in Snickers’ case. “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” came storming out of the gate at the 2010 Super Bowl with a 30-second spot from BBDO featuring the incomparable Betty White playing football in the mud with a bunch of bros straight out of central casting. After White gets sacked and decides to take a time out with a Snickers bar, she metamorphoses into a strapping young jock.
Those final few seconds created not just the a-ha moment, but a template that’s served the snack brand for a generation.
Following the White spot (still considered among the best Super Bowl ads of all time) was no mean feat. But Snickers managed it by adapting its transmogrification formula to an all-star cast that over the years has included Robin Williams becoming a football coach, Joe Pesci transforming into a frat boy, and Danny Trejo turning into… Marsha Brady.
The latest ads (still from BBDO), hold fast to that formula. The twist this time is that Allen transforms into… himself.
The cornerstone spot shows us Allen’s father dozing off while reading his adult son—in bed, wearing his Bills uniform—a bedtime story. With a bite of a Snickers bar, delirious dad blinks and he’s again reading to Allen as a boy.
The second features Allen rescuing a heat-exhausted construction worker by snatching a Snickers bar from an ice chest he has handy. There’s no sugar-fueled metamorphosis in this one, but Allen’s delivery of a self-referential punchline (“Still stressed about the Bills game next week, huh?”) furnishes the requisite denouement.
BBDO also shot quick-cut verticals for social channels, featuring Allen blowing his lines and holding the candy bar the wrong way—until, of course, a restorative nibble on a Snickers returns order to the universe.
“Even Josh Allen isn’t immune, fumbling lines and forgetting sponsors until he gets his Snickers fix,” helpfully chirped a company statement.
That these crisply-produced snippets feel like outtakes and bloopers spotlights Allen as one of those rare pro athletes who’s actually a natural on camera. Who knows? If Allen doesn’t get his Super Bowl ring before retirement time, there’s always marketing as a second career.
Recommended videos