Snickers TV campaign: Dhoni endorses an unlikely antidote to hunger pangs

The brief for the campaign was to refresh the theme by exploring hunger traits apart from diva/irritability

Chocolate is a product category associated with indulgence and Snickers should logically be viewed as something of a luxury. But over the years, the popular global brand has aired advertisements that simply link the chocolate bar with hunger. In a new campaign to mark the recent signing of M S Dhoni, Snickers presents an unlikely turn by the cricket superstar who is familiar to all of us as “captain cool”.

The TV commercial shows Dhoni in the dressing room, but donning the robes of a mythical warrior brandishing a sword (cricket bat) to pep up his teammates. His theatrics are called out by the others when they present a bar of Snickers as they reason why Dhoni isn’t quite himself. That, we are told, is because he’s hungry. As he bites into the chocolate, Dhoni is back to his normal self as the unfazed leader ready to go out and win the match.

Yogesh Tewari, marketing director, Mars Wrigley Confectionery, argues that Snickers is known for its quirky, tongue-in-cheek personality and Dhoni, with his cool, easy-going way resonates with the brand.

His association takes forward Snickers’ “You are not you when you’re hungry” proposition. The TVC gives a new spin to Dhoni’s otherwise reserved personality and helps reiterate that hunger “ache achhon ko badal deta hai”, says Tewari, adding that the target audience for Snickers remains urban millennials.

“Ever since it was introduced in India, Snickers has established itself as an effective solution to hunger and developed a strong base of loyal consumers. We understand the importance of localisation to establish a connect with our consumers and have introduced several elements to the product over the years to make it more relevant for the Indian market,” says Tewari.

For instance, last year, the brand introduced the Snickers Hunger Bars, a spin on the chocolate bar’s traditional packaging. It also introduced the Green Dot to cater to India’s varied palate. “With Green Dot, we made changes to the original recipe to suit the country’s large vegetarian consumer base. 

There was also the introduction of heat robust chocolates, developed to enable wider distribution of our products in spite of high temperature conditions,” says Tewari, adding that the pricing (at Rs 10) of the chocolate bar was developed to meet the unique needs of the Indian market.

The ad was conceptualised by RK Swamy BBDO. Earlier, the agency has done two thematic campaigns with Bollywood celebrities Rekha and Sonam Kapoor. Ashish Deodhar, the agency’s principal consultant and general manager, says, “The brief for the current campaign was to refresh it by exploring hunger traits apart from diva/irritability to something more dramatic and visual.”

MS Dhoni dressed as a mythological warrior in the ad

Asked how does the brand attempt to present a differentiated communication, Deodhar says Snickers is not positioned as just another chocolate. “It’s a delicious man-fuel for young guys doing young guy things. So our communication is about how a satisfying bite of Snickers keeps young guys from hunger-induced, uncharacteristic behaviours that could end up embarrassing them.”

The typical global “You’re not you” format shows a physical transformation of an ordinary guy into someone he’s not (characterised by a celebrity, as with Kapoor in an earlier ad, who demonstrates a hunger trait). The new ad marks a departure in that it shows a behavioural transformation of the person (Dhoni) into someone he’s not, adds Deodhar.