Mars loses md in UK food and petcare rejig

Marketing Week

Mars is to merge its food and petcare businesses in the UK in a move that has sparked the departure of Bill Ronald, managing director of Mars Confectionery. Following a similar move in Europe last year, the company is to merge Mars Confectionery and Pedigree Masterfoods to trade under the name Masterfoods (Division of Mars […]

Mars signs Harry Potter deal with Warner

Marketing Week

Mars is to develop a range of confectionery based on JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books. It has signed a deal with Warner Bros Worldwide Consumer Products ahead of the spin-off film’s release this autumn. The contract covers rights to all confectionery which can be developed from characters in the books. Mars is developing the first […]

Mars to target youth

Marketing Week

D’Arcy is understood to be working on a major advertising campaign for the Mars Bar, in a bid to rejuvenate and modernise the brand. Creative teams from around the world are understood to be pooling their thinking to come up with a global advertising campaign for the brand, made popular in the Seventies with the […]

Mars links with Hasbro to sell branded toys

Marketing Week

Mars has joined forces with UK toy maker Hasbro to launch a range of merchandise bearing its M&M’s and Skittles brands. Hasbro has created peanut and mini M&M’s Candy Hander dispensers featuring the red, yellow and blue chocolate bean brand characters. Electronic M&M’s Power Candy Handers and Mini M&M’s soft toys will be on sale. […]

Mars claim out of this world

Marketing Week

Who is Mars trying to kid? The efficacy of cocoa in reducing heart disease may or may not be proven, but to argue by implication that a confectionery bar, whose other essential ingredients are fats and sugars, is good for you, takes the biscuit. My kids love Galaxy and Mars Bars and I’m quite partial […]

Mars shuffles roles in Euro petcare rejig

Marketing Week

Mars has restructured its petcare operation so that the marketing of brands such as Whiskas and Pedigree will be managed on a pan-European basis. The shake-up, as predicted in Marketing Week (January 6), is overseen by vice-president of European petcare marketing Anne Francke. It hands marketing chiefs in the UK, France and Germany extra European […]

Mars condemns poor ITV deals

Marketing Week

Mars is being forced to alter its advertising plans for this year following poor ratings for ITV programmes in January and February. The confectionery giant’s European media manager Angus McIntosh told the TV 2000 conference in Lisbon last week: “Mars has just had to write down substantially its ratings for the year based on your […]

Thorntons takes on Mars with new product launch

Marketing Week

Thorntons, the struggling upmarket confectionery manufacturer, is launching a mainstream product to rival Mars Celebrations and Cadbury’s Miniature Heroes. The confectionery company is developing the product and hopes to begin trials before Christmas. The initiative is part of a drive by Thorntons to create a new image for its stores through family-focused advertising. The company […]

Pedigree head hands reins to Mars boss

Marketing Week

Laurence Haselhurst is retiring from his role as international media manager for petfoods at Pedigree Masterfoods. Haselhurst will be replaced by Angus McIntosh, media manager at Mars Confectionery. Haselhurst is also chairman of the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers’ TV Action Group. Pedigree Masterfoods refused to comment on the moves. The announcement comes amid a […]