Mars vs Nestlé

Mars releases Cocoa for Generations 2025 Progress Report, achieving 98%...

Mars releases Cocoa for Generations 2025 Progress Report, achieving 98%...

Snickers' AI Campaign Misses Marketing Relevance

Paddy Gilmore critiques Snickers' latest AI-themed campaign 'Hungr.AI', arguing it fails to extend the brand's successful 'You're Not You When You're Hungry' platform. The campaign invites users to copy a 'Digital Snickers' prompt into ChatGPT for a 'satisfying answer'. Gilmore contrasts this with Polaroid's 'Best of Summer is Analog' campaign, which takes a clear stance against AI. He notes Mars' partnership with Omnicom on generative AI but questions the creative value of Snickers' execution. The article is an opinion piece published on The Drum.

• Snickers launched 'Hungr.AI' interactive campaign in September 2026.
• Campaign asks users to copy a prompt into ChatGPT to get a 'Digital Snickers' response.
• Mars Snacking VP Ashley Gill defended the campaign as playful.

Mars Impact Fund awards more than $13M in new grants to advance...

Mars Impact Fund awards more than $13M in new grants to advance... (Mars Global, September 1, 2026)

YouTube Festival 2026: Brands See 90% More ROI Than TV

At the YouTube Festival 2026 in Berlin, Google executives and brand marketers highlighted YouTube's growing importance in media planning. Philipp Justus, Google's VP Central Europe, emphasized YouTube's cultural influence, while Marianne Stroehmann presented data showing 90% more ROI compared to TV. Case studies from E.ON and Nestlé demonstrated successful creator collaborations and the effectiveness of YouTube in driving brand consideration and conversions. Bayer's media planning with Display & Video 360 increased reach from 45% to 67%. The event underscored a paradigm shift from traditional TV advertising to creator-driven, culturally embedded content on YouTube.

• Google's YouTube Festival 2026 took place in Berlin on September 17, 2026.
• YouTube reportedly delivers 90% more ROI than TV according to Google.
• E.ON's reality series 'House of Power' increased brand consideration by 2 percentage points.

KitKat at Gamescom: Fan Value Must Be Immediately Clear

Nestlé's KitKat brand returned to Gamescom in Cologne in 2026. In an interview published by Lebensmittelzeitung on August 26, 2026, Global KitKat Lead Rouven Lochmüller discusses the brand's presence at the event, sharing observations about the gaming audience and the company's activation strategy. Lochmüller emphasizes that any value offered to fans at the event must be immediately understandable. The piece frames Gamescom as a strategic touchpoint for KitKat to engage younger consumers through experiential marketing.

• Nestlé's KitKat brand participated at Gamescom in Cologne in 2026.
• Rouven Lochmüller serves as Global KitKat Lead at Nestlé.
• The interview was published by Lebensmittelzeitung (LZ) on 2026-08-26 and authored by Marco Hübner.

Brands in the Grey of Mediocrity

Opinion piece by Robert Kecskes (YouGov) published in Lebensmittelzeitung on 2026-08-25 argues that brands that fail to connect to meaning or a 'sense world' lose their soul and, with it, market share. The commentary focuses on legacy consumer goods brands, noting that loss of relevance is not always due to private-label competition. The article references recent company-level developments: slower growth at Nestlé, administrative job cuts at Ritter, a sales decline at Beiersdorf, and only modest growth for Oetker. The piece is published by Lebensmittelzeitung / DFV Mediengruppe and draws on market-observation insights rather than new corporate announcements.

• Article authored by Robert Kecskes (YouGov) and published on 2026-08-25 in Lebensmittelzeitung.
• Main argument: brands that do not find a path to meaning risk losing their 'soul' and market share, particularly heritage brands.
• Mentions company developments: Nestlé growing more slowly; Ritter cutting administrative jobs; Beiersdorf reporting a sales slump; Oetker growing only slightly.