If you've been to the candy aisle of a grocery store at any point in the past couple of years, you're probably aware that pretty much every name-brand candy bar—Snickers, Milky Way, Kit-Kat—now comes in a little chocolate-dipped, bite-sized (not fun-sized, mind you) form of condensed candy bar goodness.
One candy, however, didn't get that same treatment: the lowly Twix.
Luckily, Mars is finally remedying that with the long-awaited debut of Twix Bites. And judging by the product's new ad campaign from BBDO New York, Mars knows they missed the boat.
"Crunchy cookie, chocolate and caramel in a bite size. An idea so simple, you're probably wondering, why didn't we think of these years ago?" That's the existential question posed by a Mars spokesman in a pair of 30-second spots explaining why the company forgot to shrink one of its most popular candies into bite-sized form. (I mean, for God's sake, they already made 3 Musketeers Bites, and no one in their right mind even likes 3 Musketeers.)
The answer, we discover, is simple: the '80s.
Let me elaborate. Three long decades ago, according to the appropriately titled "Hairspray" and "Walkman" spots, some Mars employees actually had the bright idea to make Twix Bites. Unfortunately, their plans were foiled by the perils of the era—namely, too much hairspray and too much Billy Ocean.
So, maybe the ads are kind of silly. And maybe the whole '80s thing seemed played out 10 years ago. But bravo to Mars for taking responsibility for such a near-fatal oversight. America can now rest a little bit easier.
CREDITS
Client: Twix (Mars)
Agency: BBDO, New York
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Gianfranco Arena
Executive Creative Director: Peter Kain
ACD/Copywriter: Matt Herr
ACD/Art Director: Justin Bilicki
Director of Integrated Production: Dave Rolfe
Group Executive Producer: Amy Wertheimer
Executive Producer: Alex Gianni
Executive Music Producer: Melissa Chester
SVP, Senior Account Director: Kathryn Brown
Account Director: Joshua Steinman
Account Director: Phil Brolly
Account Executive: Aparna Joshi
Production Company: O Postive
Director: Jim Jenkins
Executive Producer: Ralph Laucella
Producer: Marc Grill
Project Manager: Jason Reda
Director of Photography: Robert Gantz
Production Designer: Jason Edmonds
Recording Studio: Sound Lounge
Engineer: Glen Landrum
Editorial Company: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Ian MacKenzie
Producer: Evan Meeker
Assistant Editor: Pamela Petruski
Sound Design: Sam Shaffer
Visual Effects House: Schmigital
Composer: Steve Nathanson/Further Lane Music
Music ("Walkman" only): "Get Out Of My Dreams, Get Into My Car" by Billy Ocean