In Australia, consumers have up to five chocolate bar brands in their repertoire. As a result, manufacturers have resorted to an unsustainable cycle of discounting to fight for a coveted ‘place’ in repertoires.

But in this category, what often drives selection is the brand that’s most front-of-mind.

Each week, SNICKERS had to join in the shouting match of price promotion to get noticed. And it wasn't punching at the weight it should.

SNICKERS needed a moment of fame outside TV to get selected again.

Objectives

Our core objective was to make SNICKERS the most talked about brand in the country by relying on earned not paid media.

Linked to this, our supporting objective was to increase value sales of SNICKERS by 15% compared to the same 4-week period as last year.

Strategy

People love 'You’re Not You When You’re Hungry' ads. But through research, our target acknowledged these weren't inherently sharable.

We discovered the topics that got them sharing were those that touched on sensitive cultural issues - peppered with controversy and stereotypes.

This lead to a thought for SNICKERS. Rather than demonstrating the ‘negative’ side of hunger, we could show when certain people are ‘hungry and acting out of sorts’, they act for the better, not worse.

Execution

Our idea was Aussie Builders - a 71-second webfilm that showed construction workers calling out empowering statements to members of the public rather than the stereotypical ‘cat call’.

From "That colour really works on you…have a productive day" to "You want to hear a filthy word? Gender bias", these statements were designed to ignite a conversation about misogyny, feminism and gender equality.

This webfilm was uploaded onto YouTube and seeded to influential bloggers to generate a groundswell. And it did just that.

Outcome

On launch, Aussie Builders struck a nerve. Within 24 hours, the viral video had been viewed, debated and even parodied globally.

Everyone from The Guardian to Mashable picked it up, resulting in over 680,000 shares and 3.5 million video views.

Through such momentum, mentions of SNICKERS increased by 398% and it delivered $11 million in earned media value - meaning for every $1 spent on media, we earned a whopping $411 back.

Not only did it drive fame for SNICKERS, but fortune too.

Compared to the same period in 2013 (9% growth rate), sales of SNICKERS grew 36%. Aussie Builders helped drive 24% in incremental value.