Snickers
A Mars chocolate-bar brand built around nougat, caramel, peanuts and milk chocolate. German food brand
Last updated October 13, 2026
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Overview
Snickers is a global confectionery brand owned and produced by Mars, Incorporated. Its core product is a chocolate bar made from nougat topped with caramel and peanuts and covered in milk chocolate. The combination gives the brand a distinctive mixture of chewiness, crunch and sweetness, while its substantial portion size has supported positioning around hunger relief and satiety rather than indulgence alone. Mars introduced Snickers in 1930 at its Chicago candy factory. The name came from a horse favored by the Mars family. The brand initially developed as one of Mars’s American candy products and later became a major international business as the company expanded beyond the United States. Snickers entered Great Britain and West Germany in 1968, France in 1989, and additional markets over subsequent decades. In Britain and Ireland it was sold for many years under the name Marathon, reportedly to avoid an unfavorable association between “Snickers” and the local word “knickers.” The global name was adopted in those markets in 1990, although a limited Marathon retro edition was later sold in Britain. The brand portfolio has expanded beyond the original bar. Depending on market, Mars has offered miniature formats, dark- and white-chocolate versions, bars with almonds, hazelnuts or pecans, peanut-butter and extra-caramel variants, protein-oriented products, ice-cream bars, and limited flavor editions such as espresso, fiery, and sweet-and-salty versions. Product recipes and pack sizes have changed over time in response to ingredient availability, nutrition expectations, manufacturing decisions and local market requirements. Snickers has also appeared as a flavor in products made with partners, including pudding and pie mixes. Marketing has been central to Snickers’ international identity. Earlier advertising emphasized satisfaction and the bar’s peanut content, while later campaigns connected hunger with poor judgment, clumsiness or an altered personality. The long-running “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” platform, launched in 2010, dramatized people transforming into celebrities or fictional characters until eating Snickers restored their usual selves. Betty White’s football advertisement became the campaign’s signature early execution, followed by appearances or references involving figures including Aretha Franklin, Liza Minnelli, Robin Williams, Godzilla, Danny Trejo, Willem Dafoe, Rowan Atkinson, Elton John and others. Campaign executions have been adapted by country, often using local celebrities and culturally specific humor. Snickers has maintained visibility through sports and entertainment sponsorships. The brand was associated with the 1984 Summer Olympics, FIFA World Cup tournaments, UEFA competitions, motorsport and other sporting properties. It sponsored NASCAR teams for many years, including a prominent relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch, before Mars ended its NASCAR sponsorship after the 2022 season. The brand has also faced criticism when advertising was perceived as homophobic or when sports marketing and high-calorie products attracted health-related objections. Despite these controversies and changes in product size, formulation and communications, Snickers remains an active, widely distributed Mars brand with a product identity centered on peanuts, chocolate and hunger satisfaction.
History
Snickers was introduced by Mars in Chicago in 1930. The product’s name was taken from a horse favored by the Mars family. From its beginning, the bar used the combination that still defines the brand: nougat, caramel and peanuts enclosed in a milk-chocolate coating. This construction distinguished Snickers from simpler chocolate bars and gave it a more substantial eating experience. The brand’s international expansion accelerated after Forrest Mars Sr. assumed control of the family business in the 1960s. Snickers reached Great Britain and West Germany in 1968 and was subsequently introduced in other national markets. Britain and Ireland used the name Marathon rather than Snickers for several decades. The change was associated with concerns that the Snickers name resembled “knickers,” a term for underwear in British English. In 1990, Mars changed the name in those markets to Snickers, bringing them into alignment with the wider international brand. A temporary Marathon-themed retro product was sold through Morrisons in Britain in 2019. France became a Snickers market in 1989. Over time, Mars localized distribution, pack sizes, recipes and advertising while retaining the same broad product architecture. The portfolio expanded to include miniature bars, dark- and white-chocolate coatings, ice-cream products, and nut substitutions or additions such as almonds, hazelnuts and pecans. Other variants included peanut butter, extra caramel, protein, espresso, fiery, and sweet-and-salty versions. The original recipe also changed: historical formulations included ingredients such as sweetened condensed milk, coconut oil and malted milk, whereas later formulations used a different combination of milk chocolate, peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, palm oil, dairy ingredients, salt, egg whites and flavoring. Snickers’ commercial identity increasingly focused on hunger and functionality. The “It’s So Satisfying” advertising of the 1980s highlighted the bar’s peanuts and fullness. From the mid-1990s, “Not Going Anywhere for a While?” and related executions used mistakes and stalled situations to suggest that hunger impaired performance. In 2010, Mars introduced “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry,” a platform in which hungry people became exaggerated versions of other personalities before returning to normal after eating Snickers. The campaign used comedy, celebrity casting, sports contexts and localized adaptations. Its notable executions included Betty White playing an ineffective American-football player, Willem Dafoe portraying Marilyn Monroe, Danny Trejo appearing as an angry version of Marcia Brady, and Rowan Atkinson appearing as Mr. Bean in British advertising. Sports partnerships have been another major route to international recognition. Snickers and other Mars brands were promoted as official snacks of the 1984 Olympics. Snickers later sponsored FIFA World Cup tournaments, UEFA competitions, continental football events, NASCAR teams and other properties. These activities helped connect the product with athletic performance and mass entertainment, although the use of a high-calorie confectionery brand in sports marketing has periodically drawn criticism. The brand has also experienced reputational controversies. In 2007, an American Super Bowl advertisement was criticized as homophobic because its comic resolution treated an accidental kiss between men as something requiring violent or extreme masculine responses. Mars removed the advertisements after advocacy-group complaints. In 2008, a European Mr. T commercial was withdrawn after complaints that its language and imagery were offensive. Public discussion has also surrounded the nutritional profile of the bar, calorie-dense desserts containing Snickers, reductions in bar weights in several markets, and changes in manufacturing locations. These issues have not ended the brand’s operations. Snickers continues as an active Mars confectionery brand sold in multiple formats and markets, with its product range and advertising adapted to local regulations and consumer preferences.
- 2024
Dessert-mix collaboration
[1]Mars and Jel Sert bring Snickers flavor to pudding and pie-mix products.
- 2022
Mars exits NASCAR sponsorship
[1]Mars ends its Snickers-associated sponsorship of Joe Gibbs Racing and withdraws from NASCAR after the 2022 season.
- 2019
Marathon retro edition appears in Britain
[1]A limited Marathon-branded Snickers edition is sold through Morrisons for a short period.
- 2010
You’re Not You When You’re Hungry launches
[1]Mars introduces the campaign platform that depicts hungry people becoming exaggerated versions of celebrities or fictional characters until they eat Snickers.
- 1995
NFL-linked mistake advertising develops
[1]Snickers advertising begins using everyday mistakes and the idea that hunger causes poor performance or judgment.
- 1990
Marathon name is replaced in Britain and Ireland
[1]Mars adopts the Snickers name in Britain and Ireland, aligning those markets with the international brand.
- 1989
Launch in France
[1]Snickers is introduced to the French market.
- 1984
Olympic sports promotion
[1]Mars pays for Snickers and M&M’s to be identified as official snacks of the Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles.
- 1968
International expansion reaches Britain and West Germany
[1]Snickers is introduced in Great Britain and West Germany as Mars expands the brand outside the United States.
- 1930
Snickers is introduced
[1]Mars launches the Snickers chocolate bar in Chicago, using nougat, caramel, peanuts and a milk-chocolate coating.
Products and positioning
A filling, satisfying chocolate-and-peanut snack marketed as a practical response to hunger and the behavioral effects of being hungry.
Chocolate bar · 1930
Snickers Original
The core Snickers product combines a nougat center with caramel and peanuts, covered in milk chocolate. It is sold in multiple portion sizes and packaging formats, with recipe and weight differences by country.
Miniature chocolate bar
Snickers Minis
Smaller individually wrapped versions of the standard bar, designed for portion control, sharing, mixed bags and seasonal confectionery occasions.
Ice-cream confectionery
Snickers Ice Cream
Frozen products that adapt the Snickers flavor profile to an ice-cream format, generally combining chocolate, caramel, peanuts and a chocolate coating or inclusions.
Chocolate bar variant
Snickers Almond
A nut variant that replaces or supplements the standard peanut profile with almonds, while retaining the caramel, nougat and chocolate structure.
Chocolate bar variant
Snickers Peanut Butter
A peanut-butter-oriented variant that extends the brand’s established peanut flavor and adds a different texture to the nougat, caramel and chocolate combination.
Protein snack bar
Snickers Protein
A protein-positioned product using the recognizable Snickers flavor direction for consumers seeking a more functional or fitness-oriented snack format.
Chocolate bar variant
Snickers Extra Caramel
A caramel-forward variant that increases the prominence of caramel while preserving the brand’s chocolate, nougat and nut cues.
Controversies
2008
Mr. T European advertisement withdrawn
A European commercial featuring Mr. T firing Snickers bars at a speedwalker drew complaints from a United States pressure group over language and imagery considered homophobic. The advertisement was pulled.
2007
Super Bowl kissing commercial controversy
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups criticized a Snickers commercial in which two male mechanics accidentally kissed and then responded with exaggerated masculine behavior. Mars withdrew the advertisements and related website material.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Ronaldo and the World Cup
Brazil · International
A commercial showed footballer Ronaldo celebrating for the wrong national team until eating Snickers restored him to normal.
Outcome. Linked the hunger insight to international football and World Cup attention.
- 2016Super Bowl 50 Marilyn Monroe parody
United States
Willem Dafoe played a hungry version of Marilyn Monroe during the famous subway-grate scene from The Seven Year Itch, then changed back after eating Snickers.
Outcome. Used a classic-film reference to continue the campaign’s celebrity transformation formula.
- 2015Super Bowl XLIX Brady Bunch parody
United States
The commercial parodied The Brady Bunch, with Danny Trejo as an angry Machete who became Marcia Brady after receiving a Snickers bar.
Outcome. Reinforced the campaign’s use of recognizable pop-culture transformations.
- 2014Godzilla
International
A Godzilla-themed execution showed the character becoming destructive when hungry and returning to recreational activities after eating Snickers.
Outcome. Connected the campaign platform with a major entertainment property.
- 2010You’re Not You When You’re Hungry
Global
Hungry people were portrayed as becoming other personalities, celebrities or fictional characters before returning to themselves after eating Snickers. Betty White appeared in the first widely recognized American execution.
Outcome. Became Snickers’ defining global advertising platform and was adapted across countries with local talent.
- 2007Snickers Feast
United Kingdom · Europe
A series of advertisements featuring characters including Henry VIII and a Viking presented Snickers consumption as a communal feast.
Outcome. Expanded the brand’s humorous historical and character-based advertising style.
- 1995Not Going Anywhere for a While?
United States · United Kingdom
Commercials used workplace, everyday and sports-related mistakes to suggest that hunger could make people ineffective, concluding with a prompt to eat Snickers.
Outcome. Extended the brand’s hunger-and-performance positioning.
- 1984Official Olympic snack promotion
United States · International
Snickers was promoted alongside M&M’s as an official snack associated with the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Outcome. Strengthened the brand’s connection with large-scale sports marketing.
- 1980It’s So Satisfying
United States · United Kingdom
Advertising emphasized the bar’s peanut content and satisfying character through a recurring jingle and visual transformation from peanuts into a Snickers bar.
Outcome. Helped establish satisfaction as a central brand promise.
Brand decisions
2022
End NASCAR sponsorshipStrategyBackground
Mars reviewed its long-running motorsport marketing commitments.
Action taken
Withdraw Snickers and other Mars brands from NASCAR after the 2022 Cup Series season.
Aftermath
Snickers ceased its primary association with Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR.
2010
Adopt the hunger-transformation platformStrategyBackground
Mars wanted a distinctive global communication idea linking the product to its satisfying snack role.
Action taken
Launch “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry,” using celebrity and character transformations as a recurring creative device.
Aftermath
The platform became the brand’s most recognizable modern advertising framework.
1990
Standardize the British and Irish brand nameStrategyBackground
The product had been sold as Marathon in Britain and Ireland for several decades.
Action taken
Change the retail name to Snickers to align those markets with the international identity.
Aftermath
Marathon became a historical name, later revisited only through limited retro packaging.
1968
Expand Snickers internationallyStrategyBackground
Mars sought to extend the brand beyond its original American market as the family business developed its international operations.
Action taken
Launch Snickers in Britain and West Germany and continue expansion into additional markets.
Aftermath
Snickers became a globally distributed Mars confectionery brand.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Snickers Spain withdraws advertisement after criticism[3]
Reported:
Snickers Spain withdrew a television advertisement after it was criticised for perpetuating homophobia. Mars Wrigley apologised for harm caused by the advertisement and said it had removed the online content.
Mars Wrigley and WWE renew WrestleMania sponsorship partnership[4]
Reported:
Mars Wrigley and WWE announced the renewal of their partnership, with SNICKERS returning as WrestleMania’s presenting partner for a sixth consecutive year. The expanded agreement also names SNICKERS as presenting partner of the WrestleMania Main Event match for the first time.
Sources5 sources
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