In this series, Squideo has examined the best ways to turn advertising content into gold. Now that we’ve broken down the eight key ingredients, it’s time to dive deep into some examples of stellar advertising. This week, the advert in question was picked by Squideo’s Video Producer, Sarah Irwin. 

When asked why this particular advert had become her favourite of all time, Sarah said: “It's relatable! I get hangry, and I know other people do too. It just makes me laugh how a Snickers fixes the moodiness, plus it's Mr Bean and that brings the nostalgia factor.”

The Snickers bar was created in 1930 by Mars Inc., an American brand founded in 1911 that is behind many well-known sweet treats like M&M’s, Twix and Skittles. They also produce non-confectionary treats like Dolmio, Wrigley, Whiskas and Ben’s Original. Allegedly, Snickers was named after the Mars family’s favourite horse – what a life. 

Until 1990, Snickers was sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland under the name Marathon. The name was eventually changed to standardise the product in a global market and to reduce confusion, as an American candy bar named Marathon had been produced during the 1970s; some people thought the bar was being sold exclusively in the UK when the two were in fact entirely different. Similarly, another Mars Inc. product – Starburst – had been named Opal Fruits in the United Kingdom until the 1990s. 

Not long after the rebrand, Snickers went through a publicity nightmare when it was targeted in 2000 by a series of threatening letters claiming to have poisoned thousands of Snicker bars in Australia. One of the letters contained a Snickers bar contaminated with rat poison. This lead to a massive recall. The culprit was never found, and thankfully no one was hurt.

Snickers Man

Created by AMV BBDO, the British branch of the BBDO advertising agency, the Mr Bean advert came under the larger ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ campaign that Mars had run since 2010. A rafter of well-known stars had appeared in these Snickers adverts since then, including Betty White, Robin Williams, Aretha Franklin and Liza Minelli. 

It took four years for the UK adverts to catch up, still using the slogan ‘Snickers: Get Some Nuts’ from the former Mr T series until 2014. These adverts had been hugely popular, with the exception of one advert which was pulled after accusations of homophobia by a US pressure group. Yes, a British advert was pulled because of complaints by an American group – welcome to the gilded age of the internet. 

Like Mr T, Mr Bean worked on an international level despite being a British creation – given the popularity of the Mr Bean films overseas. The Rowan Atkinson character had been absent for two years, since his cameo in the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Before that, his last appearance was in the 2007 film Mr Bean’s Holiday. In October 2014, he returned to the screen in the Daniel Kleinman directed Snickers advert.

Fist of Snickers

The production cost for this advert must have been high, but at least the return on investment (ROI) was significant. The video has over 18 million views on YouTube. Factoring in YouTube adverts, the overall campaign reached over 20 million people on the platform. 

It’s been nine years since the Mr Bean Snickers advert aired, so what made its legacy so long-lasting? 

Nice Nostalgia

A generation of children grew up with Mr Bean, when the eponymous television show was first broadcast in 1990. This later progressed into an animated series, and two feature-length films that aired globally. By 2014, this generation of children were now adults with spending power which made a comeback of this character a profitable marketing tool. 

Fortunately for Mars Inc., Rowan Atkinson was going through costly divorce proceedings in 2014 and 2015 and agreed to appear in multiple adverts for an undisclosed figure – his first advertising appearance in eighteen years. Due to his lack of appearances as Mr Bean in recent years, the advert garnered a lot of attention. 

High Humour

The advert features classic Mr Bean humour, with plenty of slapstick action and mumbled lines that are indecipherable to the human ear. From the offset, the background completely contrasts the character: a British caricature inside a martial arts film. Mr Bean fumbles after three men, all trained in martial arts, failing to keep up until someone finally throws him a Snickers bar. After taking a bite, Mr Bean is replaced by a character more suited for the setting and escapes the mess Mr Bean had ended up in. 

The slogan used here is slightly different from the American version: “You lose your focus when you’re hungry, have a Snickers” instead of “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” This slogan merges the American slogan with the Mr T line that had been used since 2006: “Snickers: Get Some Nuts.”

Successful Series

The Mr Bean advert could easily have been a standalone success, but AMV BBDO saw the marketing potential and produced five adverts with Rowan Atkinson. In an early edition of Advert Alchemy, the potential of the marketing series was examined and found that these series have a strong return potential; as people want to see what happens next. This also followed a trend in the British Snickers adverts. While the American adverts often have a roster of famous celebrities, the British versions have stuck with the same actor for several adverts. 

Previously, this had been the legendary Mr T. In the campaign, which ran from 2006 to 2008, Mr T randomly appeared in a tank – or helicopter – to pelt Snickers bars at men he thinks need to toughen up. Bedecked in Snickers-themed jewellery, sporting his signature mohawk, and wearing a vest made of Snickers bars, it’s a call-back to Mr T’s role as B.A. (Bad Attitude) Baracus in The A-Team and it quickly became a classic. 

Content Worth Gold

What do you think? What made Snickers’ Mr Bean advert so successful? Watch the full advert below and let us know in the comments. 

Get in touch with the Squideo team today to find out how we can improve your advertising strategy with video production, motion graphics, social media management and much more!