Mars Ice Cream celebrates its 35th anniversary
To celebrate this historic milestone, Snickers ice cream will offer a unique taste experience to Tomorrowland visitors as part of a unique collaboration in Belgium
Read this story in French: Mars Ice Cream fête son 35e anniversaire(Opens a new window)
Read this story in Dutch: Mars Ice Cream viert 35-jarig jubileum(Opens a new window)
Over the past 35 years, Mars Ice Cream has grown from an ambitious newcomer to a staple in the ice cream industry. Through continuous growth and innovation, such as the launch of new products such as Snickers White and Snickers Creamy Peanut Butter, Mars Ice Cream confirms its position as a pioneer in the ice cream bar segment. In 2022, Mars launched M&M's Mini Ice Cream in Belgium, an almost ideal test market due to its unique features. To celebrate its 35th anniversary, Mars Belgium has announced a special collaboration between Snickers Ice Cream and Tomorrowland in Belgium, and thus strengthening its bond with the Belgian public
According to the research firm GfK, 85 to 90% of Belgian households consume ice cream from time to time and about 10% of them treat themselves to a Mars ice cream at least once a year. This is proof that the brand holds a special place in the hearts and refrigerators of many Belgians. In addition, Belgium is a country of ice cream lovers and Belgians rank third in the world in terms of the amount of ice cream consumed per person. Since 1989, Mars Ice Cream has revolutionized the market by offering its famous chocolate bars in the form of ice cream. This landmark innovation combines well-known brands with unique taste and textural experiences, while introducing permanent innovations. Today, 35 years later, this innovative vision continues to appeal to consumers.
The main difference between a classic Mars bar and its iced version is in the composition: the iconic nougat gives way to delicious ice cream, offering a refreshing and indulgent experience.
Mars Ice Cream Experiences Double-Digit Growth
Over the past four years, Mars Ice Cream's portfolio in Belgium has grown by double digits. This remarkable success can be attributed to several key factors. First, the growing trend of consumers getting out of the house more often and looking for easy-to-go options has favored individual servings of Mars Ice Cream. These convenient formats perfectly meet the needs of modern consumers on the go. During the summer months, Mars Ice Cream's ice cream bars prove to be a refreshing and complementary alternative to traditional candy bars. With typically less than 200 kcal per serving, they offer a lighter and more appealing moment of pleasure for those who want to indulge while controlling their calorie intake. Plus, Mars Ice Cream Ice Bars are great for sharing with friends and family, making for a hassle-free and user-friendly dessert solution.
Whether it's for an outdoor outing or a gathering at home, these frozen delights bring a touch of freshness and indulgence to any occasion.
In addition to the popular ice cream variants of classics such as Mars, Snickers, Bounty and Twix, Mars introduced a new variant in Belgium in 2022: M&M's Mini Ice Cream. These ice cream bars, coated in milk chocolate and topped with M&M's minis, are an ideal complement to the fastest-growing bite segment in the ice cream category. After a successful launch in Belgium and the title of "Product of the Year" in the ice cream category in 2023, this innovation will be rolled out across Europe in 2024.
It is well known that Belgium is an attractive "test country" for new products, thanks to a mix of global players and local brands, a retail structure representative of Europe, ranging from small neighborhood stores to large hypermarkets, and the pronounced love of Belgians for ice cream. According to Statista figures for 2023, Belgians consume 16.4 kg per person per year, which places them third in the world.
Partnership between Snickers Ice Cream and Tomorrowland in Belgium
This year is special for Mars Ice Cream with the 35th anniversary of Snickers Ice Cream and the 20th anniversary of Tomorrowland. This is the perfect opportunity to set up a multi-year partnership between these two icons. Snickers Ice Cream has convincing strengths: as the leading chocolate bar brand and one of the top 15 chocolate brands in the world, it has also gained a strong position in the ice cream category in Belgium. The partnership with Tomorrowland, which is also a strong global brand, is based on shared values such as fun, connection, inclusion and a focus on quality, experience and innovation.
Aubry Locht, Category & Portfolio Director at Mars, explains: "We mainly promote our brands through traditional channels, but we are now taking a more disruptive approach by partnering with Tomorrowland, the iconic Belgian festival. We want to offer a unique experience at this event and allow people to discover our products in a new way. Festival-goers will be able to taste our Snickers ice creams, there will be an "Ice Experience Zone" and, of course, we will give consumers the opportunity to win tickets to this international show. This is how we want to strengthen our link with the Belgian public."
Aubry Locht, Category & Portfolio Director at Mars
The partnership with Tomorrowland in Belgium is a well-thought-out and logical choice for Mars, for several reasons. On the one hand, the event, among others, has a considerable scope, which makes the partnership extendable in the long term in an international context.
"There aren't many opportunities to reach 200,000 people in one weekend and two weekends in a row," adds Tom Leemans, Global Ice Cream Director at Mars. "The litter is crucial for us, but it must be unique and of high quality. Festival-goers will be able to combine the unique Tomorrowland experience with the taste experience of Snickers Ice Cream. For us, it's a perfect combination, 1+1=3".
Tom Leemans, Global Ice Cream Director at Mars
Ice Industry at a Glance
Globally, the ice cream category represents an impressive market value of $86 billion, with steady annual sales growth of around 5%. Ice cream is seen worldwide as a source of pleasure and an "emotional pick-me-up", which was also true during the pandemic. People all over the world enjoy local flavors and textures, such as matcha in China and pistachio in Italy, but, surprisingly, vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry remain the top three favorites around the world. Mars Ice Cream continues to position itself as a challenger in this competitive category, with a global market share of 3 to 4%. So there is room and ambition for growth.
Tom Leemans, Global Ice Cream Director at Mars, said: "Mars' role? To ensure that ice cream remains a "hot topic". To continue to surprise and captivate consumers through innovation, new taste variants and experiences, and to bring the magic of our iconic brands to life in the ice cream category. Fun fact: one in three Mars Ice Cream lovers even finds the ice cream variant to be a little tastier than the classic chocolate bar."
Focus on innovation and product diversification
Mars has ambitious plans to strengthen its position in the ice cream market by introducing new flavors and textures. The company is focusing on product innovation within its Snickers Ice Cream range, with new variants such as Snickers Crisp, Snickers Creamy Peanut Butter and Snickers White. Mars is also responding to the growing demand for bite-sized products, the bite size range and the food sharing trend with the European launch of M&M's Ice Cream Mini.
The challenges for Mars in this sector lie mainly in the pursuit of innovation and differentiation of flavors. In addition, it is essential to provide an attractive shopping experience, especially during the peak summer season. Mars is therefore actively committed to forming strong partnerships with customers and retailers in order to bring innovations to the store in innovative ways, for example with the Tomorrowland activation, with the aim of further growth in this "happiness category".
ABOUT MARS ICE CREAM
Mars Ice Cream aims to offer ice cream products made from ice cream, without artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Mars Ice Cream's production site in Steinbourg, France, has been running on 100% renewable electricity since the second half of 2022. By renouncing fossil fuels, the site is contributing to the energy transition. This pioneering initiative is part of Mars' ambition to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
ABOUT TOM LEEMANS
Since 2019, Tom Leemans has served as Global Ice Cream Director at Mars, building on an impressive 20-year career with the company. Tom has held several key positions, including Marketing Director for Belgium and Germany, as well as Managing Director for Mars Multisales Switzerland and Mars Wrigley France.
As Global Ice Cream Director at Mars, he played a crucial role in the expansion and innovation of the company's ice cream range. In 2022, he helped launch M&M's Ice Cream Mini, better known as M&M's Chills. Under his leadership, Mars has made considerable progress in developing new ice cream products and expanding the market, especially in China.
ABOUT AUBRY LOCHT
Aubry Locht has become a true expert at Mars after a remarkable 17-year career. Starting as a field sales representative in 2006, he has risen through the ranks in several key roles within the company, including Key Account Manager, Category & Customer Marketing Manager, and Sales Manager. His career shows great expertise in the fields of sales and marketing, mainly in Belgium, but also in Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
In his current role as Category & Portfolio Director for the cluster covering Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland, Aubry leads the growth and development strategy for the brand, portfolio, activation, SRM and category management in these four countries, together with his team and in close partnership with client teams.
