Mars, Incorporated celebrates induction into AAF Advertising Hall of Fame

Mars named 2025 Corporate Inductee for its legacy of iconic, creative and culturally resonant campaigns

McLean, VA (April 25, 2025) – Mars, Incorporated — a global leader and maker of more than 40 beloved snacking, food and pet brands in the U.S., including M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, Ben’s Original™, CESAR® and SHEBA®, among others — celebrated its official induction into the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) Class of 2025 Advertising Hall of Fame. Mars joins a prestigious group of only 13 other companies inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.

“At Mars, curiosity is cherished, and creativity is expected and celebrated as an engine for growth, generation after generation,” said Gülen Bengi, Lead Chief Marketing Officer for Mars & Chief Growth Officer for Mars Snacking. “From M&M’S® to PEDIGREE®, and many more. Mars brands live where people live, touching lives every second, around the world. Over the last 100 years, we’ve learned to evolve our storytelling around our iconic brands to drive purpose and build meaningful relationships with our fans and communities, enabling us to stay part of the conversations that are shaping our society.”

Around the world, consumers interact with 1,000 Mars snacks a minute; we serve more than one million pets every day, and, in a year, we deliver more than three billion healthy meals within our core food portfolio. Mars builds brands for the world we want tomorrow, and this honor celebrates our human-led, science & tech-enabled, and data-driven work. A few examples of Mars best-in-class creativity campaigns and transformative innovation that contributed to this recognition include:

The PEDIGREE® Adoptable(Opens a new window) campaign, which leveraged AI to transform shelter dog photos into professional-quality images, helped to increase awareness of dog homelessness in a creative and impactful way.
The M&M’S® Spokescandies(Opens a new window), which have become global cultural icons through decades of witty, character-driven storytelling.
The SNICKERS®(Opens a new window) “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign, one of the most recognized and enduring advertising campaigns in decades.
The SHEBA® Hope Grows(Opens a new window) program, which perfectly encapsulates how Mars and its brands seek to use purpose-driven marketing to have a positive impact on people, pets, communities and the planet.

“As this year’s Corporate Inductee, Mars has mastered the art of creating innovative, impactful and groundbreaking campaigns that have helped establish its brands as household names for more than a century,” said Steve Pacheco, President and CEO, AAF. “We welcome them into the AAF Advertising Hall of Fame with open arms and are thrilled to see how they continue to position their brands at the center of culture moving forward.”

To learn more about the Advertising Hall of Fame and this year’s honorees, visit aaf.org/HallofFame(Opens a new window). Additional information on Mars and its brands can be found at Mars.com and on our LinkedIn(Opens a new window), Instagram(Opens a new window), and YouTube(Opens a new window) pages.

MEDIA CONTACT
Mary Jane McComiskey
mary-jane.mccomiskey@effem.com

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $50bn+ family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, SNICKERS® and BEN’S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles—Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.

ABOUT THE ADVERTISING HALL OF FAME
The Advertising Hall of Fame, organized by the AAF since 1949, helps the organization to sustain many of its key initiatives throughout the year surrounding education, diversity, grassroots advocacy, and professional development. Induction into the Advertising Hall of Fame celebrates the most accomplished and legendary figures in advertising. From their significant contributions to the advertising industry to their personal philanthropic involvement, honorees have set the precedent by which great leaders and accomplishments are measured today.

ABOUT AAF
The AAF's Board of Directors guides and oversees the Federation's signature events and initiatives, including the Advertising Hall of Fame, Advertising Hall of Achievement, American Advertising Awards, Advertising Day on the Hill, Most Promising Multicultural Students Program, and HBCUs for Advertising – all serving the Federation's 35,000+ professional members nationwide, 4,000+ students and educators, and more than 60+ corporate members spanning media and tech companies, advertisers and agencies. Established in 1905, the American Advertising Federation (AAF), acts as "The Unifying Voice for Advertising." Visit https://aaf.org/(Opens a new window)