Mars to energize hungry travelers, sweeten Festival

A plane painted with a giant-sized image of Snickers chocolate landed at the Shanghai Hongqiao airport on Jan 15 as part of Mars Incorporated's latest efforts to reach out to the world's largest number of travelers during the upcoming Spring Festival on Feb 16.

Last year, Spring Festival saw nearly 3 billion persontrips. This year, Mars will seek to cash in on the festival rush by positioning itself as a provider of chocolate bars such as Snickers that, it would suggest, can help tired or hungry travelers to perk up and have fun.

Mars has given Snickers a clear market positioning - the company has linked the brand to occasions such as exams, sports and travel.