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3 Musketeers' use of slang and heartfelt messaging aims to attract teens

Candy manufacturer Mars? 3 Musketeers brand is hoping to build a bridge for young teens who feel isolated with an empowerment campaign on mobile video that if executed correctly can see significant results. 

The 3 Musketeers brand is tapping a common slang phrase that references trading insults, hoping to spin it around and create positive moments between teens through a call to action and mobile video. Throw Shine is the chocolate bar?s new campaign, taken from the phrase ?throw shade,? and is starting off with a mobile video that leverages an ?aww? factor to brandish a positive connection to teens. 

?With a product aimed at the teen demographic can reap significant financial rewards,? said Carrie McIlveen, U.S. Director of marketing at Metia. ?Teenagers not only have substantial buying power but can influence their parents and peers. 

?Empowerment campaigns can also be drivers of sentiment and uncover audience interests and characteristics,? she said. ?They can be the difference in winning the hearts of loyal customers or losing brand advocates to their competition.?

3 Musketeers to the rescue
3 Musketeers is sharing a mobile video in the hopes that teen individuals will share candy and love with one another and not ?shade.?

To ?throw shade? is a slang term that means to trade insults, which the candy brand has taken into its own branding. The Throw Shine campaign name is a reference to the slang term, with a more positive connotation and sourcing its shiny label. 

New packing on 3 Musketeers bars will include empowering messaging for individuals to share with others to brighten their day. For instance, some bars will include the phrases ?you are awesome? and  ?you are one of a kind,? featuring in bright colors. 

Three branded videos will be shared on social media, each featuring a new version of the classic song ?This Little Light of Mine,? by singer Bea Miller. The first video shows the story of a new girl who comes to school and is helped by another young women, who helps to show the former the ropes. 

Another teenage boy admires the new girl, and after getting up the courage, has friends pass down a 3 Musketeers bar that says, ?You are awesome.?  Later, he finds the bar inside his locker with the word ?too? taped to the end of the sentence, turns around and the new girl surprises him. 

The videos and accompanying campaign material will be featured on various social media outlets such as Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube. Social influencers will be involved to help get consumers in on the action with the hashtag #ThrowShine, hoping users will share their own stories of how they made a difference in someone?s life. 

For instance, a video from popular YouTube series Zach Sang Show featured its cast members handing out free candy bars and encouraging others to share them as well. 

Mission from Mars
Mars values innovative mobile marketing and for its many brands shares a variety of pushes on social and digital. 

In a sign of how mobile video advertising is getting more precise, brands such as Mars Chocolate recently instant-play video ads in popular applications based on offline shopping behavior and measuring the incremental in-store sales lift. 

By leveraging offline purchase behavior data from Nielsen Catalina Solutions, consumer packaged goods brands hope to better target shoppers on Opera Mediaworks? mobile advertising platform who have a higher propensity to purchase their products. Additionally, these marketers can measure the in-store incremental sales lift driven by ads for a better understanding of the return on investment for mobile video. 

?The campaign shows a significant message on behavior and an impact on community,? Ms. McIlveen said. ?The campaign provides examples to teens on ways to start conversations with their peers and reach out to others who may feel isolated. 

?In a world often filled with bullying, hatred, anxiety, and self-loathing these type of campaigns can have a ripple effect to help live better lives and evolve mindsets,? she said. ?For 3 Musketeers it can also provide exceptional opportunities for engagement, increased profits, and brand awareness.?