How Snickers used buzz to overcome 'challenger brand' status in Japan

This event report demonstrates how Snickers, the confectionery brand owned by Mars, adapted its global brand position for Japan during the 2014 Christmas season.

How Snickers used buzz to overcome ‘challenger brand’ status in Japan

Stephanie HolzhuberWarc

Although Snickers is a household name around the world, the confectionery giant is still among the smaller players in Japan.

The Japanese confectionery market is a crowded category dominated by local brands taking most of the market share, and a few well-known international names.

The biggest shareholder is the Japanese brand Meiji Dairies with a market share of 23.6%, followed by the Korean brand Lotte (19.2%). In comparison the US chocolate giant Mars, which includes brands like Snickers, M&Ms, Milky Way and Combos is only around...

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