"Hungry? Eat a Snickers!"

 

Mars, the company behind Snickers, one of the world's most popular candy bars, is hoping to migrate over more young people to the Beijing Olympics.

 

The chocolate-covered candy bar, supplied by Beijing-based Aifen Food and owned by American food manufacturing giant Mars, is the sole chocolate product supplier for the Beijing Games.

 

Aifen Food will also supply the organizers of the Games and the Chinese Olympic Committee, as well as the Chinese national teams competing in 2008.

 

This is not Mars first foray into sports. It previously sponsored the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, two FIFA World Cups, the most recent Super Bowl and the 2006 Nanshan Snowboard Open in Beijing.

 

"We have a long history of supporting major global sporting events. As a sponsor of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, we are just continuing our legacy," said a senior representative of Aifen Food.

 

Snickers has used some of its annual global sales of US$2 billion to support Chinese charities. In 2006 it organized a bicycle relay race from Beijing to Northeast China's Liaoning Province to raise money for local high schools.

 

But according to a senior representative of Aifen Food, the 77-year-old brand was not built overnight.

 

"It's challenging to become a partner with the Beijing Olympics. We are really honored," said the representative. "As an Olympic partner, the brand has to be respectful, the company has to be well maintained, and the financial support has to be strong enough."

 

But even it has experienced setbacks in supporting the world's biggest sporting event.

 

At Atlanta 1996, Snickers sponsored the Summer Games with M&M's, another of Mars' popular brands. After courting too much publicity, however, including planting staff with special T-shirts inside the Olympic venues, they were expelled from the Games and had their US$50 million sponsorship money returned.

 

"Now we closely combine our promotional efforts with the Olympic spirit. That's how we connect the idea to the public," said the senior representative.

 

(China Daily May 25, 2007)