What’s important about MARS Rebranding? When you hear the name MARS Incorporated, you probably think of Skittles, M&Ms, and the other popular candies this company produces. Unless you follow their brand closely, you probably do not consider petcare items like Pedigree or their leading food items, specifically UNCLE BEN’S, which is a billion dollar brand.
In an attempt to expand their business past the confectionary sector and bring attention to their other successful brands, MARS has recently updated their brand with a new company logo and a mission statement that will help establish the brand as something more than just delicious chocolate.
With these changes, MARS also worked to differentiate between their many business areas. The MARS brand now includes MARS Food, MARS Petcare, MARS Wrigley Confectionery, and MARS Edge. Unified through the MARS logo, which is now sleek and modernized, these segmented areas help highlight the company’s business interests while reminding their consumers that they offer more than candy.
With their differentiated business areas, modernized logo, and restructured mission statement, MARS is able to take their brand in a new, and ultimately more profitable, direction. If you think your company might need a similar update, here are a few things you can learn from the MARS rebranding:
What can you learn about MARS Rebranding?
01. Determine your brand’s direction & purpose.
Rebranding is more than just marketing your business or giving it a new look or feel. When you rebrand, you are letting the world know what your company values, as well as the direction in which your company is heading. As such, it is vital for you to establish a company mission statement that will show the purpose of your company.
When you look at MARS and its rebranding efforts, you will notice that all of their changes support the new direction the company has taken. They are no longer focused on just pushing their candy and confectionery brands, and they want consumers to understand that they have much more to offer.
Is your company heading in a new direction? If so, what do you want your consumers to know about your brand? Are you heading in a new direction?
02. Determine a course of action.
Start with crafting a mission statement.
Before you start rebranding your company, sit down with your team and ask yourself if the purpose or the mission of your company has changed. If so, come up with a mission statement to reflect this change and show your consumers the new direction your brand is going to take.
Even if you are not making changes to the purpose of your brand, you still need to have a mission statement. If your target audience is confused about what your brand does or of its purpose, a clear mission statement can help you resonate with them more effectively.
Consider the mission statement MARS recently created for its rebranding. Its new mission statement — “The world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today” — emphasizes that MARS is a brand that is not only looking ahead to the future, but also one that is working toward making that future brighter.
What does your existing mission statement say about your brand? If you cannot answer that question, or the answer to that question is different than what you would like for it to say, then you need to craft a new mission statement.
Support your mission statement.
Every change that MARS made supports the fulfillment of their mission statement.
The company’s vice president of corporate affairs, strategic initiatives and sustainability, Andy Pharaoh, notes how young consumers- the future of the company’s success — want businesses to “stand up for things.” This new mission statement lets consumers know that MARS cares about the future it is helping to create. Their new logo features colors that are supposed to represent hope, optimism, and sustainability, which directly supports the company’s purpose, as well. Even the way they realigned their brand architecture supports the growth that they are aiming for in the future.
Whether you need to update your Brand Strategy because it is outdated and no longer relevant, or you want to emphasize a new purpose for your company, you should make sure that every single change you make helps support your mission statement.
Want to see more rebranding examples? Check out our case studies!
