Mars began in a kitchen over 100 years ago and has grown into a global company with iconic brands like M&M’S®, SKITTLES® and SNICKERS®. To maintain its rich legacy while winning the next generation of snackers, Mars embeds its brands into culture to delight consumers and lead the category. Mars Wrigley U.S. President of Sales Tim LeBel—who also wears the hat of Chief Halloween Officer—sat down to share upcoming 2025 trends and the strategies behind the company’s latest innovations.
As we look ahead to 2025, what is driving Mars Wrigley’s innovation strategy?
At Mars, we’re consumer obsessed. After more than a century of creating some of the world’s most recognizable treats and snacks, we’ve learned a lot about our consumers, which helps inform our innovation pipeline and ultimately shape the category.
With people seeking more variety, we are constantly introducing new flavors and formats while strengthening the connection we have with consumers through both nostalgic and on-trend flavors from our iconic brands. For instance, M&M’S Peanut Butter & Jelly is the latest star of M&M’S Peanut Butter portfolio, featuring berry flavored bite-sized chocolate treats with a deliciously smooth peanut butter center that transports fans to the comforting experience of a PB&J sandwich. M&M’S Peanut Butter & Jelly are available at retailers nationwide and online at MMS.com starting this month, and it’s sure to be a new fan-favorite.
Across confectionery, we’re seeing innovations geared towards Generation Z. What makes Gen Z unique in their preferences and how are you adapting your portfolio to meet the needs of this new generation of snackers?
We’ve seen a rise in gummy love and an affinity for fruity and sour flavors within this audience. Gen Z consumers are drawn to different textures and experiences. On TikTok for example, #FreezeDriedSKITTLES had over 1.6 billion views in 2023.
SKITTLES tapped into the rapidly growing freeze-dried trend that took social media by storm with the release of SKITTLES POP’d. And to make sure we were bringing this new product to the consumers who we knew were actively seeking it and talking about it organically, we launched SKITTLES POP’d on TikTok Shop, a first for the brand, to provide fans a chance to try the treat before they became more widely available. By meeting consumers where they are, the initial launch successfully sold out on the platform.
While SKITTLES POP’d has already started to hit shelves at select retailers, you’ll see them even more in 2025. These freeze-dried candies blend a unique, crispy texture with the iconic SKITTLES Original fruity flavors and new Sour flavors to deliver a taste experience for fans like never before. This aligns with Gen Z texture preferences while delivering a delightfully unexpected experience.
Right now, we’re in the thick of celebrating the holiday season. What can we expect to see from Mars and the broader category?
This year, we celebrated Halloween earlier than ever before, starting with Halfway to Halloween—and consumers were right there with us. Across the category, we’re seeing that seasonal moments are extending and consumers are planning and shopping for these occasions well in advance. If we take Halloween for instance, our inaugural “Mars Tricks, Treats and Trends” report found that on average, Gen Z and Millennials plan for Halloween 6.8 weeks in advance.
And while the 2024 spooky season has come to an end, we’re ready to ring in the holidays with a full lineup of insights-backed holiday innovations and returning favorites including SNICKERS Trees, which features all the deliciousness of a SNICKERS inside one of the most recognizable holiday season cues.
M&M’S Toasty Holiday Peanut is also new this year, which brings the nostalgic aroma of a holiday market inside a bite-sized treat. It’s been a big hit in my house as a festive flavor that warms up the season.
Whether its show-stopping shapes that bring joy to small moments, nostalgic flavors of seasons past, or inspiring new traditions with loved ones, we view our seasonal lineups as a chance to deepen our emotional connection to consumers. Looking ahead over the next few months, we’re planning for these stretched seasons of celebration around core holidays like Valentine’s Day and Easter. You’ll see a line-up of fun and delicious offerings to celebrate each season and all the fun moments in between.
