Confectionery marketing shifts – summary
- Mars partners with NYX to launch M&M’s collectible beauty products
- Campaign targets Gen Z through TikTok unboxing and collector culture
- Collaboration signals confectionery brands expanding beyond traditional marketing
- KitKat Formula 1 collaboration, and Ferrero FIFA World Cup partnership, show shift towards entertainment-led brand relevance
- Industry increasingly uses cultural collaborations to maintain visibility and engagement
Mars, Inc. is entering the world of beauty.
The confectionery giant is teaming up with cosmetics brand NYX Professional Makeup to release a special-edition collectable collection – M&M’s Smushy Surprize Matte Lip Balms.
The brains behind the launch say the limited-edition range is designed to capitalise on TikTok’s global unboxing-collectibles craze, keeping the company behind brands like Mars, Snickers and Twix relevant to younger, social-first consumers.
“M&M’s has always been a brand that brings people together and this collaboration with NYX is the perfect expression of that spirit,” says Alyona Fedorchenko, global portfolio SVP and GM for Global M&M’s Ecosystem. “What excites me most is how this partnership meets our fans where they are, tapping into the collector culture and unboxing craze that Gen Z and millennials are obsessed with, while staying true to the fun nature of M&M’s.”
Confectionery marketing shift
The collaboration is another example of how quickly confectionery marketing is evolving.
Where once campaigns centred on product and price, today’s biggest players are increasingly borrowing from fashion, beauty and entertainment to stay culturally relevant, spark social engagement and reach younger consumers.
Mars’ move into beauty mirrors a wider shift already underway across the sector, from limited-edition launches to experiential partnerships.
In the last few months we’ve seen the launch of Ferrero’s FIFA World Cup campaign, and Nestlé’s KitKat and Formula 1 collaboration, both aligning heritage brands with live global entertainment experiences.
Together, these moves suggest confectionery manufacturers are no longer just selling sweets, but building brands that live comfortably within pop culture.
