Brand Profile.
Mars Inc. is a multinational company founded in 1911 by the private family Forrest Mars, whose main activities are the manufacture and marketing of snack foods (confectionery and chocolate), pets, staple foods and electronics. With annual revenues of over US$30 billion, the company employs 65,000 people worldwide, working in 370 branches in 68 countries, including 135 factories, and distributes its products in over 100 countries. The company is the world's number one seller of confectionery and chocolate products and the number one seller of pet products. One third of the world's pets consume Mars' Pall Mall dog food and Vega cat food every day.
Mars is one of the world's largest food manufacturers, with a number of world-renowned brands. Among these brands, those worth more than US$1 billion include Dove, Mars, M&M, Snickers, UNCLE BEN-S, Aubrey, Palladium, Royal Canin, Vega and Tetra Pak.
History.
The Mars Company was founded in 1923 by Frank Mars. At the time, it took the name Mar-O-Bar Company. Initially, a candy of the same name was produced, made of a mixture of caramel, nuts and chocolate, as well as another mixture of butter and cream, called "Victorian Butter Cream”. In 1924, Frank Mars's son proposed to his father an idea to make the chocolate malt drink portable. This product became the Milky Way Bar. The new chocolate product was a hit when it was first launched, and the introduction of this product provided a considerable boost to the company's start-up capital.
In 1927, the company name was changed to Mars Inc. and the factory was moved to the west side of Chicago, using automated equipment, which was very advanced for the time, and in 1930 Frank Mars developed the Snickers bar, and in 1932 the 3 Musketeers bar, which made Mars Inc. the second largest confectionery manufacturer in the country.
In 1941, M&Ms were introduced, a name that stood for Mars and Murrie, and they appealed to children, who had little money. So, the company turned to adults. The advertising agency came up with the famous M&Ms slogan: "Melts in the mouth, not in the hand." which appealed to parents because that way the children wouldn't get dirty everywhere. When television commercials were shown in highly rated programmes, this product quickly became the most popular confection in 1956.
By 1959, thanks to this introduction by Forrest-Marsh, Mars became the number one manufacturer of candy bars worldwide.
In December 1964, Forrest Mars finally became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mars Inc. After taking full control of the company, Frist-Mahl made radical changes to the structure of the company in accordance with his management style.
In 1973, at the age of 69, he retired and handed over the reins to his sons, Forrest Jr. and John, and daughter Jacqueline. Through their efforts, Mars became a truly global company. Although the baton has been handed over, Forrest Mars continues to critically guide the performance of his children and closely oversees the running of the company.
