will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap Star As 'Instant Def'

will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap Star As 'Instant Def'

Snickers reaches out -- and online -- to teen influencers with June 5th debut at InstantDef.com

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., May 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In an effort to appeal to the influential teen market, Snickers has created a series of digital films -- "digi-sodes" -- complete with futuristic story lines, comic- book style graphics, and stars like musical artists will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap. The digi-sodes can be viewed exclusively at www.InstantDef.com, beginning June 5, 2006.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060530/CLTU040)

In the digi-sodes, will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap star as Snickers factory workers by day and 'defenders of old school hip hop' by night. The foursome discovers superpowers when they come in direct contact with Snickers after an incident in the plant.

The idea was created by advertising agency BBDO New York in collaboration with Form TV's Jesse Dylan and will.i.am, who also created the theme song and mixed music for all of the "sodes."

The first of five webisodes will launch June 5th, the same day InstantDef.com goes live. Four consecutive webisodes will launch at three-week intervals, with the final webisode available in mid-August. A teaser page at InstantDef.com went live May 18, 2006 with a 30-second trailer and e-mail update registration.

"You know, this is fresh," will.i.am said of working with Snickers in the creative process. "You mean I can make music, incorporate it into a film that's on the internet and wherever else we can get it played? Oh, that's tomorrow ... all the way."

"I was very attracted to this project because Snickers gave me creative freedom," Fergie said. "I had always dreamed of being a comic book character. I've always had this thought in my head of what I wanted to do with it. And so then they came to me with this idea and I said I know what I want to do."

"We knew we had to go online to reach teens because that's where they spend most of their time," said Vic Walia, Snickers senior marketing manager. "But we also know that teens are very savvy consumers so we made a conscious decision to tone down our branding in an effort to build credibility with the online community. We wanted to communicate the Snickers' brand message in an authentic, credible and contagious way. The Instant Def digi-sodes allow us to do that.

"The choice of will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap to be our Instant Def heroes was easy," Walia said. "They share key characteristics not only with today's young influencers, but also the Snickers brand. They are setting trends and breaking away from the clutter in the industry to really stand out amongst their peers."

Added Jimmy Smith, executive creative director at BBDO New York and the creator of the campaign, "This is definitely a story our audience will want to check out. We're talking music, superheroes, comic book graphics ... everything that's pop, wrapped up in an instant."

Snickers plans a limited flight of print media buys in support of Instant Def. In-theater advertising began Memorial Day weekend, showcasing the trailer in top 10 markets. The In-Store Sports Network, FootLocker, FootAction and Champs stores nationwide will showcase the trailer during the months of June and July.

Public relations efforts for the Instant Def campaign will have a heavy online concentration, using a grassroots approach to create buzz surrounding the webisodes, as well as online promotions with key websites.

About Masterfoods USA

Masterfoods USA, the United States food, snack and petcare operations of Mars, Incorporated, is one of the world's leading food manufacturers. With more than $5 billion in annual sales, the combined food, snack and petcare segments are a symbol of excellence for quality brands. Headquartered in Hackettstown, NJ, Masterfoods USA employs more than 7,000 associates in the United States, with 15 manufacturing facilities nationwide. The company owns some of the world's favorite brands, including M&M'S(R) Brand, SNICKERS(R) Brand, UNCLE BEN'S(R) Brand, PEDIGREE(R) Brand Food For Dogs and WHISKAS(R) Brand Food For Cats.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060530/CLTU040
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN8
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Masterfoods USA

CONTACT: Laura Ehret of Elevation, +1-704-595-0114; or Kristi Ledford of
Masterfoods USA, +1-770-704-5439

Web site: http://www.instantdef.com/

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