MISSISSAUGA, ON—Ignite has been Mars Canada's Agency of Record for close to four years. This year it was given the task of creating a new Random Acts of Chocolate campaign for its confectionary division.

Rather than simply give away free chocolate bars, Mars Canada decided to create a campaign that would resonate a bit deeper with people by allowing them to recognize others. “Everyone knows the phrase 'random acts of kindness,' so we have taken that and applied it to how we would like people to start to act globally,” says Ignite creative director Ken McConnachie, “which is to make people feel good, acknowledge people that you might not think of acknowledging.”

McConnachie says Ignite’s coupon design (for one of 100,000 free Mars chocolate bars) wanted to visually represent the gesture of giving in a simple way. “We incorporated a visual of someone from chest to waist standing with a hand out giving the viewer a chocolate bar,” he says. “Within the logo there is also a chocolate smile; it represents the joy of people getting the random act of kindness.” 

Bermeno was chosen as the font for the campaign because it is not hard-edged or modern, says McConnachie. “We wanted to make sure there was a connection to chocolate,” he says. “It’s edible and appetizing.” 

The candy connection carries through to the colour choice, which incorporates many shades of brown. “Using brown gives it an overall appetite appeal,” McConnachie says. Contact: Igniteactivation.com, Marsacts.ca