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C h a i n D r u g s t o r e D a i l y 5 9 M o n d a y, A u g u s t 8 , 2 0 1 6 FOUR TRENDS DRIVING 2016 CHOCOLATE SALES By Larry Lupo, Vice President of Sales – Grocery, Convenience & Drug Channels, Mars Chocolate North America Snacking has changed dramatically over the past several years. Eating between meals has now become a way of life for busy, on-the-go consumers, especially Millennials. More than 90 percent of today's consumers are snacking at least once a day between traditional meals. Aligning with these consumer insights, Mars Chocolate North America delivers a mouthwatering lineup of inno- vative products. Here's what's trending – and tasty – in the candy aisle: "Better-for-You" Mars is expanding its product portfolio to include a range of innovative snacking options to meet consumers' goals for health and wellness. For example, new goodnessknows ® snack squares and DOVE ® Chocolate Fruit & Nut are made with delicious dark chocolate, real fruits and nuts. Shoppers seeking snacks that are under 200 calories per serving can enjoy goodnessknows snack squares, as well as new SNICKERS ® Crisper and M&M'S ® Crispy Candies. Crispy and Crunchy Another trend is consumers' desire for new textures. It's resulted in the creation of a new Crispy Crunchy Segment with- in the Chocolate Category. To meet this demand, Mars Chocolate launched M&M'S Crispy Candies and SNICKERS Crisper. Introduced in late 2015, SNICK- ERS Crisper is a delicious combination of crisped rice and peanuts topped with a layer of caramel and coated in creamy milk chocolate. Seasonal is a Perennial Best Seller In the drug channel, seasonal candy rep- resents 40 percent of confectionery sales. Especially popular right now: seasonal shapes in both singles and sharing sizes, like TWIX ® Hearts and Eggs, and SNICK- ERS Pumpkins and Trees. To complement its ever-popular sea- sonal shapes, Mars is rolling out a host of new holiday items, including: Easter 2016: M&M'S Speckled Malt Mini Chocolate Eggs, SNICKERS Minis Filled Cane with bunny ears on top, and DOVE Chocolate Bunnies and Chicks Halloween 2016: M&M'S Milk Chocolate Crispy S'mores Candies, DOVE Milk Chocolate in a new "treat size" that are perfect for trick-or-treating, DOVE Dark Chocolate Jack-O-Lanterns and variety bags filled with "Crunchy & Crispy" and "Smooth & Creamy" offer- ings from TWIX, SNICKERS, 3 MUS- KETEERS ® , DOVE and MILKY WAY ® brands. Christmas 2016: SNICKERS and MILKY WAY Bites packaged in an orna- ment pouch, TWIX Brand Minis Cane for the Holidays and a beautiful gift box filled with DOVE Brand PROMISES ® Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate. Smaller Portions Are Big Demand for portion control continues to grow, spurring explosive growth in the unwrapped, bite-sized candy category. Consumers are seeking the full taste experience of their favorite candy bars in bite-size portions. Mars now offers six varieties: SNICKERS Bites, MILKY WAY Bites, MILKY WAY Simply Caramel Bites, TWIX Bites, 3 MUSKETEERS Bites and 3 MUSKETEERS Mint Bites. In addition to offering iconic choco- late brands, Mars also helps retailers drive category sales with best-in-class merchandising, packaging and consumer promotions. For more information, visit www.mars.com or call 800.631.7630. CREATE ADVANTAGES WITH EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING An interview with Holly Meloy, Senior Vice President, Managing Director, Marketing Werks. CDD: Given today's competitive chain drug landscape, how can experiential marketing be a differentiator for chain drug retailers and manufacturers? HM: As chain drug outlets continue to proliferate, the perceived competitive gap between the major players lessens. Everything starts to look the same – the locations, the assortments, the pricing and the promotions. Marketing Werks believes that experience has the potential to be a true, long-term differentiator for the chain drug community. Experiential marketing, in and out of store, can bring shoppers and retailers together in a com- pelling, differentiating way. A targeted experiential campaign provides a mecha- nism to actively engage shoppers, deliv- ering opportunities to truly 'sample' the retailer. An insightful experiential pro- gram appeals to all five senses. It has potential for social engagement and amplification. Done well, it can increase store traffic as well as enhance satisfac- tion among current shoppers. CDD: What is the key to doing experien- tial marketing right? HM: Shopper insights are key to creating engaging, long-running experiences that set the best retailers apart. Quantitative and qualitative resources should be lever- aged up front. The right mix will deliver a series of revealing insights that inspire strategic planning, creative development, and ultimately, effective experiential marketing. Such programs, when designed properly, continue to generate on-going, real-time insights that allow for periodic course correc- tions and program enhancements. In today's marketplace, we know shoppers are more connected than ever before. That is why it's imper- ative that these insights are also leveraged across a program's digital and social experiences. CDD: What makes Marketing Werks uniquely qualified to deliver on the expe- riential needs of the chain drug commu- nity? HM: Marketing Werks has been deliver- ing unrivaled, insight-driven experiential marketing programs for nearly 30 years. Our powerful family ties with parent company CROSSMARK and sibling company PromoWorks provide us with unmatched access to shopper data, supe- rior analytics and nationwide connectivi- ty to retailers and shoppers. The strength of this network and its resources set us apart. Our programs begin with deeper insights and a commitment to innovation that empower us to develop com- pelling, forward-thinking pro- grams that differentiate retailers and participating manufacturers alike. Our most recent innovation is PROGRAMMATIC EXPERI- ENTIAL™, a digital component of every campaign that combines geofencing, tactical message delivery and high-end analytics for more precise targeting and extended, deeper shopper contact. PROGRAMMATIC EXPERI- ENTIAL is just one example of our belief that experiential marketing events are not just points in time along a campaign. They are delivered most effectively with- in a long-term continuum of engagement that brings a retail brand to life and con- nects with shoppers in a variety of ways, and over an extended period of time. Therein lies the promise that experiential marketing can help today's retailers build traffic and loyalty, and most importantly, break away from the pack. For more information, visit www.marketing werks.com. SUNDIAL BRANDS TARGETS THE NEW GENERAL MARKET A problem/solution approach has always been part of Sundial Brands' SheaMoisture brand hair and skin care DNA. "EveryBody Gets Love" and prod- ucts contain efficacious natural, certified organic and ethically traded ingredients, which are incorporated into the formula- tions in culturally authentic ways for maximum benefits. Products are cruelty- free, and don't contain sulfates, parabens, phthalates, paraffin, petrolatum or DEA. Sundial remains a player in the natu- ral space because it continues to listen to its community. The company trans- formed its General Market approach to a New General Market journey more than two decades ago, first using this term to describe its community of consumers more than 10 years ago. The New General Market is an amalgamation of cultures, ethnicities and demographics aligned against commonalities, need states and lifestyles. Defined strongly by commonalities, it's not a segmentation approach; it's an approach of inclusion. The company views it as an opportunity to think differently about strategies for new and better solutions for how con- sumers are served. Sundial Brands believes that consumers share very com- mon needs, and in focusing on these needs, can identify connection points among people, rather than differences between them. Identifying a void in the market- place for products that address hair porosity – the rate at which hair absorbs and retains moisture – and the unique needs associated with both high and low porosity, SheaMoisture launched Mongongo & Hemp Seed Oils High Porosity Collection and Baobab & Tea Tree Oils Low Porosity Collection. The Mongongo & Hemp Seed Oils High Porosity Collection, with Baobab Protein, offers reparative, moisture sealing benefits to high poros- ity hair. Mongongo oil, which is high in Vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids, is a particularly nourishing sealant that provides a protective, emol- lient layer on the surface of the hair, cre- ating a barrier to prevent moisture loss, while smoothing down roughed-up cuti- cles. The Baobab & Tea Tree Oils Low Porosity Collection gently clarifies and hydrates with Spearmint and Clear Sage, without building up on the sur- face. The brand's microsite, www.porosity411.com features infor- mation, videos and a quiz to determine hair's porosity. The brand has launched new products in its award- winning shea butter-based cosmetics collection, including Weightless Shea Serum Foundation with a comprehensive range of shades from the lightest to the darkest of skin tones, Shea Butter Luscious Lipstick, SuperFruit Sheer Hydration Lip Gloss, Perfecting Face Powder Duo and Ultra Smooth Long Wear Eye Pencil. SheaMoisture garnered two Allure Best in Beauty Awards for Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Community Commerce Shampoo and Conditioner; two Allure Readers' Choice Natural Product Awards for Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie, and SuperFruit Multi-Vitamin Shampoo and Conditioner; and an Ebony Beauty & Grooming Award for High Porosity Mongongo & Hemp Seed Oils Moisture Seal Co-Wash.