CHICAGO – Mars Snackfood US announced today that America has named Chicago the city most in need of some sweet relief as part of the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act™. To deliver that relief, NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S® Toyota in the NASCAR® Sprint Cup Series, is racing into the “city that works” to distribute 50,000 free, full-sized Mars real chocolate products.
On Thursday, October 1, 2009, at Pioneer Plaza, Mars will distribute thousands of samples of M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, MILKY WAY®, TWIX®, DOVE® and 3 MUSKETEERS® Candies to Chicagoans between 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., while supplies last. Kyle Busch will be on hand between 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. to help distribute samples, as well as interact with local residents.
From July 22 through August 31, consumers over age 13 were invited to log onto RealChocolate.com and vote for one of nearly 350 U.S. cities they thought could use some sweet relief. With more than 150,000 votes cast, the top ten cities were:
1) Chicago, Ill.
2) New York, N.Y.
3) Houston, Texas
4) Philadelphia, Pa.
5) Los Angeles, Calif.
6) Atlanta, Ga.
7) Detroit, Mich.
8) Pittsburgh, Pa.
9) Cleveland, Ohio
10) Phoenix, Ariz.
"Providing Chicago with some sweet relief is the perfect culmination to the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act™ program,” said Michele Kessler, vice president of marketing, Mars Snackfood US. "In Chicago and throughout the nation, Mars is excited to continue our industry-leading commitment to give our customers what they want – 100% real authentic chocolate.”
Sweet Relief Sweeping the Nation
Over the past five months, Mars has brought real chocolate joy to millions of Americans through Free Chocolate Fridays™, which was the cornerstone of the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act™. Every Friday between May 9 and today, consumers logged onto https://secure.realchocolate.com/ and claimed one of 250,000 free full-size packages of real Mars chocolate in the United States. Over the course of the program, Mars has committed to giving away as many as 7 million packages of real chocolate including M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, MILKY WAY®, TWIX®, DOVE® and 3 MUSKETEERS® Brands.
For more information about the Real Chocolate Relief Act™ or Mars’ commitment to using 100% real chocolate, visit http://www.realchocolate.com/.
About Mars Snackfood US:
Headquartered in Hackettstown, NJ, Mars Snackfood US is the United States snack operations of Mars, Incorporated. Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned company founded in 1911 and employs more than 65,000 associates at over 230 sites, including 135 factories, in 68 countries worldwide. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, U.S.A., Mars, Incorporated is one of the world’s largest food companies, generating global revenues of more than $30 billion annually and operating in six business segments: Chocolate, Petcare, Wrigley Gum and Confections, Food, Drinks, and Symbioscience. These segments produce some of the world’s leading brands: Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Petcare – PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR® and ROYAL CANIN®; Wrigley – ORBIT®, EXTRA®, STARBURST®, DOUBLEMINT® and SKITTLES®; Food – UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; Drinks – KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – WISDOM PANELTM MX, SERAMIS®, and COCOAPROTM.
For more information, please visit www.mars.com.
