Snickers

Snickers is a legendary chocolate brand created by Mars, Incorporated in 1930. Originally named after the Mars family’s favorite horse, Snickers combines milk chocolate, nougat, caramel, and peanuts into a bold, satisfying bar. Designed to tackle hunger with both flavor and energy, Snickers quickly became one of the world’s best-selling candy bars. Its iconic slogan, “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” highlights its role as a go-to snack for those needing a tasty boost. Over the decades, Snickers has remained a cultural icon, bringing humor, high energy, and delicious satisfaction to fans across the globe. Hunger doesn’t stand a chance.

Project

3D, Advertising, Branding, Character Design, UI Design

The Brief

The brief was to develop a digital campaign for Snickers that would increase online engagement and capture user data for future targeting. The campaign needed a strong, central idea that aligned with Snickers’ bold, energetic brand personality and resonated with a digitally active audience. As Creative Director at Wunderman, I worked closely with the client to define the strategic and creative direction, ensuring the campaign would meet both brand and performance objectives. Our focus was on creating an experience that encouraged interaction, built brand loyalty, and provided meaningful insights into consumer behavior through voluntary data collection and user participation.

The Solution

The solution was to create an online game—a simple yet addictive shoot-’em-up experience that kept users coming back. We developed a dedicated microsite that encouraged visitors to register and play, with a range of prizes used as incentive, including an all-expenses-paid, adrenaline-fuelled weekend as the grand reward. The project involved multiple elements: we designed a campaign logo, developed the game itself, created characters and environments, and crafted a custom user interface. In addition, we built the microsite to host the game and collect user data, supported by an email campaign and a suite of animated web banners to drive traffic.

Inspiration

Inspiration for the game design was drawn from popular titles like Battlefield, Call of Duty, and Assassin’s Creed, known for their cinematic intensity and immersive gameplay. The goal was to capture that same epic, high-energy feel in a simplified format—creating a game that felt authentic and exciting, rather than just another promotional tool. I wanted the experience to resonate with a younger gaming audience who expect a certain level of style, pace, and visual impact. It had to feel cool, aspirational, and genuinely fun to play—something users would share and return to, not just a typical branded distraction.

Character Design

The characters had a strong military aesthetic inspired by the gritty realism of Call of Duty, but with a subtle sci-fi twist to give them a unique, stylised edge. Due to budget and scope limitations, two characters were created—one male and one female—giving players a simple but meaningful choice. Both characters were designed and built in Daz 3D, carefully posed and rendered using the iRay engine to achieve high-quality visuals. The rendered images were then composited into the game environment using Photoshop, ensuring they integrated seamlessly with the desert-themed world. Final assets were delivered to the developers for integration and gameplay programming.

I also took on the role of designing the game environment, crafting a rich, cinematic world that would immerse players from the first screen. The environment was built using a variety of tools and techniques to create a high-impact visual style that felt both ancient and post-apocalyptic. Key architectural elements, such as the temples, were sourced from the Kitbash3D "Ancients" library, while the large carved stone head was hand-sculpted in ZBrush to give the scene a more custom, narrative-driven focal point. The terrain and general environment layout were developed procedurally in 3ds Max, allowing for efficient iteration and scale. Vehicles were assembled using a kitbash modeling approach, then textured in Substance Painter to evoke a gritty, Mad Max–style aesthetic. The entire scene was rendered in V-Ray for realism and lighting control, then composited using matte painting techniques in Photoshop to produce the final backdrops, which were handed off for game integration.

Working with Ross on the Snickers ‘Go Hard or Go Home’ campaign was an absolute pleasure. His creative vision, technical skill, and attention to detail brought the entire project to life in a way that far exceeded our expectations. From game design to visuals and user experience, everything was flawlessly executed. The response from our audience was phenomenal. Ross truly delivered something bold, unique, and on-brand.

SARAH MITCHELL - SENIOR BRAND MANAGER | MARS WRIGLEY

Final Shot

The final key visual for the game is a dramatic desert scene bathed in warm sunset light, featuring ancient temple ruins, sculpted rock formations, and post-apocalyptic vehicles. A massive carved stone head dominates the landscape, creating an epic, cinematic mood. This visual sets the tone for the Snickers gaming experience—bold and unforgettable.

Game UI Design

The game’s UI was designed to be clean, bold, and intuitive—prioritising fast gameplay and minimal distractions. Visual cues, targeting reticles, and point counters were styled with a military-sci-fi aesthetic to match the overall tone. Interface elements were optimized for quick recognition and responsiveness across both desktop and console formats.

Web Banners

The web banner campaign featured bold, animated GIFs with short, punchy headlines to grab attention instantly. Each banner showcased elements from the game - paired with a clear call to action. The visuals echoed the game's desert combat theme, driving clicks and encouraging users to register and play.

Microsite

The microsite was designed to reflect the high-energy, combat-driven theme of the game while delivering a seamless user experience. Visually bold and immersive, it featured strong typographic hierarchy, cinematic imagery, and interactive elements that echoed the game's military-sci-fi aesthetic. The layout guided users intuitively from registration to gameplay, while backend integration captured valuable user data. Optimised for performance across devices, the site functioned as both a marketing hub and a portal into the Snickers "Go Hard or Go Home" experience.