CHAPTER 2

CLASSICAL

Be Big

Mars, Inc.: Winning Classically

If you want evidence that Mars, Inc., operates in a relatively stable environment, just take a look at the dates when its iconic chocolate bars were introduced: the Milky Way, 1923; Snickers, 1930; the Mars Bar, 1932; M&M’s, 1941; Twix, 1979. What were the biggest-selling candies in the world in 2014? Snickers and M&M’s.1 After so many years, these brands continue to underpin the success of the company founded by Frank Mars more than a hundred years ago. As of 2014, Mars has revenues of around $35 billion and eleven brands worth more than $1 billion, and it ranks among the largest privately held companies in the United States.2

Mars has earned and maintained market leadership through ...

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