Mars New Zealand celebrates winning prestigious D&AD Black Pencil

Auckland, NEW ZEALAND, 8 June, 2015 – Mars New Zealand, with its agency Colenso BBDO, has been recognized for outstanding creativity at the D&AD Pencil Awards 2015. Its work on PEDIGREE’S K9FM was awarded two Yellow Pencils and the prestigious Black Pencil, the highest accolade for outstanding creative work - awarded to just five winners out of 20,000 entries.

K9FM is a creative campaign fuelled by the insights that drive PEDIGREE®’s mission – to make the world a better place for dogs. Dog experts suggest that leaving music or radio playing when your dog is home alone gives them a sense of company and comfort. It works to block out noises from outside the house that might concern or excite them. Building on this insight, PEDIGREE® created K9FM - a radio station just for dogs, that combines classical music, talkies, dog traffic, virtual outings, meditation, affirmation half hours and ‘learning human’.

To date, PEDIGREE® K9FM has won a multitude of marketing industry awards including two Silver Lions, a Gold and Grand Prix Spike, a Gold and Grand Prix Axis Award and a Gold Mashie, reflecting Mars’ global prestige and innovation in brand marketing.

To see the award winning PEDIGREE® K9FM radio in action:

About Mars Petcare in Australia and New Zealand

With the support of nearly 1,000 Associates across four manufacturing sites (Wodonga, Bathurst, Wacol and Wanganui, New Zealand) and two multi-segment sales offices (Sydney and Melbourne), Mars Petcare produces eighteen market leading brands in Australia and New Zealand including PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, MY DOG®, DINE®, ADVANCE®, NUTRO ®, GREENIES®, OPTIMUM® AND SCHMACKOS®.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned business with more than a century of history and some of the best-loved brands in the world including M&M’S®, PEDIGREE®, DOUBLEMINT® and UNCLE BEN’S®. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars has more than $33 billion in sales from six diverse business segments: Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience. More than 75,000 Associates across 73 countries are united by the company’s Five Principles: Quality, Efficiency, Responsibility, Mutuality and Freedom and strive every day to create relationships with stakeholders that deliver growth we are proud of as a company.

For more information about Mars, Incorporated, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.