KissFM x Mentos 00004

Independent shops will host new music artists in the next phase of Mentos’ ‘Yes to Fresh’ campaign, which sees the gum and candy brand team up with Kiss radio. 

Following on from last year’s ‘Yes to Fresh’ campaign, the brand has kicked off a further 10 months of promotional activity with a £2.5m fully integrated campaign

The Kiss partnership will shine a spotlight on emerging talent, memorable moments and unique experiences, and see Mentos sponsor Kiss Fresh - which has an estimated 602,000 listeners monthly - and the Kiss Hype Chart, along with the creation of a ‘Corner Shop Drop’ social content series: a glimpse into emerging UK Talent. Spanning five episodes, the series will offer an authentic look at up-and-coming artists as they explore their local corner shops.

Each episode features insightful interviews delving into their careers, along with freestyle performances that will be shared across Kiss and Mentos socials. To drive people to watch the series online, spotlights and live reads will be heard across the Kiss Network as well as shared on Kiss social channels.

The campaign will culminate in a Kiss Future Hype event in September, showcasing performances from the freshest names in the game. Kiss listeners will have the chance to win tickets to the event on air.

‘Yes to Fresh’ will also feature PR, OOH, social, influencers, VOD, and POS in store.

Sarah du Plessis, senior brand manager, Mentos said: “Mentos is all about embracing fresh experiences and what better way to champion this ethos than by joining forces with Kiss to pioneer the ‘Corner Shop Drop’ series? We’re so excited to be spotlighting emerging artists, providing them with a platform to kickstart their careers, and foster authentic connections and cultural relevance among our Gen Z demographic. Encouraging our audience to say ‘Yes to Fresh’ is at the heart everything we do, and our latest collaboration truly embodies this - offering innovative avenues for both artists and enthusiasts to embrace and celebrate freshness in every moment.

“Mentos Gum is an £11.6m brand, growing +16% whilst, Mentos Sweets is a £38.6m brand, currently growing +23% [Circana], and our aim with our latest investment is to build on this success and drive further brand awareness, unlocking more sales opportunities for retailers. We know that single rolls perform exceptionally well in this channel, whilst Mentos Sweets is growing +45% in symbols and indies [Circana, 12 w/e April 2024], and we hope to leverage this momentum through this enhanced visibility.”

“We are also excited to be shining a light on independent stores through the ‘Corner Shop Drop’ series – they are the heartbeat of communities, and crucial pillars of the confectionery industry, and we want to continue celebrating their role in shaping the confectionery experience for consumers.”

Rebecca Frank, content director, Kiss, said: “Just like Mentos, at Kiss Fresh we’re all about staying fresh. Our Kiss audience are constantly on the pulse when it comes to new artists, so we can tap into this passion by bringing fresh recommendations, new content and live music from the hottest emerging artists to our audience in a way that is fresh and unexpected, all whilst putting Mentos front and centre.”