Mars, Incorporated Receives Inaugural Family of Brands Recognition in Fast Company's Third Annual List of Brands That Matter

Iconic Mars brand, M&M'S^®, also receives General Excellence category recognition

CHICAGO, Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Fast Company announced its third annual Brands That Matter list, honoring brands that communicate and demonstrate brand purpose. This year, for the first time, Fast Company included a Family of Brands category and is recognizing the work of Mars, Incorporated, maker of some of the world's most loved and iconic brands including M&M'S^®, BEN'S ORIGINAL™, the PEDIGREE^® brand, and veterinary care brands including Banfield™, BluePearl™ and VCA™. Fast Company also recognized M&M'S^®, another iconic Mars brand in its General Excellence category. The companies and nonprofits included in the Brands That Matter list have built cultural relevance and impact through compelling branding and efforts that naturally extend their presence into the community.

"At Mars, whether it's your favorite snacks, treats and meals or your favorite pet care product or veterinary clinic, we are in the business of creating long-term happiness across our family of consumer and pet care brands," said Anton Vincent, President, Mars Incorporated North America & Global President, Mars Ice Cream. "We are so pleased to receive this recognition from Fast Company and we celebrate all of our Mars Associates – across the business – who come prepared and committed to deliver meaningful and purposeful work to create the world we want tomorrow."

Consumers, including their furry family members, have enjoyed Mars products and services for generations, not just because of their high quality, but also because of the positive impact the Mars brands have on its consumers and in communities across the United States. In the past year, brands from across the Mars portfolio have demonstrated this impact in a variety of ways:

• M&M'S^® influenced conversation on important topics like equality, female empowerment, authenticity and transparency through a refresh of its spokescandy characters and the introduction of a new Purple spokescandy.
• BEN'S ORIGINAL™, another iconic Mars brand, launched its Seat At The Table Fund Scholarship across the United States and Canada to provide opportunities for underrepresented students studying in food-related industries.
• The PEDIGREE^® brand created the PEDIGREE^® Essential Support Dogs program, celebrating dogs as essential supporters during challenging times and establishing a $2.5 million nationwide fund to provide nutritional and financial assistance to ensure dogs can stay with their loving families.
• The PEDIGREE^® brand also developed innovative ways to encourage dog adoption through its Rescue Doodles program that creatively brought kids' drawings to life and the PEDIGREE^® FOSTERVERSE initiative which brought dog foster opportunities to the Metaverse, allowing prospective pet parents to foster real life rescue dogs. All of these PEDIGREE^® programs are in service of the company's ambition to end pet homelessness.

The Brands That Matter final list - which includes large multinational conglomerates, small-but-mighty companies and nonprofits - recognizes 165 brands that give people compelling reasons to care about them and offer inspiration for others to buy in. All 165 have found an ability to forge an emotional connection with customers, whether leading on the environment or pop culture, engaging B2B customers or responding meaningfully to current events.

"The scale and scope of honorees this year is incredible," said Brendan Vaughan, Fast Company's editor-in-chief. "At first glance, there might not be much in common between brands like M&M'S^®, Dungeons & Dragons, and healthtech platform WellTheory, but the thread that binds them is a commitment and purpose as a brand and relevance to their audience, whether that's through fun, games, or healthcare."

Fast Company editors judged each brand on relevancy, cultural impact, ingenuity, and business impact to compile the list.

Click here to see the complete list.

The Fall issue of Fast Company magazine is available online now and will be on newsstands beginning October 10, 2023.

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This common purpose unites our 140,000+ Associates. It is at the center of who we are as a global, family-owned business, and it fuels how we are transforming, innovating, and evolving to make a positive impact on the world.

Every year, our diverse and expanding portfolio of quality confectionery, food, and pet care products and services delight millions of people and supports millions of pets. With more than $47 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including Ben's Original™, CESAR^®, Cocoavia^®, DOVE^®, EXTRA^®, KIND^®, M&M's^®, SNICKERS^®, PEDIGREE^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, and WHISKAS^®. We are creating a better world for pets through nutrition, breakthrough programs in diagnostics, wearable health monitoring, DNA testing, pet welfare and comprehensive veterinary care with AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus and VCA™.

We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to act every day to help create a better world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.

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

About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Brendan Vaughan. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication, Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com.

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SOURCE Mars, Incorporated