3 min read
- 1967: Twix is launched in the UK
- 1976: First US introduction
- 1983: Peanut Butter Twix debuts
- 1990-2001: Chuck Norris becomes spokesman
- 1991: Most European countries rename “Raider” to “Twix”
- 2009: “Raider” temporarily resurrected in Germany for nostalgia
- 2012: “Pick a Side” campaign launches Left vs. Right Twix rivalry
THE BRITISH ORIGINS OF TWIX
Mars, Inc. launched Twix in 1967 at its Slough factory in England. The original candy bar featured a shortbread biscuit covered with caramel and milk chocolate. The company sold the identical product as “Raider” in continental Europe, a split branding identity that would persist for decades.
FAILED AMERICAN LAUNCH
Twix’s initial entry into the American market in 1979 failed. Americans didn’t like the “cookie crunch” marketing approach. Sales were so bad that Mars temporarily pulled the brand off the market.
Mars reintroduced Twix to the United States with revised marketing emphasizing the candy’s unique texture combination. The new marketing campaign worked, helping Twix differentiate itself in a competitive candy market. Years later, Twix would eventually surpass $63 million in sales.
PEANUT BUTTER TWIX
In 1983, Mars food scientists developed Peanut Butter Twix, replacing the caramel with peanut butter. The new Twix variant succeeded immediately, boosting sales.
CHUCK NORRIS PARTNERSHIP
Mars teamed up with martial artist and actor Chuck Norris as Twix’s brand ambassador for eleven years. Norris appeared in numerous commercials that combined action sequences with chocolate-centered storylines. An ad campaign that worked well for over a decade.
EUROPEAN REBRANDING
Mars rebranded “Raider” as “Twix” across most of continental Europe in 1991. The company acknowledged consumer attachment to the original name through its slogan, “Raider is now Twix, nothing else changes,” hoping to ease the transition. But Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Turkey didn’t get the name change until 2000.
Mars temporarily revived the Raider name in Germany as a limited “retro edition” in 2009.
COOKIES & CREME TWIX
Also in 1991, Mars introduced Cookies & Creme Twix, replacing the traditional caramel with white creme-containing cookie pieces. It attempted to compete with Hershey’s popular Cookies & Creme Chocolate bar.
ANIMAL RENNET CONTROVERSY
UK consumers discovered in 2007 that Twix bars contained animal rennet—an enzyme from calf stomachs—making them unsuitable for vegetarians. The revelation triggered protests and boycotts, and Mars was forced to reformulate Twix to become vegan-friendly.
PICK A SIDE
In 2012, Mars launched the “Pick a Side” campaign, creating a fictional rivalry between identical “Left Twix” and “Right Twix” bars. The company developed an elaborate backstory featuring imaginary founders Seamus and Earl, who supposedly split the business after a disagreement.
To enhance the campaign’s success, Mars introduced “Two Left” and “Two Right” packages in 2017, containing pairs of different but identical Twix bars. Interestingly, a Burlington Record survey revealed that 64% of respondents preferred “Left Twix” despite both sides being chemically and physically identical.
