• by Danielle Oster , November 30, 2023

Maybe you have a solid gym routine down and are feeling pretty fit. But Snickers would like to know -- how "swole" are your tastebuds? 

The Mars candy bar brand is introducing its new Hi Protein Bar with a “Tastebud Training” campaign  promising to give your tastebuds the reps they need to get ripped -- or whatever the tastebud equivalent of that is.

The Snickers program includes a number of exercises -- from a “Face Flex” warmup exercise to protect against pulling any face muscles,  followed by a smile cool-down exercise.

This routine is not backed by science of any kind. It is backed by comedian Joel McHale (“Animal Control,” “Community”), who partnered with Snickers for the campaign.  

"As a Snickers fan and someone who regularly goes to the gym and wears T-shirts two sizes too small, partnering with the brand and their new protein bar to work out my tastebuds and deltoids was a perfect match," McHale said in a statement. "Being an actor and comedian, my mouth is one of my most important assets, but my tastebuds have been seriously overlooked for too long. Thanks to Snickers Hi Protein and the brand's Tastebud Training program, that changes now."

The new Snickers Hi Protein Bar promises the same chocolate, caramel and peanut taste as original Snickers, but with more protein “to help the body stay full,” according to a brand statement. 

It is rolling out in both Original and Peanut Butter flavors nationwide, as single bars and boxes of four.

In addition to the main campaign video and ads starring McHale running on social-media channels including Instagram and TikTok, the “Tastebud Training” also includes a promotional sweepstakes designed to get fans to give the tongue-in-cheek “training program” -- or at least a Snickers Hi Protein Bar -- a try for themselves. The Grand Prize: a virtual workout session with McHale and his trainer -- presumably going beyond the “Tastebud Training” regimen to incorporate actual exercise.