Brand Confusion

Forrest nevertheless was not satisfied until he regained control of his father’s Chicago-based business in 1960, finally reuniting his firm with its American counterpart. In the meantime, Forrest had founded M&M’s in the United States, which went on to lead the American candy conglomerate, now renamed Mars, Inc., with headquarters just outside of Washington, D.C.—a fact that surprises many Europeans who have always considered Mars a British-based company. Mars, Inc.’s two-pronged beginning has also resulted in continued confusion over the Mars and Milky Way brands. In the United States the company sells a Mars bar, but it is not the same as the British Mars bar, which is really an anglicized version of the Milky Way. Instead, the American Mars bar has caramel, nougat, and whole almonds buried inside, and it is covered in a thick milk chocolate coating.