Snickers brings Mingyu to Manila, energizes fans
Following last month’s exhilarating experience of watching K-pop supergroup Seventeen’s New World Tour here in Manila, fans were given another opportunity to see member Mingyu through the “Snickers with Mingyu” event held at Smart Araneta Coliseum recently. This was good timing as PCD (post-concert depression) was starting to affect the Carats (the fandom name of the idol group). It was the perfect shot of energy needed.
The event is part of Snickers’ “Active Lifestyle” campaign in Asia, which promotes the brand as a convenient source of energy for people with busy and active routines. Mingyu—a tall, fit and handsome member of Seventeen and Snickers’ current brand ambassador for Asia—represents the campaign’s focus on stamina, movement and sustained performance.
Prior to the main program, fans gathered at the Snickers pop-up at Gateway Araneta, which ran for a few days. The activation featured interactive, sports-inspired activities such as Snickers Shot Combo and Snickers Power Grab, allowing participants to test coordination and reflexes. The setup was designed to reinforce the campaign message of regaining energy and focus after hunger.
At the coliseum, the atmosphere showed the strong following of Seventeen in the Philippines. Many attendees, mostly Carats, brought their official light sticks and sang the group’s songs while waiting for the program to begin and afterwards The crowd was so engaged the entire time. The fun atmosphere felt like that of a concert.
Mingyu’s entrance was met with cheering and screaming. Frankly, I left with a slight ringing in my ears. The artist, known for his athletic build, interacted with the audience through a series of segments that combined fan participation and entertainment.
One of the highlights was the Energy Cam, where Mingyu and selected audience members appeared on a split screen enthusiastically interacting. Some fans came wearing themed outfits. I saw a couple of audience members in cute Snickers bar costumes, in wedding gowns, wearing basketball jerseys, and the Snickers colors of blue and brown.
In the Q&A, MIngyu’s charm shone. He revealed that if he has a few free days, he will definitely “go to a warm beach, wear sunglasses and swimwear.” He kept mum when asked by the host what type of swimwear he uses which made the crowd laugh. He also said that Snickers energized him. Two hours into a concert, he gets hungry and grabs a bar. Or if he has no time for breakfast, he has one as well.
Then came a series of “this or that” choices which the fans answered at the same time as him, showing how much they knew their idol, except for one hilarious moment.
Host: Sunrise or sunset?
Mingyu and fans: Sunrise!
Rice or noodles?
Noodles!
Early bird or night owl?
Night owl!
Beach or city?
Beach!
Rollercoaster or Merry-Go-Round?
Fans: Merry-Go-Round!
Mingyu: No! Rollercoaster! I’m not afraid of a rollercoaster so much, you know?
His sprinkling of Tagalog words created wild excitement among the audience. Bakit was pronounced as “bucket”; meryenda, masarap and walang uuwi were also mentioned. A basketball shooting activity then followed, highlighting Mingyu’s interest in sports. He did quite well, almost shooting all of the balls in the hoop.
A key moment in the program was the introduction of new Snickers variants. Alongside the classic bar, the brand unveiled new flavors such as: Dark Almond with 50 percent less sugar, as well as Butterscotch (my personal favorite) and Strawberry.
The event concluded with a surprise birthday segment for the star, who had recently celebrated his birthday. A Snickers cake was presented onstage while the fully packed coliseum sang Happy Birthday.
As Mingyu walked out at the end of the program, the mostly Carats crowd started chanting, singing, jumping and dancing to Very Nice, Seventeen’s popular song famously used for the encore in their concerts. It was a lively end and everyone left on a high, thanks to the perfectly matched energy of Carats and Snickers.
