Reflective Paper 1
Mulling over M & M
In the 1930s Spanish Civil War, Forrest Mars saw soldiers eating chocolate pellets
with a hard shell to carry these chocolates easily without the risk of melting. This gave
him an idea, and the M&M’s Plain Chocolate Candies were introduced in the USA
market in 1941.
The product was a hit with the American soldiers and U.S. Army became its first big
customer as it gave the soldiers an option to carry chocolate in tropical climates without
melting. In 1949, the brand introduced the tagline “Melt in your mouth, not in your
hand,” and this led to a considerable increase in its sales because it delivered on a
solid insight, especially from parents who did not like to see their children making a
mess when eating chocolate. M&M’s are button-shaped chocolate-filled candies with
hard shells surrounding a filling which varies depending upon the type of M&M’s. The
product is available in various colors – red, yellow, orange, brown, green, and blue.
Initially, there was only one M&M Plain Chocolate candy that had a semi-sweet
chocolate filling. Then, in 1954 M&M’s introduced a variation through the launch of
Peanut Chocolate Candies.
Within a decade, the brand became so popular that M&M’s started stamping each
candy with the letter ‘m’ to help the customer find the real M&M’s from inferior imitators.
They started marketing this through the campaign ‘Look for them on every piece.’
Incidentally, the initials of M&M’s are inspired by the names of its creators – Forrest
Mars and Bruce Murrie.M&M’s knows that the consumer profile, taste, and
expectations are constantly changing, and they want to be relevant to this everchanging
market. They have always kept up with the trends, surprising their
consumers by taking steps to be a part of the culture be it with their innovative product
ideation or their communication campaigns.
As the brand custodian for M & M reflect on the following –
1.If M & M chooses to focus on brand laddering as a concept, highlight the key
priorities the brand could consider.
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