M&M’s Caramel Launch Blends National, Retailer-Specific Tactics

Rosemont, Ill. — The introduction of M&M’s Caramel in May 2016 was the largest launch to date for the Mars Chocolate North America shopper marketing team, which worked to integrate its efforts with the national brand team while simultaneously providing personalization for key retailers.At the national level, Mars relied on the brand team to grow awareness and drive conversion, setting up agencies for success with a robust plan that targeted shoppers in a relaxed, passive mindset, said Nicole Radley, shopper marketing manager. She presented alongside colleagues Sheryl Hannam, Melissa Lozuke and Hannah McKee in September at the Path to Purchase Expo.Mars provided display banners that retailers could customize to incorporate their own logos and calls to action, Radley said. “We integrated custom content to hit shoppers and consumers when it made the most sense – while making a shopping list, or planning a party,” she said. “The national team executed FSIs to hit shoppers while they were looking through their Sunday paper.” Digital and social also played a significant role.Tactics at individual retailers ranged from point-of-sale ads and in-store demos to digital coupons that drove trial of the new flavor, Lozuke said. The shopper marketing team targeted everything from “Wow! Wednesday” promotions at Dollar General and Facebook Live videos for Meijer to displays in high traffic areas at Walmart. The latter “made it hard for shoppers to walk by and not put a bag of caramel M&M’s in their cart,” she said.Mars worked with retailers around key messaging first and then on how to activate the campaign in-store, Hannam said. “How do we speak to shoppers at Meijer, or shoppers at Walmart?” she said.The shopper marketers teamed with agency partners and retailers to ensure that each received the material that fit best into its strategic objectives, Radley said. “It was great that we got to learn what all our retailers would be doing,” she said, adding that she recommended such an approach for all major launches.This process involved a lot of “back and forth between brand teams,” McKee said, in order to determine that “this is the equity we want to bring to market – and use in retailers as is, or customize for the retailer. The retailers created style guides, and we used specific assets to create their programs. That starts with the brand team and then is kicked to shopper marketing.”Mars raised awareness with retailers in the first place by sharing information early in settings such as candy trade shows, where it passed out samples, Hannam said. “For a launch of this size with the M&M brand, everybody was all in,” she said.The shopper marketing team worked collaboratively with its partners to ensure that shoppers did not feel inundated with the diverse array of messaging channels, Hannam said. “We made sure we were hitting them only when they should be targeted and not multiple times,” she said.The campaign marked the fastest speed-to-launch for any Mars item, at four months, McKee said. As of late September, the launch had surpassed expectations nationally, with 38% of volume in convenience stores and 23% at Walmart, and an 18% increase in foot traffic. “Those numbers are only going to continue to get better and drive sales of our biggest brand in our newest flavor,” she said. “We worked together [with retailers] to create a mix that made sense. We worked tirelessly with our supply team and our sales team.”Beyond the initial launch, the shopper marketing team planned to find occasions to continue to drive awareness, with Halloween next on the agenda. “You’ll see some Halloween solutions with caramel,” McKee said. “Now it becomes part of the [ongoing] plan. We will be integrating that into different seasons and moments going forward.”

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