Mars Breaks Banner Ads Touting M&M's For Holidays

Banner ads promoting personalized M&M's as holiday gifts have broken on USAToday.com and MSNBC.com. The campaign also targets users of Facebook, MSN, Digg, Photobucket and SuperPages. Taglines include: "Personalized M&M's. As unique as everyone on your gift list," "Personalized M&M's are coming to town," and "Personalize Your M&M's with Faces and Messages." All the ads also note that prices start at $11.99 per bag.

Personalized M&M's, from the Mars Direct division of Mars Snackfood USA, are sold exclusively online--through www.mymms.com. Imc2, Dallas, was named Mars Direct's creative and media agency last spring.

A key holiday offering at My M&M's comes from combining personalized M&Ms with the personality and personal appeal of Martha Stewart.

It starts with M&M Faces, a service launched last spring that allows consumers to upload photos for placement on the venerable little chocolates. That allows people to get such individualized gift pictures of their loved ones on red or green M&Ms, backed with such traditional messages as "Happy Holidays" or "Ho Ho Ho."

But users can now also visit mymms.com/Martha for do-it-yourself instructions on how to integrate those personalized chocolates with tree ornaments, wish jars and "snack sacks."

The instructions are part of a multiplatform ad deal between My M&M's and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Indeed, MSLO President of Media Wenda Harris Millard singled out the campaign during the firm's most recent earnings call as an example of its ability "to put integrated packages together that other publishers cannot match."

Millard noted that the program "uses all our media platforms ... My M&Ms will be featured on the "Martha Stewart Show," "Martha Stewart Living" radio, in the Holiday Workshop online on MarthaStewart.com, and in the pages of Martha Stewart Living and Everyday Food magazine."

Specifically, the overall campaign includes banners on marthastewart.com's eight-week-long Christmas Workshop section and how-to articles in the magazines.

The relationship between My M&M's and MSLO kicked off with a 6-minute "factory tour" during a live "Martha Stewart Show" that ran on every candy maker's favorite day, Halloween. All audience members that day received a supply of Martha Stewart "autumnal-themed M&Ms."

Visitors to Martha's page at mymms.com can now get a free bag of "Martha inspired holiday blend" with their orders.

The M&M candies themselves, which of course have developed their own colorful personalized characters via years as product spokespeople, could not be reached for comment.

In addition to the Martha Stewart connection and M&M Faces, My M&M's is also touting baseball-themed candies as a gift idea this month. The licensing arrangement with Major League Baseball Properties began on the sport's opening day last season and allows consumers to order M&Ms with the logos and colors of any of MLB's 30 teams.

Meanwhile, Mars' main competitor, The Hershey Company, whose personalization doesn't extend beyond old-fashioned writing, has unveiled a bunch of new holiday ides of its own over at www.HersheyGifts.com. They include a "Red & Green Swirls Deluxe Tower," "Pine Cone Basket" and "Gold Chocolate Gift Box."