M&M’s do Canada proud
By Canadian Packaging staff
Design & Innovation General Film Flexibles Plastic Bridgemark M&M Mars Canada Ltd. Mars Incorporated Oh Canada! M&M’s SonocoIconic milk chocolates get a timely patriotic packaging upgrade.
Although they’ve been around since 1941, the iconic button-shaped M&M coated chocolate candies never seem to get old in the tooth, as it were, thanks to the relentless product innovation by its brand-owner Mars, Incorporated.
And this summer especially, Canadian M&M fans have been treated to another tasteful bit of sweet new product development creativity with the time-limited release of the Oh Canada! M&M’s milk chocolate candies pulling at all the right patriotic heartstrings.
Launched across the country in early June on the eve of Canada’s upcoming 150th Birthday celebrations, the 190-gram stand-up pouches, produced by Sonoco, contain roughly the same number of red- and white-colored round chocolates bearing the brand’s iconic lower-case letter M trademark logo.
Featuring an image of an adorable beaming M&M brand icon waving a Canadian flag—created by Mississauga, Ont.-based branding specialists Bridgemark—the vibrant pouches proved to be an instant hit with the Canadian consumers, according to Mars Canada Ltd.
“We’ve received amazing feedback from Canadian consumers who were absolutely thrilled to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday with M&M’s,” says Diana Frost, vice-president of marketing for chocolate products at Mars Canada in Bolton, Ont.
“The main thing we wanted to convey with the design was Canadian pride, and we naturally want M&M’s to be the brand that Canadian consumers choose to celebrate with,” Frost explains.
“Of course, we also wanted to ensure that the product would stand out on shelf, and we wanted it to be clear that the M&M’s candies contained in the package were all red and white in color.
“We think Bridgemark did an outstanding job in getting that message across,” Frost states.
“Consumers tend to gravitate towards chocolate during the summer, and the red and white M&M’s add a whole new another layer of patriotic fun to the much-anticipated Canadian summer rituals such as barbecues, road trips and camping.”
Advertisement
