M&M's, Walmart Create Custom Merchandising

Some Walmart stores continue to deploy custom pallet trains from Mars Inc.’s M&M’s that first earned Action Alley placement in the winter lead-up to the National Football League’s Super Bowl.The merchandising program originally brought pallets stocking M&M’s candy and various licensed product to 2,100 stores. The displays began rolling out after Christmas 2011 and remained in place through the end of February as part of Walmart's "Game Time" effort (see "Walmart Tackles ... in Related Articles), although some stores continued to use them as secondary locations for candy after the licensed items sold through.The program was hatched through a collaboration with Walmart, John Capizzi, Mars Retail Group’s general manager for licensing, told the Institute. Rogers, AR-based New Creature helped create the pallet design. Summit Resources, Mars' "master licensee," and CandyRific provided the novelty merchandise, some of which was created specifically for the program. (Summit delivered apparel, housewares and plush products; CandyRific supplied candy dispensers and other novelties.)“It was great working with Walmart, as they had some terrific ideas for product which Summit Resources was then able to take back to their creative folks [to] come up with new items,” Capizzi said. “It comes down to an enduring mutual partnership with all parties involved.”The program was executed as part of the candy maker's “Mars One Voice” strategy, which aims to bring the experience of M&M’s World stores to other retail locations. The display lineup can include endcaps or shelf and countertop displays, and the graphics can adapt to match other seasons, holidays, themes or events, such as Walmart's "Family Movie Night" or back-to-school effort, Capizzi added. While the “Game Time” flight was a stand-alone merchandising program, Capizzi suggested it could easily be tied to broader marketing events incorporating TV, print and online components.The football-themed program followed on the heels of a similar merchandising effort that M&M’s ran at Walmart last summer. The earlier flight used a summer theme and also included a variety of licensed merchandise from CandyRific and Summit Resources.Elsewhere, CandyRific last December combined M&M’s with popcorn packaged in a bowl decorated with the candy brand's "spokescharacters" for sale at retailers including Walmart (roughly 1,400 stores), sister chain Sam’s Club and Target. The product was merchandised on dedicated pallets.

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

You May Also Like

M&M's Brings Another Holiday Movie Night to Amazon

Hard Candy Leverages Girl Scout Cookies at Walmart