M&M's/Kroger "Share The Color" Campaign

Brand: M&M'sCompany: Masterfoods USAAgency: Marketing Drive WorldwideCampaign Title: M&M's/Kroger "Share The Color" Product Category: Confectionery, Frozen Foods Time Frame: Spring 2004Award Category: Account-Specific Promotion Marketing Overview M&M's brand personality is "colorful chocolate fun." In 2004, the brand updated its product, packaging and iconic presence to bring a "Chocolate Is Better In Color" positioning to life.Using this marketing position, the goal was to create a unique and uncomplicated retail platform at Kroger supermarkets that built on M&M's established brand essence and its goal of adding colorful fun in new forms, categories and occasions.ApproachMarketing Drive developed "Share The Color," a cross-merchandising program for Kroger's candy aisles and floral departments that reinforced the brand's positioning. By working with the chain's floral departments, an exclusive M&M's color bouquet was developed that could be promoted during a gift-giving occasion. Promotion Objectives Reinforce M&M's brand positioning, "Chocolate Is Better In Color."Capture "mind space" from the customer (Kroger) and the shopper through a unique, easy-to-execute promotion.Drive cross-category awareness and incremental sales for M&M's products by leveraging a relationship with the Kroger floral department. Strategy & Tactics Develop an M&M's-branded bouquet to be sold exclusively at Kroger.Layer a consumer offer over the brand's temporary price reduction (TPR) to inspire purchase of "one more bag." The TPR was two for $4; the promotional incentive was a free bouquet with the purchase of three bags using the Kroger Plus frequent-shopper card.Merchandise in both the candy aisle and the floral department.Promote the floral offer during a gift-giving occasion, Mother's Day.Inform and excite floral departments by presenting the program at Kroger's floral merchandisers meeting. Results Executed in roughly 2,490 Kroger stores. (Editor's note: That total represents nearly the chain's entire store base.) Of those, 2,000 have full floral departments; the remaining 490 received pre-arranged bouquets.Incremental volume lift during promotional period was 146%, including lifts of 142% in the first full week and 240% in the second full week.Costs of incremental feature advertising were paid by the floral department.Pallets and quarter-pallet displays were placed in 60% of participating stores, with stackable cases used in the other. Floral departments provided incremental merchandising. Summary This program proved that a compelling promotion for an iconic brand and a mega-retailer can overcome typical intra-departmental hurdles and be successful. Kroger was engaged and excited to promote the offer in two departments and provide incremental promotion opportunities via floral-department displays and a free second circular ad.

M&M's/Kroger "Share The Color" Campaign

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

Related Images

Business Topic

Company

Market Segment