Develop an impactful summer media program that resonates with the P12-34 target audience and creates top of mind awareness and buzz for the brand.

Build upon creative “work” that will play upon the urban myth that Green M&M’s ® are aphrodisiacs.Reinforce the celebrity and reality of the M&M’s® characters. A multi-tiered program centered on theaters, movies and entertainment. We tapped into the consumer insight that our target loves to go to the movies, particularly in the summer when major blockbuster films are released. We felt that the impact of showing “Green” up on the big screen, before summer blockbuster movies was an ideal way to reinforce her reality and celebrity and at the same time generate some buzz and awareness for the brand.The cornerstone of the plan was the on-screen premiere of three :30 spots at movie theaters. This began on Memorial Day weekend and lasted through Labor Day to coincide with heightened movie attendance by youths. These spot ran exclusively in theaters for about a month each. Since we ran heavily in theaters, TV weight was supportive rather than primary and limited to only the most cost effective dayparts and networks (WB, MTV) for our target. This was a significant shift for M&M’s® which traditionally relies very heavily on a broad mix of TV.In addition to the onscreen advertising, we purchased in–lobby advertising to dominate the theater environment. These included Popcorn Bags, Candy Bags, 5 by 5 poster Standees and Postcards, and concession signage.We also had a significant print effort that included 24 insertions in 12 titles. The magazines were selected on their demographics, cost effectiveness and their editorial fit related to entertainment. The movie poster print ad was tactically placed opposite movie editorial to further reinforce the celebrity and reality of “Green”. Merchandising credits were used to fund distribution of the postcard at various entertainment venues throughout the summer. The media team recommended and gained client approval to this new media approach prior to creative development for the “Green” campaign. As a result, our creatives had the opportunity to customize “the work” to the cinema environment and used that knowledge to be inspired and come up with synergistic concepts. One spot portrays “Green” in her movie trailer getting ready for her starring role in an upcoming feature movie (“Trailer”). One print execution is a mock movie poster with “Green” as the starring actress in an upcoming movie called “I Melt for No One”. This visual was also used for the popcorn bags in theater and in the third television spot (“All Grown Up”). The In-lobby Standee was a visual of “Green” sitting on her director’s chair. This plan is special because it worked on many levels.

ReachFirst it effectively reached our target audience (P12-34) in high impact mediums during the summer months when it is particularly hard to reach them using traditional media like TV. We hit several consumer touchpoints all thematically related to entertainment and movies.BrandedSecond, understanding the brand’s unique strengths and core attributes, we chose an environment that enhanced the reality and celebrity of the M&M’s® characters, a long-term brand strategy. Also, the captive environment of theaters uniquely suited M&M’s® advertising because of our playful animation and humor. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to leverage point of sale at the candy stand via the popcorn bags, postcards and lobby standees.IntegrationThird, media and creative worked together to make a highly impactful campaign. The media plan was developed prior to creative development, so “the work” was customized to the media environment as noted above. Both elements were strong on their own merits, but the overall campaign was stronger than the sum of each individual element.The net effect was a highly visible, synergistic campaign that got people taking notice and talking about those Green M&M’s®. In fact, we had many reports of spontaneous laughter, and high executional recall from theater audiences. The Green campaign ranked as one of the most liked for the year 2001 by men (#5) and women (#1) in USA Today’s annual Ad Track survey. This translated into solid sales for the brand.

The media team recommended and gained client approval to this new media approach prior to creative development for the “Green” campaign. As a result, our creatives had the opportunity to customize “the work” to the cinema environment and used that knowledge to be inspired and come up with synergistic concepts. One spot portrays “Green” in her movie trailer getting ready for her starring role in an upcoming feature movie (“Trailer”). One print execution is a mock movie poster with “Green” as the starring actress in an upcoming movie called “I Melt for No One”. This visual was also used for the popcorn bags in theater and in the third television spot (“All Grown Up”). The In-lobby Standee was a visual of “Green” sitting on her director’s chair.