Posts Tagged ‘Mars’

This morning I got word that Mars, Incorporated, the makers of M&M’s candies, inked a deal with the fashion jewelry manufacturer Monet International, Inc. to design and produce M&M’s character rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and other keepsakes. For M&M’s fans, here’s a sneak peek at what will be in Macy’s department stores starting late this September and on Monet.com starting on October 15, 2010. So cute!

The price points on the jewelry range from $15 to $45. A higher-end sterling silver line will also be available and that will start at $35 per piece. According to the Mars Retail Group, other retailers will be able to purchase the M&M’s jewelry wholesale beginning New Year’s Day 2011.

My first thought when I saw these necklaces was what great gifts or party favors to build an M&M’s theme around. For clever ideas on how to incorporate M&M’s in cakes, cupcakes, cookies, snack mixes, etc., check out BrightIdeas.com. Here are a few cakes/cupcakes I earmarked from the site. (Click on each photo for instructions on how to make them.)


Have you ever created a theme party around a candy? If so, please share!

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It’s audience participation day here at Candy.com.

We want to know, “What discontinued candy brands would you like to see revived?” (Think PB Max, Summit Bar, Hershey’s BarNone, etc.)

I personally want to see the Marathon Bar* make a comeback, and not as a protein bar.  You know, the long, braided caramel bar covered in chocolate from the 1970s that left a trail of chocolate crumbs when you ate it? (If you’re not 30-something yet, you missed a good mess.)

Win Free Candy!
Everyone who replies to this call for candy casualties on Facebook/CandyDotCom or the Candy.com blog will be entered into a drawing to win 30 full-sized classic candy bars, including Kit Kats, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate With Almonds. Yum!

From your feedback, I’ll occasionally channel Colombo and find out whatever happened to a particular candy and report my findings here. Stay tuned.

I wonder if Lt. Columbo ever ate a Marathon Bar?

*See CandyBlog’s I Miss: Marathon post for great historical information on the original Marathon Bar.

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Last week, a friend told me that Skittles has more than 8 million Facebook fans. I checked this Saturday, and sure enough, Skittles has 8,682,144 friends. When I checked again last night, Skittles was up to 8,727,245 friends. That’s 45,101 friends joining the party in 48 hours.

Hmmmm. This made me wonder how many Facebook friends other top US candy brands have amassed … and what it would look like if I matched up the 25 best-selling candy brands in the US with each brand’s number of Facebook friends. My unscientific results may startle you.

Sales Rank*      Brand (Manufacturer)              Facebook Fans

25                       Ice Breakers (Hershey)              21,051

24                       Orbit White (Mars)                     566,854

23                       Dentyne Ice (Kraft)                     7,343 (Canada)

22                       Tic Tac (Ferrero)                         933,074

21                       Hershey’s Kisses (Hershey)       84,532

20                       Trident White (Kraft)                   (see Trident, No. 6 spot)

19                        Butterfinger (Nestle)                  527,262

18                        Milky Way (Mars)                       none found

17                        Starburst (Mars)                         3,971,587

16                        3 Musketeers (Mars)                  126, 713

15                        Dove (Mars)                               38,476

14                        Skittles (Mars)                            8,720,108

13                        Twizzlers (Hershey)                   54,829

12                        Twix (Mars)                                984,655

11                        Eclipse (Mars)                            none found

10                        Extra (Mars)                               95,879

9                          Kit Kat (Hershey)                       889,183

8                          Stride (Kraft)                              689,771

7                          5 (Mars)                                     1,462,127

6                          Trident (Kraft)                            329,249

5                          Orbit (Mars)                               566,851

4                          Snickers (Mars)                         596,860

3                          Hershey’s                                   1,014,925

2                          Reese’s PB Cups (Hershey’s)   3,515,716

1                          M&M’s (Mars)                            1,152,646

(*Sales Rank based on retail sales data from Symphony IRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm for the 52 weeks that ended on Sept. 6, 2009. Data collected from supermarkets, drugstores, gas/C-stores and mass market retailers, excluding Walmart.)

Extrapolating from my “research,” Facebook friends and product sales don’t really correlate. Skittles is by far the most popular US candy brand on Facebook, but it’s not in the top 10 for sales. Tic Tac has close to 1 million friends, but the itty-bitty mints rank 22 out of 25 for sales. Even so, it’s interesting to see which brands are using Facebook as a major marketing platform, and which are not.

I am always a fan of the underdog, so if Mars does decide to create a Facebook page for Milk Way, I want to be the first BFF.

What candy brands have you “friended”?

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If you want to know what cool, new candy will be hitting your store shelves next, a good indicator is the top 10 candies scanned by major retail buyers at the National Confectioners Association’s Sweets & Snacks Expo.

The annual expo is the grande dame of North American candy shows and a big launching pad for manufacturers.

Take a peek at what’s in (or about to be in) store …

10. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Minis by The Hershey Company
9. Jelly Pop by Decoria Company, Ltd.
8. Jumbo Push Pop by Bazooka Candy Brands
7. Pop Rocks Chocolate by Pop Rocks Inc.
6. Dark Chocolate Acai Blueberry and Goji by Brookside Food Ltd.
5. Snow White Gift set from Pez Candy, Inc.
4. Disney licensed items by Imaginings 3, Inc.
3. M&M’s Pretzel by MARS Chocolate North America
2. ICEE Fizzing Lollipops by Koko’s Confectionery & Novelty
1. Cocktail Classics jelly beans by Jelly Belly Candy Company

If you’ve tried any of these newbies, spill your thoughts, please.

Photo by Jose Ole

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