New M&M's Dark Chocolate Candies Arrive in Stores as a Permanent Offering

22/08/06 M&M'S Candies is infusing some much-needed FUN into the red-hot dark chocolate category with the permanent introduction of M&M'S Dark Chocolate Candies. The new offering combines smooth and delicious dark chocolate with the brightly colored M&M'S candy shells that consumers know and love.

Dark chocolate has been cited by most industry-watchers as the trend in chocolate. In the past year, M&M'S has received more than 30,000 inquiries from consumers clamoring for dark chocolate M&M'S which were made available for a limited time last year. Consumer interest in dark chocolate M&M'S could come from the perception that other dark chocolate brands are a little on the serious side, knowledge gleaned from a recent survey of more than 1,500 women.

"We've received tremendous interest from consumers to make M&M'S Dark Chocolate a permanent offering," said Michele Kessler, vice president of marketing at Masterfoods USA. "M&M'S and dark chocolate fans will love our new M&M'S Dark Chocolate Candies because we combine the great taste of dark chocolate with a dose of M&M'S fun!"

It seems a little bit of M&M'S fun is something the dark chocolate category needs. In the survey, nearly 65 percent said dark chocolate is more "serious" than other chocolates. When asked a series of questions, even die- hard dark chocolate lovers admitted that it's more classical music (70 percent) than a fun reggae tune (7.4 percent) and more of a black tie event (54.2 percent) than a picnic (9.1 percent). In general, survey respondents said that dark chocolate is more sophisticated than fun and they overwhelmingly agree (85.5 percent) that they would be interested in a fun new way to eat dark chocolate.

"Scream" for Dark Chocolate M&M'S

The brand launched its new ad campaign at New York City's famous Guggenheim Museum, with a print ad that interjects the "fun" of M&M'S into an admittedly dark masterpiece, Edvard Munch's 'The Scream.' The ad features "Red," the iconic M&M'S character, unexpectedly playing hopscotch in the background of the celebrated work of art -- bringing a bit of levity and sense of humor to the famous dark existential painting.

Extending the fun a little farther and to herald the arrival of M&M'S Dark Chocolate Candies, the brand is offering a reward of 2 million dark chocolate M&M'S for the return of the painting, which was stolen on August 22, 2004 from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway.