In 1941, chocolate connoisseur, Forrest Mars searched for a way to rebound from diminishing

sales that correlated with the summer heatwaves (Klara, 2016). This necessity gave birth to the
shell-encased treat known as M&Ms and its devoted customers. With the ever-changing
dynamics and dog-eat-dog nature of the sweets industry, how does a company sustain its sales
and maintain its marketability? As per Berta De Pablos-Barbier, Mars' Vice President of
Marketing for North America, the appropriate response is advertising. She described how
M&M's constantly adjusts to the patterns and trends while embracing varieties to keep shoppers
intrigued (Klara, 2016).
The current goal is to create a target market strategy that would produce a profit margin of 5% of
sales, as opposed to the 3% in 2009. When performing an analysis of the data, the evidence
conveys that the target market is segmented into an agglomeration of kids under the age of 11,
teens between the ages of 12-17, men aged 18+, and women aged 18+. Although much of the
target audience consists of children under the age of 11, it is important to consider the financial
capabilities of this component of the target market. While candy, in general, entices children’s
taste buds, realistically, children don’t possess much purchasing power. This fact, befittingly,
shifts the focus of the target market strategy from the children to the parents, specifically women,
who wield majority of the purchasing power. The question then arises—what’s the best way to
market to this demographic segmentation of the market?
Although little of M&M’s marketing has targeted younger consumers (i.e: Mini M&Ms), in
2007, Mars Incorporated, the parent company for M&M’s, strategically decided to halt
marketing to members of that age bracket (Byron, 2007). Efforts to market M&M’s to a,
primarily, adult female target audience ramped up soon afterwards. However, these efforts began
during World War II. According to the National Museum of American History, M&M’s made
their debut as wartime chocolate that “didn’t melt in your hands” (Jacobson, 2016). World War
II incorporated M&M’s into everything from US Army rations to Red Cross packages (Nieburg,
2016). These strivings aided in establishing M&Ms as not only a childhood commodity, but an
adult treat as soldiers’ took the candies home to their wives.
Tailoring marketing efforts to premenopausal women would be the best option. According to
Psychology Today, “surveys have shown that chocolate is the most craved food among
American women, and researchers have found that comfort foods like chocolate can supply
nutrients that keep a woman’s hormonal system functioning properly and brain chemicals in
balance” (McQuillan, 2014). Carbohydrate-rich foods, such as chocolate, trigger the production
of serotonin and release of endorphins, which diminish during premenstrual episodes
(McQuillan, 2014). In addition to the aforementioned reasoning, chocolate has a reputation of
being associated with romance. “Chocolate sales reach profits of $1 billion during the Valentine
season, with 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate sold. Interestingly, 70% of chocolate
hearts sold at Walgreens are purchased within the last 48 hours leading up to Valentine’s Day…”
(Watson, 2019). With these concepts in mind, modifying the target market strategy to cater to
women with children, premenopausal women, and women in relationships would be the most
effective marketing strategy.
 References
Byron, K. (2007, February 6). M&M's maker to stop marketing to kids. Retrieved from

https://money.cnn.com/2007/02/05/news/companies/masterfoods/index.htm?postversion=200702

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Jacobson, S. (2016, October 26). "Chocolate is a Fighting Food!" – Chocolate bars in the Second

World War. Retrieved from https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/chocolate-bars-second-world-

war.

Klara, R. (2016, March 8). M&M's Just Turned 75. Here's How It Kept Consumers Interested for So

Long. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/mms-just-turned-75-here-s-

how-it-kept-consumers-interested-so-long-169990/.

McQuillan, S. (2014, October 23). Women and Chocolate. Retrieved from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cravings/201410/women-and-chocolate.

Nieburg, O. (2016, November 10). Untold war stories: Mars and M&M's military history. Retrieved

from https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2016/11/10/Untold-war-stories-Mars-and-M-

M-s-military-history.

Watson, G. (2019, July 8). Crazy Valentine's Day Facts. Retrieved from

https://www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com/Blog/post/crazy-valentines-day-facts.aspx.