M&M Goes to the Dark Side

Flipping through the pages of People this month, I came across a great branded entertainment intitiative by M&M for the latest installment of Star Wars. As brands struggle to figure out how to partner with movies and music, I think M&M showed a solid way to make it happen. First, they fully integrated the movie into their print ads. By integration, I don't mean they put the movie logo/1 sheet on the ad. Instead, the themed the entire ad Star Wars, even featuring Darth Vader in the ad itself. Second, they created a promotional product around the movie, creating a great opportunity for in and out events with stores (and getting Star Wars collectors to stock up as well). Finally, they gave the campaign PR legs, with an unveiling in Times Square of NY. Too often brands get involved with a property and just don't give the partnership all that they can. They think the movie logo alone will sell their product. M&M shows that a little extra effort can really make a difference...now the real test is to see if the product moves off the shelves.