WHO ATE Santa’s Miniatures?
That question will appear on 13 million packages of Mars Miniatures this holiday season, courtesy of a partnership between M&M/Mars and Golden Books Holiday Video Classics.
Aimed at building the Mars brand during the most competitive time of year, the contest will entice kids to call a toll-free number and guess which of the holiday video characters (Abominable, Burgermeister, Frosty the Snowman, Herbie the Elf, Magician or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) ate the candy. It was scheduled for a late-October launch.
The phone number will appear inside packages of Mars Miniatures-8-, 12- and 13-ounce sizes of 3 Musketeers, Snickers, Milky Way light, dark and original, and Twix candies, says M&M/Mars spokeswoman Pat D’Amato.
Prizes include 10,000 holiday videos, 240,000 bags of Miniatures and one of four $10,000 checks “just in time for a shopping spree,” D’Amato says.
M&M/Mars looks for marketing partners that reach “pretty much the same audience,” she adds. In this case, the universe consists of grocery shoppers, specifically women ages 25 to 49 with kids ages 6 to 17. “You can sit down in front of the TV to watch a classic video and enjoy the Miniatures at the same time,” suggests D’Amato.
The candy can be purchased at participating national grocers, drugstores and mass merchandisers just after Halloween. The toll-free phone lines shut down Jan. 15. Miniatures pull in 25% of their total sales volume during the holiday season.
During the promotion, freestanding inserts will be slipped into national magazines and newspapers.
In stores, coupon tear-pads on display stands will invite consumers to buy a package of Mars Miniatures and get $1 off a participating holiday video. The videos are “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Frosty Returns,” “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” and “The Little Drummer Boy.”
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