Marketing Research

Objective: Describe the five steps in conducting market research

1. Define the Problem:
Does each bag of M&Ms contain the same number of candies? (Not exactly)
How many of each color M&M is in each bag? (24% blue, 14% brown, 16%
green, 20% orange, 13% red, and 14% yellow M&M's but this isnt always exact.)
2. Analyze the situation:
Complete the M&Ms website worksheet.
3. Develop a data-collection procedure:
Get a bag of M&Ms and complete the Data Collection Worksheet
4. Examine and organize information:
Complete the Group Comparison Worksheet
5. Propose a solution
Complete the Solutions Worksheet

M & Ms Website Worksheet

Directions: Use Google to answer the questions below.
History
1. What year were M&Ms first sold to the public?
(In March of 1941)
2. How were they packaged?
Originally sold in cardboard tubes
3. When the packaging was changed, what was it changed to?

(1948, brown bag package or brown pouch)

4.When were peanut M&Ms first introduced?

(in 1954)
5. Where are M&M candies made in the United States?
(285 Badger Avenue in Clinton Hill, Newark, New Jersey)
6. What color was added to peanut M&Ms in 1960?
(In 1960, M&M's added the yellow, red, and green colors)
7. What does M & M stand for?
(The partners Mars and Murrie dubbed their new candy with their initials, and M&Ms)
8. The original M&M chocolate candies contained what color mix?
The original candy had a milk chocolate filling which, upon introducing other variations,
was branded as the "plain" variety
9. What is colorworks?
Yellow, Cream, Green, Dark Green, Teal, Aqua, Light Blue, Pink, Dark Pink, Maroon,
Brown, Red, Orange, Gold, Blue, Dark Blue, Purple, Light Purple, Black, Silver
White There are about 500 pieces per pound. This is a 5lb bag. (Can custom order
colors)
10. What is M&M world?

(M&M's World is a retail store that specialises in M&M's candy and merchandise)
(locations all over America and other countries like las vegas)

11. What happened to the original name of M&M plain chocolate candies in 2000?
("Milk Chocolate" M&M's)
12. Can you get your school colors?
(Yes you can buy black,green,white m&ms)
13. What color was originally used for the letters on the M&Ms?
(black)
14. What % of each color do you get in a bag of M&Ms?

(Brown 30%, Yellow 20%, Red 20%, Blue 10%, Green 10%, Orange 10%)
or
(24% blue, 14% brown, 16% green, 20% orange, 13% red, and 14% yellow)
************DIFFERENT SITES GIVE DIFFERENT PERCENTAGES**************
Brown=

30 or 14

% Green=

10 or 20

% Yellow=

20 or

14
% Orange=
% Red=
% Blue=

10 or 13
20 or 13
10 or 24

For the following questions do a google

search as well.
1. What are the details of the great color quest?
Orange was officially "found" in South Carolina and will be added back to the M&M'S(R)
stable of colors. Black and white since New Year's Eve, M&M'S launched the Great Color
Quest consumer contest to bring back the color, enlisting the support of consumers to find
the six all-colored bags of M&M'S from among the more than 37 million black-and-white
packages The M&M'S(R) Great Color Quest contest is designed to give the wonder of color
back to the people

2. What company has M&Ms teamed up with for the great color quest?
BBDO Worldwide

3. The M&M Spokescandies were introduced as a form of marketing. Who are they? (List
their names)
Red milk chocolate (Billy West) leader, in control, confident, bossy, hangs around with
yellow
Green peanut butter originally mint and coconut (Cree Summer) glitzy female, likes
attention and to be pampered, beautiful
Yellow peanut (J.K. Simmons) too nice, gullible, follows red around
Blue almond (Robb Pruitt) cool, ladies man
Orange - CrispyPretzel Originally Crispy (Eric Kirchberger)
Brown - Ms. Brown Dark Chocolate Mint

(Vanessa William)

4. There are games you can play with M&Ms. Use the internet to find a game and try
playing it with your group. Write out the name of the game and the instructions for how to
play.

M&M Data Collection Worksheet

1. How many candies are in your bag (count twice for accuracy)? 210 candies in a 7-ounce
bag
2. Count each candy per color and quantity (count twice for accuracy)
Color

Number

Red

42

Green

21

Brown

63

Yellow

42

Orange

21

Blue

21

3. What is the percentage of each color per bag? ((# of color/total)*100)

Color
Red

Percent
20%

Green

10%

Brown

30%

Yellow

20%

Orange

10%

Blue

10%

4. Using Excel, create a pie chart showing the percent of each color M&M. (Use the data in
the first table above). Change the colors of the chart to match the colors of the M&Ms.
Submit the chart to the hand in folder so it can be marked in colour.

Group Comparison Worksheet

Communicate with the members of other groups to complete the table below:
Group
Name

Total in
Bag

% of
Red

% of
Blue

% of
Green

% of
Brown

% of
Yellow

% of
Orange

210

20

10

10

30

20

10

Group 2

210

19

11

32

20

10

Group 3

210

17

13

34

17

13

Group 4

210

20

11

30

20

10

Group 5

210

16

14

29

21

11

210

20

10

10

30

20

10

Our Group

*m&m
standard
%s

*m&m % can be found online

Solutions Worksheet
1. Does each bag of M&Ms contain the same number of candies?
Not always

2. If the answer to number 1 is no, what is the average number of candies per
bag?
205-210

3. How many of each color M&Ms is in each bag? (Approximately)

42 red 21 green 63 brown 42 yellow 21 orange 21 blue

4. How do the Group results compare to the M&M website results?

Varies but not always exact.

5. Which color is most prevalent?

Brown

6. Is there a trend or reason for the most prevalent color?

When the bags are poured a machine puts in approximately 30 percent brown
compared to the rest.

7. Which color is least prevalent?

Normally blue but also sometimes orange and green

8.

Is there a trend or reason for the least prevalent color?

Because how the percentages of different colors is chosen during manufacturing.

9. Why do they introduce new colors as a marketing strategy?

To keep the consumer thinking m&ms are still progressing and still popular.

10. List any examples of advertisements, TV shows, movies that have used M&Ms
(or specific color M&Ms) as part of the script.
Orange Is Coming Back to the M&M'S Mix; Great Color Quest Consumer Contest Yields First
Winner with Discovery of Bag of All-Orange M&M'S
Feb. 5, 2004
Orange was officially "found" in South Carolina and will be added back to the M&M'S(R) stable of
colors. Black and white since New Year's Eve, M&M'S launched the Great Color Quest consumer
contest to bring back the color, enlisting the support of consumers to find the six all-colored bags
of M&M'S from among the more than 37 million black-and-white packages.
"The M&M'S(R) Great Color Quest contest is designed to give the wonder of color back to the
people," said Doug Milne, senior marketing manager, M&M'S Brand. "While the color orange has
now been found, there are still five colors to go, with full bags of brown, red, yellow, blue and
green M&M'S waiting to be found so that all the colors can come together again."
While the color orange has now been found, there are still five colors to go, with full bags of
brown, red, yellow, blue and green M&M'S waiting to be found so that all the colors can come
together again.
In South Carolina, a life-long fan of M&M'S purchased an all-orange bag at a local store and soon
discovered that she was the first Great Color Quest winner. Consumers who purchase one of the
remaining black and white bags of M&M'S(R) containing candies that are all one color may also
be winners. A total of six lucky winners will receive a 2004 Volkswagen New Beatle Convertible
GLS in the color of the candy they discover, a trip to Los Angeles, and $20,000 in cash.
Each of the M&M'S(R) varieties - milk chocolate, peanut, crispy, almond, peanut butter and minis have turned black and white and are part of the Great Color Quest contest. More information
about the Great Color Quest is available at http://www.mms.com/us/bw/quest/.