M&M’S fans are the guests of honor for the company’s year-long birthday celebration.

M&M’S, the world’s favorite chocolate candies, is launching a year-long celebration as it recognizes the brand’s 75^th anniversary. The brand was introduced on March 3, 1941, and it is still going strong.

“For 75 years, our fans have made M&M’S the iconic and beloved chocolate brand it is today,” said Berta de Pablos-Barbier, vice president, marketing, Mars Chocolate North America. “We aren’t satisfied with solely looking back on our history as America’s favorite chocolate candies. We are looking to the next 75 years of innovation and transformation to engage, entice and excite consumers of today and tomorrow.”

#CelebrateWithM
A birthday celebration wouldn’t be complete without the guest of honor – and for M&M’S, that’s the fans! From weddings to birthdays and all occasions in between, M&M’S fans already celebrate with the brand every day. However, in 2016, M&M’S is taking the celebration up a notch with the launch of the largest marketing campaign in the brand’s history: “Celebrate with M.” The campaign will feature star-studded events, product innovation, iconic collaborations and unexpected partnerships that will cement the brand’s place in pop culture history.

Kicking off on Feb. 29, fans can get in on the action by following the #CelebratewithM hashtag and M&M’S social media pages for epic birthday surprises, exclusive access to one-of-a-kind experiences, the ability to determine the next M&M’S flavor to hit store shelves and more.

Putting a Modern Twist on a Classic
This epic, year-long bash puts a modern twist on an iconic classic, with a focus on continuing to build brand awareness among millennial and Generation Z consumers. The celebration will kick-off with the release of “Candyman,” a modern remake of Sammy Davis Jr.’s The Candy Man song (1972) featuring multi-platinum, Grammy award winning artist Zedd and Grammy nominated musician and songwriter Aloe Blacc, in partnership with M&M’S.

“As an entertainer I’m inspired by the greats like Sammy Davis, Jr.,” said singer Aloe Blacc. “When M&M’S approached me to partner with Zedd and put a modern spin on ‘The Candy Man,’ I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to bring a historic song back to life while celebrating an iconic brand and a musical legend. Our new version, ‘Candyman,’ is a musical tribute that offers a little something for every generation to groove to.”

“For three-quarters of a century, M&M’S has been infusing fun, laughter and smiles into the everyday lives of millions of fans through our colorful characters and Milk Chocolate Candies,” added de Pablos-Barbier. “M&M’S collaboration with Aloe Blacc and Zedd was not about creating a soundtrack for a new television spot. Rather, it’s about inspiring a new generation of fans to sing along and celebrate with us. It was also our ambition to be ‘digital first’ as we were able to create an incredible amount of engaging content through this partnership that will enable us to be culturally relevant with millennials and Gen Z fans.”

Released on Friday, Feb. 26, “Candyman” is available for download on iTunes and streaming on Spotify. The single is accompanied by a full-length music video featuring Aloe Blacc, Zedd and M&M’S characters Red and Yellow as well as a 30-second advertising spot via the Brand’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/mmschocolate.

The Party Continues
In addition to the release of “Candyman,” the M&M’S Brand will launch:

• Retro Packaging: #TBT wouldn’t be complete without the M&M’S version of a throwback. Available on store shelves in February, the brand will release 12 retro designs (six designs each for Milk Chocolate and Peanut inspired by the brand’s 75-year heritage and history from the 1940s-1990s). Available at retailers nationwide, consumers can get their collectible M&M’S in single and box packs starting at $1.49.
• Flavor Vote: Starting on March 1 through June 17, fans will have the chance to vote for the next limited edition M&M’S flavor to hit store shelves. Original Peanut will go head-to-head with three new M&M’S Brand Chocolate Peanut varieties – Chili Nut, Honey Nut and Coffee Nut – in a socialized consumer campaign to determine America’s Favorite Peanut.
• Red Nose Day: For the second year, the M&M’S Brand will partner with NBC and Comic Relief as a title sponsor to raise awareness and money for the Red Nose Day Fund, an organization that helps to uplift children out of poverty. In 2015, the M&M’S Brand donated more than 1.3 million dollars to Red Nose Day charities.
• Operation Gratitude: To honor M&M’S origin as a military ration during World War II, Mars Chocolate, makers of M&M’S, will donate $750,000 worth of product to Operation Gratitude for inclusion in military care packages throughout 2016.
• [email protected]: To commemorate M&M’S 75th anniversary, M&M’S World is launching a partnership with Japanese lifestyle brand, [email protected]. The exclusive line will feature [email protected]’s iconic collectible characters, apparel and accessories – all inspired by M&M’S heritage.

“As we look ahead, we hope to inspire new stories with a new generation of artists and consumers and showcase the love our fans have for M&M’S by tapping into their unique world view to bring the essence of the brand to life in new, colorful and creative ways,” added de Pablos-Barbier.