The big M&M's color investigation you could've totally lived without

"Color is one of the oldest psychological tricks in product marketing and branding. Few companies use it more carefully than Mars, Incorporated, the big brother of confectionery."

"My goal was to understand: what colors exist in the palette and why, how the palette has changed over the years, what kinds of perceptions users have about differently colored M&Ms, and how (and whether) Mars uses color and users' perceptions of it in its product strategy."

"Some days, when I want absolutely nothing except to stuff myself with candy, the right pocket of my jacket is full of M&Ms. The left pocket is for dog treats because, regardless of what I want, my chihuahua still owns me. Sometimes I forget which pocket is which, and things get pretty disgusting."

M&M’s are stored in different jacket pockets for different purposes, but confusion can lead to mixing candy types. Color functions as an early psychological tool in product marketing and branding. Mars, Incorporated uses color carefully in its confectionery products. The focus is on identifying the colors in the M&M’s palette and the reasons for their selection, tracking how the palette has changed over time, and examining how people perceive M&M’s differently colored varieties. The goal also includes understanding how Mars uses color and how those uses influence consumer perceptions within product strategy.

Read at Medium