NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Say goodbye to plain M&M's.

After 46 years as plain-old plain M&Ms, the chocolate-coated candies are being renamed milk chocolate M&Ms.

"For a long, long time, our chocolate has been too good to be called plain, but we were living with almost 50 years of heritage of calling them plain," said Michael Tolkowsky, vice president for marketing and licensing at M&M/Mars, based in Hackettstown, N.J.

M&M gave its candies the plain name in 1954, when it introduced peanut M&M's.

This week, the company launched a $10 million ad campaign with the slogan "Same great chocolate. Much better name," and has been phasing in the new versions of the brown-and-white packages for a few months, Tolkowsky said.

One television commercial now airing shows people describing their professions with politically correct terms, such as "domestic care giver" instead of baby sitter. Then, an animated red M&M's character stands up to say, "I am not a plain M&M. I am a milk chocolate M&M."

Calling the candies plain "never really fit the eating experience of M&M's," Tolkowsky said.

He said the change isn't about helping sales, which rose 12 percent last year. The company conducted consumer research that shows the customers would not be confused by the name change and may actually give the candy more attention.

Analysts said the name change shouldn't turn customers away.

"I think M&M's is an institution," said Ann Gurkin, an analyst at Davenport & Co. in Richmond, Va. She, for one, never thinks about the varieties. "I call it M&M's," Gurkin said.

View Comments

The new packages will feature a slightly updated logo and the permanent addition of the candy pieces, but will remain the familiar brown-and-white color scheme, Tolkowsky said.

The company also sells peanut butter, almond and crispy versions of M&Ms.

M&M's were first called plain chocolate candies when they went on the market in 1941. In 1954, they switched to plain when peanut M&M's were created. The candy company has made a few color changes over the years, replacing violet M&M's with tan in the 1940s, and adding blue M&M's in 1995.


On the Net: www.m-ms.com

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.