How to Market a Myth: Green M&Ms

To celebrate the "myths, rumors and innuendo surrounding green M&M’S Chocolate Candies," proclaims a press release issued by Mars Snackfood U.S. on January 16, 2008, green has been dubbed "the new color of love" for Valentine's Day. Special all-green packages of M&Ms will be available on store shelves through the holiday marked with a "disclaimer" that reads, "Consumption of The Green Ones® may result in elevated romance levels. If you experience this effect, contact your significant other immediately." Mars hopes the product will stand out "amidst a sea of traditional red and pink products." No doubt it will, though it remains to be seen whether shoppers will buy it.

Nobody knows exactly how or when the urban legend got started, but by the early 1980s pop culture was rife with references to the unique aphrodisiacal powers of green M&Ms. "Chaucer recommended garlic, onions and leeks," noted Stephen G. Bloom of the Dallas Morning News in May 1984. "Now, the latest substances thought to induce a frenzy of wild passion are green M&Ms." The company said it wasn't true. So did urban legends guru Jan Harold Brunvand, who researched the phenomenon for his 1986 volume, The Mexican Pet. The candies contain no aphrodisiacal power, he concluded, "just chocolate, preservative, coloring, and folklore."

Read more about it:
• M&Ms Chocolate Candies Go Green Just in Time for Valentine's Day - Press release
• Watch Out for Those Green Ones - Markeplace
• Love Potions: It's Not Easy Being Green - PhillyBurbs.com
• Green M&Ms - CandyFavorites.com
• What IS It About the Green Ones? - Urban Legends