Mars and M&M’s kicked off the campaign at New York City’s Grand Central Station on Saturday (March 30).
Rather than pay for a bag of the newest flavor, fans had to ‘show their hazelnutty-ness’ for the product by shouting, dancing or singing in public.
"Chocolatey hazelnut spread unlocks a side of indulgence that's all its own, so we wanted to tap into that mania and bring something to life that our fans would go crazy for," said Allison Miazga-Bedrick, brand director, M&M’s.
"It's no secret people love hazelnut spread and love M&M'S, so we can't wait to see the reaction to this breakthrough taste experience."
As the second ‘soft center innovation’ – caramel launched in 2017 – the hazelnut flavor will become a permanent fixture of the M&M’s lineup, hitting shelves in the next couple of weeks with widespread distribution by the end of April, Mars told ConfectioneryNews.
The flavor will be available as a single 1.35oz bag, a shareable 2.53oz bag and an 8.3oz stand-up pouch. Customers can also pre-order on mymms.com for shipment by mid-April.
M&M's flavor rainbow through history
1941 M&M’s introduced as military rations during WWII
1954 Peanut M&M’s launch, along with “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands” tagline
1960 Red, green and yellow added to color mix
1976 Orange joins the color mix
1988 Almond M&M’s launch
1991 Peanut Butter M&M’s launch
1995 Blue joins the color mix after 10 million fans vote
1996 M&M’s MINIS launch in small tube
2006 Dark Chocolate M&M's are here to stay
2007 Dark Chocolate Peanut M&M's launch
2009 Coconut M&M's are here to stay
2010 Pretzel M&M's debut
2011 Mint Dark Chocolate M&M's are here to stay
2015 Crispy M&M's re-introduced
2017 Caramel M&M's and White Chocolate M&M's debut
2019 Hazelnut Spread M&M's and M&M's chocolate bars debut
Fans across the US and in 15 select cities across the US can try to earn a pre-sale bag of Hazelnut Spread M&M’s by sharing their affection for the nutty chocolate flavor on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtags #gohazelnutty, #MMSfirsttaste and #sweepstakes.
Participants will receive a link back from @mmschocolate to complete the registration form for mailing purposes.
Up to 500 winners will receive one single-serve bag.
"We’re not able to predict how many winners will be named on Saturday at Grand Central Terminal. However, we’re thrilled to be extending the celebration across the country on social media so that we can involve as many hazelnutty fans as possible," a Mars spokesperson said.