Mars Joins Reality TV Craze With ‘Love Island’ Collab

Mars’ M&M'S recently teamed up with Love Island USA for the premiere of season 8 as the “exclusive confectionery partner” of the show.

“For the first time ever, the brand is turning every Love Island USA episode into a playful competition with the limited-edition M&M'S Play Along Packs. … Inside each M&M'S Play Along Pack, you'll find four colorful game boards and a 10-ounce share size pouch of custom Love Island M&M'S Milk Chocolate candies printed with iconic phrases from The Villa,” Mars said.

Here's how to play:

• Before the episode, each player places 10 random M&M'S candy pieces on their game board.
• When a moment on screen matches a phrase on an M&M'S candy (like "pull for a chat" or "bombshell arrives"), the player removes (or eats) the corresponding candy.
• The first person to clear their board, or the player with the fewest left at the end of the episode, is crowned The Villa VIP.

M&M'S Play Along Packs will be available for purchase exclusively on MMS.com for $15.99.

Over at Ferrara, the company recently debuted several new products:

• Nerds Gummy Clusters Cherry Lemonde: “Now a permanent flavor following strong consumer demand, combining sweet cherry and tart lemonade flavors with the Nerds signature crunchy-and-gummy texture.”
• SweeTARTS Double Takes: “A new chewy, dual-flavor candy that combines Sweet Strawberry and Tart Blue Punch for the classic SweeTARTS experience in every bite.”
• Jelly Belly Endless Summer Collection: “A fruit-forward lineup featuring very cherry, watermelon, cotton candy, orange sherbet, lemon lime and blue raspberry.”
• Trolli Mini Crawlers: “The brand's staple multi-flavored gummy worms coated in a tongue-tingling sugary layer, delivering the perfect balance of sweet and sour in every bite for the unmistakable Trolli experience.”

The Hershey Company is rolling into summer with a new campaign: Hershey's Heated Debate. The company said the “summer-long campaign, in partnership with actor, creator and s'mores icon Patrick Renna, celebrates the ritual of making s'mores, the opinions it ignites and the moments it creates.”

Hershey issued the Hershey's S'mores Heated Debate Report, revealing that:

• “Over two thirds (69%) of s'mores eaters are Camp Toasty. These consumers want to see the outside completely toasted with 17% looking for some blackened char and 11% wanting the marshmallow on fire.”
• “One third (29%) of survey respondents are Camp Gooey with the majority prioritizing an ooey gooey center for the ultimate s'mores experience.”
• The U.S. consumes more than an estimated 2.5 billion s'mores annually.

Fans are encouraged to join the Hershey's Heated Debate and choose their side—Camp Gooey or Camp Toasty—and share it on Instagram and TikTok.

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