M&M's SWOT Analysis, Competitors & USP

SWOT analysis of M&M's analyses the brand by its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats. In M&M's SWOT Analysis, the strengths and weaknesses are the internal factors whereas opportunities and threats are the external factors.

SWOT Analysis is a proven management framework which enables a brand like M&M's to benchmark its business & performance as compared to the competitors. M&M's is one of the leading brands in the food & beverages sector.

The article below lists the M&M's SWOT, competitors and includes its target market, segmentation, positioning & USP. Let us start the M&M's SWOT Analysis:

SWOT Analysis of M&M's

For M&M's, SWOT analysis can help the brand focus on building upon its strengths and opportunities while addressing its weaknesses as well as threats to improve its market position.

M&M's Strengths

The strengths of M&M's looks at the key aspects of its business which gives it competitive advantage in the market. Some important factors in a brand's strengths include its financial position, experienced workforce, product uniqueness & intangible assets like brand value. Below are the Strengths in the SWOT Analysis of M&M's :

1. Worldwide high brand recognition, with high trust for the brand as well

2. M&M’s are an affordable brand of chocolates that almost anyone can buy, making the brand easily accessible to everyone

3. It comes in varieties of colors which is especially appealing to a lot of people specially children

5. They have excellent marketing and advertising campaign with remarkable characters for each colored candy

6. Personalized M&M’s gifts for weddings, birthdays etc. are a hit among the consumers of the brand

M&M's Weaknesses

The weaknesses of a brand are certain aspects of its business which are it can improve to increase its position further. Certain weaknesses can be defined as attributes which the company is lacking or in which the competitors are better. Here are the weaknesses in the M&M's SWOT Analysis:

1. Although M&M’s are the number one chocolate sellers, their marketing cost is comparatively higher to other Mars products
2. Consumer consciousness about the high calorie and fat content in chocolates can drive down sales
3. Hard to keep on coming up with original ideas in the candy market

M&M's Opportunities

The opportunities for any brand can include areas of improvement to increase its business. A brand's opportunities can lie in geographic expansion, product improvements, better communication etc. Following are the opportunities in M&M's SWOT Analysis:

1. Having a worldwide market means that any new product they undertake will be instantly warmed to
2. The M&M shops worldwide are not only shops but tourist attractions, increasing sales all the time and ultimately widening their consumer market which will be ready for any new products

3. They have over 30 licenses to create other products such as t-shirts, mugs, soft toys and figurines

4. Advancements in technology- building up on their characters, developing more products

M&M's Threats

The threats for any business can be factors which can negatively impact its business. Some factors like increased competitor activity, changing government policies, alternate products or services etc. can be threats. The threats in the SWOT Analysis of M&M's are as mentioned:

1. Lots of competition everywhere from other confectionary and chocolate makers

2. Their main competitors ‘Hershey’s’ are always creating new chocolate bars

3. Increase costs of making chocolate could make more expensive, thus making it lose the affordable tag and losing customers

M&M's Competitors

There are several brands in the market which are competing for the same set of customers. Below are the top 3 competitors of M&M's:

1. Smarties by Nestle
2. Cadbury’s Gems
3. Hershey’s

Hence this concludes the M&M's SWOT analysis.

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About M&M's

M&M's Overview
Parent Company	Mars, Incorporated
Category	Chocolate
Sector	Food & Beverages
Tagline/ Slogan	Melts in your mouth, not in your hand
USP	First hard shell coated chocolates
M&M's STP
Segmentation	People of all age groups with a sweet tooth
Target Market	Children above 13 years of age
Positioning	Munchies or snacks for any time of day

This article has been researched & authored by the Content & Research Team. It has been reviewed & published by the MBA Skool Team. The content on MBA Skool has been created for educational & academic purpose only.

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