We all love certain brands, for one reason or another. Whether it’s a candy bar or a car, you’ve come to trust and to expect a positive experience with a specific brand; and as such, you believe in and hold stake in that brand.

I’ve always loved M&M’s. As I have many great memories associated with the candy (movies, games, baking), eating them always elicits a deep sense of nostalgia for me—a feeling most brands hope to achieve in their lifetimes.

How does the Mars Company remain so successful? What does M&M’s do to garner such devotion? They continue to innovate and diversify, and in doing so, have always made the customer a key collaborator in the process. For example, in 1995, Mars ceased production of tan M&M’s, and launched a massive marketing campaign to replace them with a new color. Replacement colors included blue, purple, and pink, and Mars invited consumers to vote by calling 1-800-FUN-COLOR. My siblings and I were pulling hard for blue, and called the hotline several times, even a few times in Spanish, just so we could say “azul” on the phone.

Over 10 million votes were cast, and blue won by a landslide with over 50% of the vote. As a result, over five million people experienced a sense of ownership in the M&M brand.

It’s the personal connection and collaboration with a brand that creates the strongest, most lasting relationships for the consumer. Each time I open a package of M&M’s, there’s the blue that I helped bring into the mix. It’s a powerful reminder of my personal connection with the product. The more connections like these that a brand can build with its consumers in today’s market, the more successful it will become.

Mars has continued to solicit consumer collaboration in the past decade in interesting and innovative ways. From allowing you to personalize the product to where you can put your own face on an M&M to creating an animated M&M version of yourself, the brand has made their product incredibly personal, interactive, and accessible.

Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do?, said that “enabling customers to collaborate with you—in creating, distributing, marketing, and supporting products—is what creates a premium in today’s market.”

What are you doing to make your customer a collaborator with your brand, product, or service? As a consumer, how do you interact with the brands you love?

[Photo from sun dazed on Flickr / CC BY 2.0]