M&M’S has put a price tag on the silent treatment: $31,000. That’s how much the candy brand will award to the couple that can spend one month communicating only via M&M’s.
The contest, called My Treasured Moments: Connecting and Communicating with My M&M’S, challenges one couple to swear off speaking to each other and use only the shorthand messages printed on My M&M’s to communicate with each other for a month. They’ll win $1,000 a day for each day they stay silent.
The virtual challenge supports the online program—launched in 2005—that lets consumers order M&M’s with their own messages printed on the candies.
The campaign invites consumers to make a bid to compete in the challenge by submitting an essay at MyMMs.com/Win. The 500-word essay describes a “treasured moment” that involved the candies, tells how they couple will use them to communicate, and gives a unique phrase they’d have printed on M&M’s to get them through the challenge.
Consumers can enter through June 8. Parent Masterfoods will provide judges who will choose three couples to interview as finalists, then pick one to take on the challenge. (The two other pairs win a $100 gift certificate to My M&M’s.com.)
The grand-prize couple agrees to give up all communication, including e-mail, text messages, hand signals and sign language—and Masterfoods will be watching closely. Four video cameras will be placed throughout the couple’s home to monitor their interactions. Some edited portions of the video will be posted throughout the month at the Web site.
For each successful “silent” day in the month the couple wins $1,000. They also receive a celebration at home with 50 family members and friends at the end of the month, and a trip to New York City to tour the My M&M’s factory.