A Sweet Turnaround
How M&M's reversed a 49% sales decline to return to growth in under a year
From -49% to +12% YoY
in Net Sales Value between February and August
+24% Meta CTR
from audience-led targeting restructure
+8% Meta engagement rate
from German-first UGC creative
About Company
My M&M's is Mars' personalised chocolate gifting division, with Germany historically one of its highest-value EMEA markets.
Company size
Enterprise
Industry
Consumer Goods & FMCG
Brainlabs featured services
CRO
Influencer Marketing
Paid Social
Paid Search
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Speak to a BrainlabberThe challenge
By early 2024, My M&M's Germany was heading toward its worst year on record.
The personalised gifting category had collapsed around them. Gifting searches were down 33% year on year, personalised gifting searches down 18%, and interest in M&M's personalised products was falling even faster, down 23% versus 2024 and 44% versus 2023. By February, net sales value was down 49% year on year. The problems ran across the entire funnel.
Key friction points:
- Demand collapse across the personalised gifting category, accelerated by declining brand interest
- Conversion rate down over 50% year on year, with site experience a key driver
- Global creative themes not resonating with German consumers, driving a 17.5% decline in CTR
- Aggressive competitor bidding pushing CPCs up 171% year on year
Our approach
1. Rebuilding demand earlier in the funnel
We stepped back and mapped the gifting journey from the German consumer's perspective, identifying four key audience segments and analysing their needs, interests and motivations. From there we expanded into CTV and influencer to reach customers earlier in the consideration phase, directly driving an increase in search demand for the brand and a 1.2% lift in Google brand awareness in Germany.
2. Fixing the on-site experience
We identified three changes to the website experience and recommended them to M&M's, who implemented them. These covered defining user segments more clearly, streamlining the user flow, and communicating product details and prices earlier in the journey, addressing a conversion rate that had dropped over 50% year on year.
3. Building a German audience-led creative system
We established a creative feedback loop, providing M&M's with regular insight into what resonated specifically with the German audience, including close-up product shots and explicit references to gifting occasions. We also signed off budget with our influencer team to produce UGC aligned to the strategy, driving an 8% increase in Meta engagement rate.
4. Fighting back against competitors with smarter targeting
We restructured social accounts to reduce audience overlap and align with the four strategic gifting segments, speaking directly to high-intent audiences rather than casting wide. This drove a 24% increase in Meta CTR and improved media efficiency in a market where competitor CPCs had risen 171% year on year.
We stepped back and mapped the gifting journey from the German consumer's perspective, identifying four key audience segments and analysing their needs, interests and motivations. From there we expanded into CTV and influencer to reach customers earlier in the consideration phase, directly driving an increase in search demand for the brand and a 1.2% lift in Google brand awareness in Germany.
2. Fixing the on-site experience
We identified three changes to the website experience and recommended them to M&M's, who implemented them. These covered defining user segments more clearly, streamlining the user flow, and communicating product details and prices earlier in the journey, addressing a conversion rate that had dropped over 50% year on year.
3. Building a German audience-led creative system
We established a creative feedback loop, providing M&M's with regular insight into what resonated specifically with the German audience, including close-up product shots and explicit references to gifting occasions. We also signed off budget with our influencer team to produce UGC aligned to the strategy, driving an 8% increase in Meta engagement rate.
4. Fighting back against competitors with smarter targeting
We restructured social accounts to reduce audience overlap and align with the four strategic gifting segments, speaking directly to high-intent audiences rather than casting wide. This drove a 24% increase in Meta CTR and improved media efficiency in a market where competitor CPCs had risen 171% year on year.
The results
In under a year, My M&M's Germany went from its worst trading period on record to returning to growth.
Since working with Brainlabs:
Since working with Brainlabs:
- Net sales value swung from -49% to +12% year on year between February and August, a full commercial turnaround
- 24% increase in Meta CTR, driven by audience-led targeting and reduced overlap
- 8% increase in Meta engagement rate, from German-first UGC creative
- Demand rebuilt across the funnel, with search interest recovering after category-wide collapse
From -49% to +12% YoY
in Net Sales Value between February and August
+24% Meta CTR
from audience-led targeting restructure
+8% Meta engagement rate
from German-first UGC creative
