Few things in life are as much fun as candy, and few candies are as iconic as M&Ms. So when Masterfoods in early 2005 unveiled its new My M&Ms website (www.shop.mms.com)—letting consumers order M&Ms printed with customized messages—it was pure brand magic. Shoppers can select from 21 colors or choose designated palettes organized by occasion, such as weddings and baby showers. Each candy holds two lines of text at eight characters each, with the iconic “M” printed on the flip side. The website itself is fun and easy to use, allowing customers to preview candies at various stages. My M&Ms was so inundated before Valentine’s Day, it warned customers that new orders would not arrive until March. That, despite the fact that a minimum order of four 9-ounce bags comes to about $40, before shipping and sales tax. “It’s a lot of money per M&M,” says juror Don Norman, professor of computer science and psychology at Northwestern University. “This is a price-insensitive market.”

BOTTOM LINE: Total online M&Ms revenues have increased more than 400 percent since the custom-printing service was launched.