Mars? M&M?s brand is ramping up its social presence through a new campaign that aims to strengthen the company?s relationship with Facebook fans.

Mars is running the campaign within Spin?s mobile site. The company has been building its mobile strategy over the past year to further connect with tech-savvy consumers.

?This particular piece of creative was part of a larger ad network buy designed to drive maximum reach around the introduction of our new character, Ms. Brown,? said Lauren Nodzak, a spokeswoman for Mars Chocolate North America. 

?The copy aligns with Ms. Brown?s distinct personality, which is rooted in her wisdom, high intelligence and sharp wit and we drove consumers to Facebook because all of our characters ? including Ms. Brown ? publish content on the page, so it provides a perfect opportunity for fans to get to know her,? she said.

More social
The M&M?s mobile banner ad reads ?Tap to Meet the Brands Behind M&M?s.?

When users tap on the mobile ad, they are redirected to the company?s official Facebook page where they can ?Like? the brand, browse its photos and interact with other fans.

Using mobile advertising to drive Facebook ?Likes? is a smart move.

Social and mobile complement each other. Therefore, marrying the two helps drive engagement.

More companies are using mobile advertising to elevate their social presence. And, Mars is smart to hop on that bandwagon.

?We think it?s important when mobile and social complement each other,? Ms. Nodzak said. ?For this particular execution, we leveraged a mobile banner ad unit to drive optimal earned engagements, by encouraging engaged audiences to go to Facebook where they could learn more about Ms. Brown through the content she regularly shares on the page.  

?We think it?s more important to meet consumer expectations than to aimlessly link copy with social destinations,? she said. 

Past efforts
Mars is no stranger to mobile.

Last year, the candy giant used mobile ads for its M&M brand to intrigue users about a line of candies being launched during the Super Bowl (see story).

In December, Mars placed its M&M and Dove brands at the center of a holiday mobile advertising campaign that showed users how to incorporate the products into seasonal recipes (see story).

Most recently, Mars' M&M's launched a mobile game to not only bolster brand awareness, but also entice candy enthusiasts (see story).

?It seems the purpose of this mobile ad campaign is to drive Facebook likes,? said Marci Troutman, CEO of SiteMinis, Atlanta. ?For those consumers who are curious about the brand, I'm sure this is effective.?

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York