Marketing Mallomars, the Century-Old Cookies

Have you heard of Mallomars? The cookies are produced only during cool weather, starting with a graham cracker base, topped with a marshmallow filling, and coated with chocolate.

Because of limited availability, Mallomars has developed a bit of a mystique among brand fans. A search for Mallomars turns up more than 58,000 hits, many of them blog entries or inquiries by people who love the cookies and look forward to their reappearance every September.

Now that the brand is marking its 100th birthday, parent company Nabisco (part of Mondelez, the company formerly known as Kraft) has created a special Facebook page for the cookies. Stores in the Northeast are trumpeting the arrival of Mallomars with signage and special point-of-sale displays that boost the profile of this usually low-key cookie.

Although the Mallomars brand is less well known than Oreo--which celebrated its centennial in 2012, also orchestrated by parent Nabisco--loyal brand fans are buzzing about the cookie's birthday and, just as important, they're buying boxes for themselves and for their friends.