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Rest assured, Mars Wrigley’s beloved M&M characters are still the chocolate brand’s official spokescandies, according to a recent news release. What was expected to be an “indefinite pause” and replacement of the candies was a marketing stunt building up to its debut in the Super Bowl.
Earlier this week, the chocolate brand dropped the news that the spokescandies would retire and real-life actress Maya Rudolph would be the new spokesperson. The unexpected changes came after backlash from far right conservative pundits, like Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who condemned the new “woke M&M’s” and its new inclusivity campaign.
By Wednesday, the chocolate brand announced even more changes to the spokescandies, including Yellow finding a new home with Snickers and Orange launching a meditative Spotify playlist.
“All of America can watch the storyline resolve with our appearance in the Super Bowl — with the characters right where they belong, at the heart of the brand,” said a brand spokesperson via a news release.
At best, the response to conservative criticism has sparked conversations about brand purpose and values. At worst, the pre-Super Bowl marketing stunt has left marketers with mixed feelings and questions about the value of viral, stunt marketing as well as questions about when to engage with cultural conversations as brands.
“In both cases, it lays bare that when brands participate in cultural and political conversations, it is theater,” said Rachael Kay Albers, creative director and brand strategist at RKA Ink, a branding and marketing agency. Meaning stunt or not, the move comes off as inauthentic, she added.
Compromising brand values for virality?
In an emailed statement to Digiday, a spokesperson for the brand said the chocolate brand will share more on the M&M’s next steps over the next few weeks. Since then, both the yellow and orange characters have made new ventures. The changes raised eyebrows across the…
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