Sexy M&M’s and the land grab for who’s the most woke brand

Image Copyright: Mars, Inc.

This week, Mars, Inc. dropped a brand new Super Bowl commercial that showcased the revamped personalities of America’s favorite chocolate candies. And while the spot itself is a pretty straightforward message of inclusion, the story—or backstory—in this case, sparked controversy across both the woke and anti-woke sides of the aisle. 

Sexy Green sheds her high heels as an act of feminism. Orange shakes with anxiety as a hook for Gen Z. The other personalities got tweaked as well, albeit in less dramatic ways. 

But is that enough to prove the M&M’s are woke? And more importantly, do consumers even care if their candy snacks are woke? 

I had the opportunity to discuss these questions and more with Lauren Gilger this week on KJZZ’s The Show: The debate over sexy M&M's and woke advertising.

Our job as marketers is to create meaningful connections between brands and consumers. We have long known that humans are wired to connect with stories. And study after study proves out that consumers respond more positively (and buy more often) when they see themselves represented in ads. That’s clearly the intent behind the revamped M&M’s. 

The brand story is crafted to communicate what a company represents, its values and its mission, but to ring true, it must also be a reflection of how a company acts. This new M&M’s ad opens the door for consumers to ask bigger questions: How does Mars treat its employees? How do they source products and ingredients? Are they simply promoting themes of inclusivity, mental health and feminism or is the corporate behemoth behind the candy making real, meaningful steps toward social change?

But then again, is the mere fact that we’re even talking about sexy M&M’s what the real goal of this campaign was? Is starting the conversation enough to create that meaningful connection that will drive sales? 

My guess: in the short term, yes. But in the long run, I believe consumers are hungry for something more filling than a handful of woke M&M’s.