M&M's mascots 'too woke'?

Animated talking chocolates are the stars of M&M's communication for years. To respond to inclusion, the brand introduced a new character 'purple' last year, which is the colour linked to the LGTBQ+ community.

'Too Woke'

The arrival of the character 'purple' led to a lot of criticism. Mars Incorporated was acclaimed of using the mascots to engage in politics. The animated chocolate spokespersons are according to many people 'too woke'. 'Green' is said to be too sexy and lesbian, while another chocolate character is said to be an obese.

Responding to the conflict, the brand informed that they were putting the well known chocolates on hold, considering they did not expect their mascots to polarize so much and the company just wants to bring people together. 

Campaign Super Bowl

Last week, the Mars Incorporated manufacturer announced that the famous chocolate spokespeople will stay alive due to the many criticisms of cancellation the famous mascots. The communication surrounding M&M's mascots is part of an extensive campaign running up to the Super Bowl grand finale.

Bambix, the bear that grows with you

Bear Bambix, created by us, also creates a great emotional engagement between brand and consumer. The growing milk & biscuits brand 'Bambix' is always present at important childhood happenings. 

Bear Bambix gives the brand a physical face and a character which creates more brand value and a stronger customer relationship.

A mascot must obviously fit smoothly into a brand or company's strategy. It takes some time before the cute little figure is fully integrated and offers clear added value in the minds of (potential) consumers. Consequently, the best-known mascots, which still appear in commercials today, are decades old.

For example, think of the Duracell bunny, created in 1973 by the Gillet Company. By getting the toy bunny to sprint, race, drum, ... against their competitors, it became increasingly clear, Duracell batteries last longer!

The power of a Mascot

Jon Dowling celebrates the use of mascots in his book 'Mascot', in which he makes it clear that mascots are a popular tool to help brands gain media attention and maximise their sales.

The cute little figures succeed in evoking emotions, the brand positions itself in the society by using a mascot and leaves a lasting impression on its (potential) consumers.

The book ‘Mascot’ by Jon Dowling is also available in our own library!

How it ends with M&M's mascots, we will know on Sunday 12 February. The company will announce the campaign's finale during the most watched TV event of the year in the US of America. We are already looking forward to it!

Update Super Bowl 2023

Here is the M&M Super Bowl commercial. M&M told the world to replace the famous chocolate spokesmen by comedian Maya Rudolph.