M&M’s, the popular chocolate candy brand, has announced that it will be taking a break from its iconic spokescandies and instead will be rebranding with comedian and actress Maya Rudolph as the new face of the brand. The decision comes after the company faced backlash and controversy over changes made to the spokescandies last year.
In a statement, M&M’s said, “In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. The changes were so polarizing that we have decided to take an indefinite pause from the spokescandies.”
The company had previously updated the look of its anthropomorphized chocolate characters in an effort to make them more relevant to young consumers. The changes were mostly subtle, but the alteration to Green’s shoes, from go-go boots to sneakers, caused a significant amount of outrage on social media, with many bemoaning the loss of the character’s signature look.
Additionally, in September, M&M’s announced another change: the introduction of a new female character, Purple, as part of an effort to make the group of spokescandies more inclusive. This move also prompted criticism, with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum stating, “If this is what you need for validation, an M&M that is the color that you think is associated with feminism, then I’m worried about you.”
The company has now decided to take a different approach by choosing Maya Rudolph as the new spokesperson for the brand. Gabrielle Wesley, Chief Marketing Officer for Mars Wrigley North America, stated that the partnership with Rudolph has been “in the works for a while” and that this decision is not a reaction to backlash but is instead a move to support the M&M’s brand.
Rudolph will appear in an M&M’s Super Bowl commercial, which was announced by Mars in December. The company has assured that the original colorful cast of M&M’s spokescandies will be pursuing other personal passions and that they will be sharing more information on their new pursuits over the next few weeks.
In conclusion, M&M’s is taking a break from its iconic spokescandies, which generated controversy last year, and rebranding with Maya Rudolph as its new spokesperson. The company is confident that Rudolph will champion the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels they belong.
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