Actor Maya Rudolph to interchange M&Ms spokescandies.
Source: Mars (L) | Getty Images (R)
Candy maker Mars said Monday it’s replacing its M&Ms “spokescandies” with actress Maya Rudolph after facing right-wing criticism over its mascot makeover.
Rudolph will star within the candy brand’s Super Bowl LVII industrial, Chief Marketing Officer Gabrielle Wesley told CNBC. It should be the actor’s first appearance because the brand’s spokesperson and “Chief of Fun.”
“The unique colourful forged of M&M’S spokescandies are, at present, pursuing other personal passions,” said Wesley.
She noted that in the approaching weeks, the corporate will announce “what the M&M’S spokescandies are as much as over the subsequent few weeks before, during and after Super Bowl LVII,” via their website and social media channels.
The spokescandies are a team of cartoon M&Ms mascots which have represented the brand in commercials and other marketing materials since 1960. Early last yr, the candy brand updated the cartoons and its marketing, rebranding each mascot with a latest backstory, clothing and personality to be more inclusive.
The green M&M, for instance, had previously drawn criticism for being marketed as too sexy, so the corporate switched out her knee-high heeled boots for sneakers and put more emphasis on her feminist values. “Orange” became a mascot riddled with anxiety, and the corporate added a latest purple M&M, which was designed to represent inclusivity.
The rebrand caught the attention of conservatives, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, on the time of the update and again in recent weeks, with some claiming the makeovers were one other example of a liberal agenda gone too far.
“Within the last yr, we have made some changes to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it could break the web,” M&Ms said in an announcement Monday on Twitter. “Now we get it — even a candy’s shoes might be polarizing … Due to this fact, we have now decided to take an indefinite pause on the spokescandies.”
The corporate announced Rudolph would take the place of the long-lasting mascots just ahead of the important thing Super Bowl promoting event.
“I’m a lifelong lover of the candy, and I feel prefer it’s such an honor to be asked to be a part of such a legendary brand’s campaign,” Rudolph said in an interview Monday with NBC’s TODAY.
Representatives for Rudolph didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Mars in December announced it could make its return to the Super Bowl promoting slate with a 30-second spot through the game Feb. 12. The corporate teased the industrial with a picture of its seven M&M characters, silhouetted on a football field.
“The newest campaign extends our purposeful work during the last yr but is rooted in a latest creative territory, and we won’t wait for our fans to see what’s about to unfold,” Wesley said in an announcement on the time.
Correction: A photograph caption on this story has been updated to correct the spelling of Maya Rudolph’s name.
