M&M's Maya Rudolph Super Bowl 2023 Campaign Just Dropped
For those of you who haven't been paying attention, there's been a massive shake-up at M&M's. The anthropomorphic spokescandies have found themselves embroiled in America's culture wars. Mars, which owns M&M's, announced it would make some subtle changes to its characters in order to foster inclusion and feelings of belonging. The changes included giving the female characters — the green and brown M&M's — flats and kitten heels instead of their high heels and stilettos, respectively. The company also added a new purple M&M, designed to represent "acceptance and inclusivity," according to a statement. These changes ended up being a polarizing event, especially in right-leaning media circles, which accused the candy company of being "woke" in an effort to be equitable, according to The New York Times.
All of the hullabaloo led to Mars canceling the spokescandies because the changes they made had the opposite effect they had initially intended. In a statement posted to Twitter, the company announced that they would be suspending the characters indefinitely but assured that their new spokesperson, Saturday Night Life alum, musician, and producer Maya Rudolph, would be the right person for the job.
The spokescandies are fine; they're exploring their passions and hobbies during their hiatus
While the spokescandies are away, Maya Rudolph has taken the reins of the M&M's brand and isn't afraid to make some big changes. As part of M&M's Super Bowl campaign, Rudolph as put her face on the candy coating and renamed the candy to Ma&Ya's in a series of YouTube videos and 15-second commercials. Her next announcement is a bit salty, though — chocolate-covered clams. Delicious. The campaign will continue "to bring the fun with unexpected plot twists and humorous scenarios," according to a statement.
During Rudolph's stint as "Chief of Fun" in the run-up to the big game, the spokescandies are keeping busy with their hobbies and passions. Yellow is now the spokescandy for Snickers, because he was "born to be a spokescandy" and won't let this hiatus stop him. Snickers even made the announcement on their Instagram. The relatably cautious and anxious Orange is attempting to find some inner peace by hosting a meditation playlist on Spotify and Blue is going to be commentating on the plays made during the Super Bowl. We'll be able to see the conclusion of the campaign's storyline and other zany ideas from Rudolph during Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12.