We’ve learned not to call it a “plain” M&M (call it a milk chocolate M&M). Now it’s time to finally embrace one that, until this point, hasn’t been known for much of a personality. But it’s getting one soon. That’s right — “Team M&M” is fighting for a little respect, and they’re going for it by announcing a new member on Super Bowl Sunday (February 5th).
If you’ve stayed up nights panicked that there aren’t enough feminist candy spokespeople, here’s good news: M&M’s will unveil a new female-centric character in a new Super Bowl commercial.
Meet “Ms. Brown” — a new version of the brown M&M, the least known color of M&M in the bag. M&Ms already has characters based on its red, yellow, blue, orange and green candies, with most of the candies being male-identified. So far green has been the lone female in the bag. But now, brown will join her. In high heels, no less.
Ms. Brown means business; she already has a Facebook page. Her personality traits include drive and intelligence. The New York Times describes her as, “an intelligent woman with a sharp wit who finally decided to reveal herself after working for decades behind the scenes as ‘chief chocolate officer.’” Oooooohhhh…
She has also gone live on Twitter. Her first Tweet? “Well behaved women seldom make history” (quoting anti-Mormon feminist Laurel Thatcher Ulrich).
M&M’s hasn’t run a Super Bowl ad in three years. Using the Super Bowl (with over 110 million viewers) to promote the Ms makes this news, I guess. OK, so it isn’t news… but it’s a lot more fun to write about than most things that qualify as news today. (And, hey — I just might get a complimentary shipment of M&Ms out of it.) According to NBC Sports, the average cost for a 30-second commercial this year $3.5 million. Even at those prices, the ad slots were sold-out by Thanksgiving.
Can’t wait for the big game? Here are some of the most popular Super Bowl commercials of all time…
Be on the lookout for Ms. Brown in print ads, online ads, displays in stores, radio commercials and television appearances, including the new season of “The Celebrity Apprentice.” It’s all about the impact of total ad campaign, and with this Parcbench article, it’s just beginning.
All of which sort of makes me hungry for some Doritos.
