How M&M’s spoiled its PR moment with Super Bowl ads

They ruined a chance to do something bigger.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
M&M's Super Bowl ad fell flat.

M&M’s captured headlines around the world when it announced it would put an “indefinite pause” on its iconic anthropomorphic candy spokescreatures in response to a manufactured outrage over any change to the candies’ appearance — especially the female characters.

The timing was enough to raise plenty of eyebrows. Many, including PR Daily, speculated it was part of a Super Bowl stunt. Indeed, their announcement explicitly said that Maya Rudolph would star in their Super Bowl commercial.

And sure enough, it was all a stunt. One that, impressively, managed to make Maya Rudolph unfunny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV2ARgWiGok&ab_channel=M%26M%27S

It casts Rudolph as a despotic spokesperson who renames the candies “Ma&Ya’s” after herself and replaces the inside with clams. I don’t know why.

Glimpses of the spokescandies pepper the commercial. And then, in a post-game commercial, it’s confirmed that the rainbow-colored confections are back in.

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.