M&M’s a year ago tweaked the looks and personalities of its candy mascots in an effort to spearhead a new purpose-based brand identity reflecting inclusiveness, self-expression and belonging. Executives said that modernized the brand and opened it up to more relevant cultural collaborations, including packaging inspired by iconic records. The brand in September introduced a new candy character, Purple, whose role is to embody self-expression.
M&M’s has been a frequent Super Bowl advertiser, having last appeared in 2021 in a spot featuring actor Dan Levy. The brand also ran Super Bowl spots in 2019 and 2018.
“Mars has delivered some of the most buzz-worthy Super Bowl moments over the years, and we’re inspired by the M&M'S brand being back in the mix in a new way for 2023,” Gabrielle Wesley, chief marketing officer, Mars Wrigley North America, said in a press release. “M&M’S brings people together through the power of fun to foster belonging, with universal humor that entertains fans in a way only a globally loved and legendary brand like M&M’S can. The latest campaign extends our purposeful work over the last year but is rooted in a new creative territory, and we can’t wait for our fans to see what's about to unfold.”
Wesley succeeded Sarah Long in the CMO role in June.