M&M’s become an everyday apology tool in its Super Bowl spot starring Dan Levy
“Sorry I called you Karen,” one woman says to a neighbor named … Karen
Editor's Pick
M&M’s is suggesting its candies as a thoughtful way to apologize for life’s little irritations and come together in its first Super Bowl spot since 2019, though Dan Levy’s apology seems less than sincere.
The “Come Together” spot comes from M&M’s longtime creative agency BBDO New York and is set to air during the first commercial break after kickoff. The director is Matt Aselton from Arts & Sciences.
The Super Bowl spot shows people handing out packs of M&M’s to those they’re apologizing to for various transgressions. Missteps in the spot include kicking the plane seat in front of you (on purpose), mansplaining (and explaining mansplaining while apologizing for mansplaining — naturally), hosting a gender reveal party where guests get covered with blue powder, and showing what happened at the end of last week's teaser. Then, a man hands a pack to a priest in the confessional.
The final everyday type of apology comes in an apartment building lobby.
“Sorry I called you Karen,” one woman says to her neighbor. “That’s my name,” says the neighbor receiving the candy.
“Sorry that’s your name,” the apologizer says, handing Karen another pack.
Then the spot heads to the lives of the M&M’s spokescandies, where Dan Levy tells the green and brown ones that “I promise I will not eat any more of your friends.”
Green is unconvinced by Levy, who is making his Super Bowl ad debut.
"I always try to take part in well-intentioned campaigns with brands that align with my sense of humor, so this ad was a perfect fit," Levy said in a statement. "One of the things I loved most about this campaign was the message about how something small—like sharing M&M'S—can help bring people together."
The spot doesn’t suggest these COVID-19 times, as no one is distancing or wearing masks. But the premise was informed by recent events.
"M&M'S is a fun and colorful brand—so tapping into that humor to help us laugh and feel more connected to each other felt very right this year," Sarah Long, Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Wrigley North America, said in a statement.
The Mars Wrigley brand revealed its 30-second commercial during a 9 a.m. Zoom meeting hosted by its yellow spokescandy and featuring an appearance by M&M’s auto racing partner and former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who isn’t in the spot itself. During the brief presentation, which M&M's opened up to 50,000 people, the yellow character offered a coupon code for M&M's, suggesting it was for those who vote the spot up in the USA Today Ad Meter poll.
This spot will be M&M’s sixth ad in the game in the past decade. M&M’s last appeared in 2019, with a spot starring Christina Applegate driving the spokescandies, who were bad passengers. It previously ran spots in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2018.
Credits
- Date
- Feb 03, 2021
- Client :
- M&Ms
- Agency :
- BBDO-New York
- Global VP – Brands, Content & Media :
- Rankin Carroll
- VP Marketing North America :
- Sarah Long
- Senior Brand Director :
- Allison Miazga Bedrick
- Brand Content & Communications Architect :
- Chris Brody
- Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Worldwide :
- David Lubars
- Global Executive Creative Director :
- Tim Bayne
- Senior Creative Director :
- Corey Rakowsky
- Senior Creative Director :
- Kleber Menezes
- Creative Director :
- Jessica Rello
- Creative Director :
- Jenn Tranbarger
- Creative Director :
- Matt Vescovo
- EVP Group Executive Producer :
- Amy Wertheimer
- Executive Producer :
- Sofia Doktori Handler
- Senior Music Producer :
- Julia Millison
- Business Manager :
- Shelly Bloch
- CEO & President :
- Kirsten Flanik
- EVP Global Account Leader Mars In :
- Susannah Keller
- EVP Senior Director :
- Lisa Piliguian
- SVP Account Director :
- Ashley Gill
- Account Director :
- Rebecca Orlandi
- Account Manager :
- Taylor Baird
- Account Executive :
- Jessica Dunne
- Production Company :
- Arts & Sciences
- Director :
- Matt Aselton
- Executive Producer :
- Zoe Odlum
- Managing Partner :
- Marc Marrie
- Managing Director :
- Mal Ward
- Head of Production :
- Christa Skotland
- Director of Photography :
- Malik Sayeed
- Editorial :
- MackCut
- Editor :
- Ian Mackenzie
- Assistant Editor :
- Cooper McLane
- Executive Producer :
- Gina Pagano
- Animation/VFX :
- House Special
- Executive Producer :
- Lourri Hammack
- Animation Director :
- Kirk Kelley
- Senior Producer :
- Zilpha Yost
- Color :
- Company 3
- Colorist :
- Tim Masick
- Producer :
- Kevin Breheny
- Audio :
- Heard City
- Mixer :
- Keith Reynaud
- Mixer :
- Phil Loeb
- Producer :
- Sasha Awn
- Music :
- Human Worldwide
- EP :
- James Wells
- Composer :
- Matthew O’Malley
- Creative Lead :
- Morgan Visconti
- Creative Lead :
- Matthew O’Malley
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