Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and…M&Ms?

‘M&Ms go woke with new versions of characters to reflect ‘a more dynamic, progressive world’
illustration from Daily Mail Online

via your classmate Cady

Mars Inc, the parent company for the candy-coated chocolate known as M&Ms, has announced a refresh for the characters previously featured in many of the brand’s marketing communications.

The focus on the character makeover was to promote inclusivity, given that two of the M&M’s seem to represent ‘sexy’ females, given their long eyelashes and high-heeled shoes. In the announcement, Mars indicated that a change is coming for all characters, with an objective of having “more nuanced personalities to underscore the importance of self-expression and power of community through storytelling” (Mars Inc., 2022).

Some of the changes to the characters include giving the M&Ms arms and legs that match their shell colour (rather than a single flesh-tone), and a change to the attire of the feminine brown and green M&Ms. These have sparked a debate among some twitter users, with many expressing their strong preference for the female M&M characters to remain as is.

Specifically, many memes on social media began circulating regarding the green M&M, who’s iconic knee-high boots will be replaced with plain white sneakers. These included popular tweets with thousands of likes, such as “why did they reverse yassify the green m&m” (Twitter @mattxiv), and “they told green m&m she couldn’t go to euphoria high school anymore” (Twitter @alex_abads), a reference to a popular Netflix series whose storyline often includes the sexual activities of its teen characters. Additionally, a petition on change.org has accumulated over 19,000 signatures to keep the green m&m sexy (https://www.change.org/p/keep-the-green-m-m-sexy).

This story is a very interesting example of how companies adapt to try and stay relevant with current customers. Currently, brands are becoming increasingly consciousness of issues of inclusivity, and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of related trends, such as body-positivity and gender inclusion (see link below with Mars’ statement on inclusivity). This example indicates that Mars is trying to adopt these views and relate to its customers through M&Ms’ characters.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/mms-are-getting-new-look-become-inclusive-people-jokingly-think-hotter-rcna12935

https://www.mars.com/news-and-stories/press-releases/mms-announces-global-commitment-inclusivity

https://www.mms.com/en-us/experience-mms/characters?color=green

Pepsi’s Got A Beef with Fast Food Chains

via your classmate Amanda:

In honour of recent National Burger Day (May 27), Pepsi found a way to turn the heat up on its beef with rival Coke in a new social media campaign. Pepsi tweeted a series of photos featuring McDonald’s, Wendys, and Burger King’s take-out bags, each seeming to uncover a hidden Pepsi logo on the bags. The tweets were captioned: “ALL burgers go #BetterWithPepsi…even when we’re not on the menu, we’re always in the picture.”

This is a direct dig at the fact that each of those restaurants features Coca-Cola beverages in their drink menus and in-store fountains. Before this campaign, I did not realize that Coca-Cola dominates the fast-food drink industry so completely. For example, the only fast-food restaurant that I can think of that is partnered with Pepsi is Harvey’s. This campaign challenges the restaurants and their agreements with Coca-Cola while also bringing awareness to the consumer. This is a strategic move in that Pepsi undoubtedly wants more market share in the fast-food drink industry. It’s an area in which they are lacking behind their main competition.

I think this campaign was bold and beefy. It demonstrates the strategic direction of Pepsi of wanting a bigger piece of the fast-food market. I would consider this a win for Pepsi due to all the attention and press that it received. Who knows, maybe in the next few years you’ll be asked “Is Pepsi ok?” when you order a Coke at your local drive-thru. 

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/05/27/ad-the-day-pepsi-s-hidden-logos-proof-it-goes-better-with-burgers-coke

A New Logo, Plain And Simple

via your classmate Yianni:

It’s subtle, but you may have noticed that amid the various societal changes and trends that occurred during the 2010s, countless major brands have implemented almost the exact same type of change: their logos!

Traditionally, we may have thought of a “successful” and “strong” brand logo as being one that was intricate and elaborate in its design, with major companies and corporations spending considerable resources to perfect the complexity of their desired logo. Everything from the shadows and depth of a logo’s font to the 3D appearance and cartoonist “pop” of a logo was deemed unique and subtly engaging.

Over the last few years however, there has been a reversal of this tendancy by some of the world’s most recognizable brands. As you can see in the image above, many major brands have transitioned from logos that incorporated detail, depth and 3-dimensional appearance to flatter and “cleaner” designs with simpler colours and fonts.

Is this just another fad or trend among fashion cycles as it pertains to logos and art, or is there something to be said about the psychology behind consumer behaviour and our innate response to simpler and abstract designs? Perhaps as society became more oriented and accustomed to efficiency and simplicity in the types of products and services we demand and use, we inherently desired a more simplistically-designed logo to be accompanied with it?

Article from:

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-03-07/debranding-is-the-new-branding-for-burger-king-warner-bros