M&M’s has announced not only a new look and feel but also a promise to bring people together through a refreshed brand strategy designed by Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR). Jane Hwang, global marketing vice president for Mars Wrigley, says: “From new product innovations to brand campaigns, our evolved characters, and our experiential retail stores, we’ll incorporate colorful visuals, inclusive messaging, and our purpose into all we do to prove that all together, we’re more fun.”
Beginning this year, consumers will start to see changes in the brand design, including an emphasis on the ampersand as a sign of togetherness highlighted throughout the system. The brand refresh will also allow space for the different shapes and colors to be featured, pushing the theme of inclusivity further. In addition, JKR also designed a typeface for M&M’s dubbed “All Together Serif,” with ink traps that hint at smiles and ball terminals that reference the candy’s circular shape.
The theme of connection gets yet a further nod with a more welcoming, and unifying tone of voice for the brand, plus an update to the characters through a lens of self-expression. Mars Wrigley is aiming to make the characters — particularly the female ones — more “current” and “representative of our consumer,” says Anton Vincent, president of Mars Wrigley North America. Newly placed ads by BBDO, for example, present the female M&M’S more prominently than before, and they’re wearing more sensible shoes. Brown gets a lower heel while Green selects sneakers over go-go boots.
States Mars Wrigley: “M&M’s has been around for more than 80 years and this year the brand continues to evolve to reflect the more dynamic, progressive world that we live in. As part of this evolution, built on purpose, M&M’s promises to use the power of fun to include everyone with a goal of increasing the sense of belonging for 10 million people around the world by 2025.”
