M&M's: Hazelnut Spread - New Spokescandy
M&M's (Mars Wrigley) tasked BBDO New York with launching Hazelnut Spread M&M's as a permanent addition to the lineup. They needed to generate massive awareness in a crowded snack market. The goal was to leverage the iconic spokescandies to convince chocolate lovers that this new flavor was an essential, irresistible must-try.
Creative Idea
The existing M&M's characters ate the new mascot before he could be introduced.
To launch the new Hazelnut Spread flavor, M&M's introduced a new mascot only to have the iconic original characters immediately eat him. This dark humor subverted brand tropes to dramatize the product's irresistible taste through candy cannibalism.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
M&M's possessed a beloved cast of characters with established personalities and a history of self-referential humor.
Category
Snack brands typically introduce new flavors with upbeat, straightforward mascot reveals and product benefit claims.
Customer
Consumers are desensitized to traditional product launches and appreciate brands that do not take themselves too seriously.
Culture
The rise of dark, self-aware humor in digital culture made candy cannibalism a viral and memorable concept.
Company
M&M's possessed a beloved cast of characters with established personalities and a history of self-referential humor.
Category
Snack brands typically introduce new flavors with upbeat, straightforward mascot reveals and product benefit claims.
Strategy:
Subvert established brand lore through dark humor to prove product irresistibility via internal character conflict.
Customer
Consumers are desensitized to traditional product launches and appreciate brands that do not take themselves too seriously.
Culture
The rise of dark, self-aware humor in digital culture made candy cannibalism a viral and memorable concept.
Strategy:
Subvert established brand lore through dark humor to prove product irresistibility via internal character conflict.
Strategy Technique
Use the Brand As a Character
By personifying the brand, the campaign leverages M&M's established character-driven humor - but with a shocking twist. This unexpected "cannibalism" powerfully conveys the Hazelnut Spread flavor's deliciousness, making it the star.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Reverse Expectations
The ad builds anticipation for a new character reveal, a standard brand trope, then shocks the audience by revealing the character has already been consumed by the existing cast.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The ad's success lies in its seamless integration of high-quality 3D animation with live-action performance, maintaining the brand's established comedic tone.
The 3D M&M's characters are perfectly integrated into the live-action environment with expressive facial movements.
The host's over-the-top enthusiasm and subsequent shock provide a great foil for the animated characters.
The synergy between the live-action performance and the character animation creates a believable and funny interaction.
The Darkest Reveal in Candy History
A Masterclass in Candy Cannibalism
To achieve the perfect comedic timing of the "reveal," the production team at PS260 experimented with various editing structures. While the script originally called for three progressively wider shots to show the empty stage, editors Maury Loeb and Sara Sachs discovered that a single, sudden cut to the wide shot maximized the shock value. The final scene features a haunting visual of the new mascot's remains - only a pair of white gloves and shoes - while the existing characters, voiced by talent including J.K. Simmons, are caught red-handed with hazelnut spread on their faces. Notably, Ms. Brown is the only character portrayed as innocent, standing aside in disappointment.
High Tech Meets Live Action
Directed by Academy Award winner Grant Heslov and produced by Hungry Man, the campaign utilized a complex hybrid of live-action and CGI. The human spokesperson, played by Sara Amini, was filmed on a Los Angeles backlot against a greenscreen, while the background plates were captured on location in New York City. The Portland-based animation studio HouseSpecial then integrated the CG characters into the environment. This high-production approach supported the product's status as a permanent addition to the lineup, following the success of M&M's Caramel, which had previously reached $169 million in annual sales.
Grand Central and Beyond
The launch was preceded by a "Go Hazelnutty" experiential event at Grand Central Terminal, where fans "paid" for the product through public performances. This integrated strategy helped maintain M&M's position as the #1 chocolate brand in the U.S. for household penetration. The campaign eventually expanded into a three-part series, including follow-up spots titled "Injury Attorney" and "Psychiatrist," further leaning into the dark humor that defined the launch.
