The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2023
M&M's paused its spokescandies to end a culture war — the pause became the war
M&M's redesigned its candy characters, then 'paused' them after Fox News called it woke. Maya Rudolph replaced the spokescandies; they came back anyway.
Mars (M&M's)
What happened
In January 2022, Mars began redesigning its M&M's characters as part of a 'progressive' brand update. The Green M&M's go-go boots became sneakers; the Brown M&M's heels were lowered. A new Purple M&M was introduced for International Women's Day. The changes were modest — shoe modifications on anthropomorphic chocolate.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson turned the redesign into a months-long culture war segment, arguing the changes were part of a 'woke' agenda. The coverage generated sustained outrage from conservative media and turned candy mascots into a political flashpoint.
On January 23, 2023, M&M's announced an 'indefinite pause' of the spokescandies, citing their desire not to be 'polarising.' Comedian Maya Rudolph was announced as the replacement — 'someone America can agree on.' The pause satisfied no one: critics on the right saw it as capitulation; critics on the left saw it as surrender to bad-faith outrage. The spokescandies were quietly brought back after the Super Bowl. The entire saga — from shoe redesign to pause to restoration — produced weeks of free media coverage and no measurable brand benefit.
Why it happened
- The pause was a no-win decision: removing the characters to avoid controversy confirmed the controversy was working — and told both sides the brand would fold under pressure.
- The redesign was too small to defend and too large to ignore: shoe changes on candy mascots should not have been a national news story — but once it was, silence was not an option.
- Maya Rudolph was a compromise: 'someone America can agree on' is a null value — a spokesperson chosen for inoffensiveness inspires neither loyalty nor attention.
- The free media was the trap: weeks of coverage kept the controversy alive without selling chocolate — the brand was discussed constantly and purchased no more.
The lesson
Pausing your brand mascots to end a culture war makes the mascots the culture war. The audience that demands the pause is never satisfied; the audience that liked the mascots is alienated.
Sources
- NPR — 'M&M's backlash: spokescandies, candy, Tucker Carlson, and a culture war', 2023-01-24
- CNN Business — 'M&M's controversy explained', 2023-01-23
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