To kick off its yearlong 75th anniversary campaign, M&M's celebrated the milestone with a media and consumer event that offered guests an inside look at the residences of the brand's six "Spokescandies": Red, Yellow, Ms. Green, Blue, Orange, and Ms. Brown.
The event, which took place March 3 at the Altman Building in New York, featured six rooms inspired by the personalities and the colors of the brand's "Spokescandies," which have appeared in commercials and advertising campaigns.
Shelley Elkins, senior vice president and group creative director of Jack Morton Worldwide, oversaw the creative design and strategy for the event. Elkins said the idea was to bring to life the history of the M&M's in a modern way.
Elkins explained that her team dug into each of the character's personalities by researching what exists in the brand's past campaigns, including TV spots. They developed backstories based on the research, through which they brought the personalities to life. She also noted that the goal for each room was to have a balance of historic memorabilia, decor, and personal touches.
The anniversary campaign also included an ad that featured a remake of "Candyman," from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, by singer Aloe Blacc and DJ Zedd. The duo performed the song toward the end of the event.
According to Elkins, M&M's plans to do a traveling version of the experience for trade shows and internal events, as well as with a virtual reality version.
