Fri 24 Mar 2006
Anyone think the new M&M commercial called ‘kaleidescope’ is weird? Hard shell candies with goofy googly eyes get motion sickness and eventually eaten a la slapstick to the music of Iron and Wine, the independent, cerebral, transcendental, melancholy, folk band, covering the Postal Service song “Such Great Heights.”
Is this a clever ironic juxtaposition, or a lame transparent marketing trick, tossing a stone in the dark at hard-to-reach demographics? What a weird pair. Imagine if WBEZ (NPR) took This American Life away from Ira Glass and gave it to the late-late-night charlatan Carson Daly.
March 24th, 2006 at 6:20 pm
Yes, they are weird - especially considering M&M’s very straightforward, consistently logical, and moderately amusing campaigns throughout the 90’s to the present. But they are also aware of the fact that their little round M&M cartoonish characters have taken on a life of their own as major American pop icons. Personally I believe this was just some left-field approach that some high-up at their advertising firm pushed through. I don’t think they tested this ad and asked panel members whether it made them feel like going out and purchasing a particular brand of chocolate. It has 0 concept. My verdict: some advertising firm made a nice chunk of change turning out more blase noise for us to glaze over.