Ketchup 021: I'm High Right Now, R.I.P. Leon, Whopper Whopper
+We Believers, OKRP, Snap, Inc, MullenLowe, Receptor Brands, Sister Merci,...+More
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Heya, 👋
Life update: I moved from Denver, CO, to Brooklyn, NY, to make it official with Mischief @ NFA. We actually made it official back in July, but moving to New York is... insane. At least that's what I felt like after months of searching for apartments, visiting dirty-ass open houses, and meeting too many greasy brokers. As of Jan 1st, I officially moved to New York. If you live in the area, hit me up; I'd love to connect in person.
Okay, let’s talk about how someone needs to give M&M’s a hug.
Last year, M&Ms went through the wringer. And by wringer, I mean multiple-mentions-on-Fox- News'-Tucker-Carlson-Tonight kind of wringer.
Controversy explained:
Roughly a year ago, Mars Wrigley updated the looks of its beloved “spokescandies” to make them more progressive. It was an earnest move that lit the internet up. Apparently progressive meant ugly with annoying personalities: the grumpy red M&M turned cheery (mind you Omnicron was peaking at this time), orange morphed into an anxious Gen Z, brown became short and stumpy, and most notably, the green M&M who was downgraded from her iconic sexy self (a Samantha for sure), got short legs, white tights, and sneakers instead of her flirty go-go boots.
Cue feminist activists and Tucker Carlson who want hot M&M’s. TBH, I’m with them.
More recently, seemingly out of nowhere, Carlson brought back the story about the "Woke M&M’s." While his segment provided no new information (info from 2015 & 2022) on the rebrand, it naturally inspired a viral TikTok trend where people used his audio clip to reenact useless information.
Then, suddenly, M&M dropped their big announcement that they are pulling the “spokescandies” indefinitely. From M&M’s official Twitter:
In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. But now we get it — even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing.
And Maya Rudolph is here to save the day? As quickly as the announcement went up, M&M’s changed all their accounts to Ma&Ya’s and dropped some very cute spots of Rudolph being her cute self as M&M’s new Chief of Fun.
Five days later, Mars Wrigley confirmed to the New York Times that the “spokescandies” are very much alive and will be returning to the Superbowl.
It’s giving me dead Mr. Peanut?
👇⬇️ What you came here for. ⬇️👇
Fork: (Ads)
I'm High Right Now by Receptor Brands & Sister Merci – The Cannabis Media Council wants boomers in Connecticut to know it's okay to smoke pot and the war on drugs is over.
Our Hands by MullenLowe Los Angeles – Patrón Tequila is literally made by the hands of artisan Mexicans and so is this ad.
Wait'll you see this by Snap, Inc – Reminds us that Snapchat is still alive with its fever dream of filters. What’s cool is that every single frame of the spot is scannable and will take you to new lenses and Snap easter eggs.
R.I.P. Leon by TBWA/Media Arts Lab – For the Apple iPhone 14, shows the perks of its latest (and, I’ll say, greatest) feature: unsent text messages. You should also watch Action Mode.
Whopper Whopper by OKRP – People are freaking out about Burger King's new Whopper jingle. It’s so bad it’s good.
Knife: (Stunts)
The Big Gay Donation by Uncommon Creative Studio – This subversive campaign aims to sway the next World Cup location in a big gay way.
UnResignation Letter by Mischief – For Connect RN, nurses stick up for themselves by calling out their healthcare leaders.
The Stacker by We Believers – Installed stacked BK logos at restaurants to promote Burger King’s new Stacker King burger.
The Conspiracy Mural by Amazon Prime - A trailer for The Boys Season 3 in the form of a mural that is updated over time to reveal the plot.
MISCHF Website by MISCHF – Finally, a website with all their work dating back to 2019.
Spoons: (Resources)
🚨 Cannes See It Be It program – Applications open for a female-focused accelerator program with Cannes. Deadline: February 13.
🚨 API Creative Scholarship by Asians in Advertising x Pimp my Portfolio – Is collaborating to give away 3 portfolio makeovers. Deadline: February 17.
DoingCoolStuff.xyz – A directory of brand and digital product design studios doing cool stuff.
Word Tonic – GEN-Z copywriting community + newsletter.
@radvertising_co – An apparel brand for ad nerds.
Marketing Examples by Harry Dry – A library of great marketing examples.
@ana.yvy – Vibey fonts & animations for sale.
Webby 2023 Trend Report – Everything Gen Z <3.
@madtoya – Art Director & Editorial Designer for Businessweek, previously at the New York Times, Domino Magazine, and Man Repeller.
D&AD Masterclasses Creative Courses – Level up with courses in brand storytelling, emotions in video editing, and selling work.
Free the Nipples by Facebook – Instagram and Facebook now allow female nipples to be published online.
@mediaproblems – Media team memes to send around.
The Gist – A women-founded professional & collegiate sports newsletter and brand.
The Avail List – January '23 Talent Spotlight and potential hires.
One more thing:
Delightful Daytime Commercials from 1998!
Thanks for reading! All typos are intentional to make sure you're not sleeping.
& that's the sauce,
K
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