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The M&M’s characters have received makeovers to fit into a “more dynamic and forward-thinking world,” candy company Mars Wrigley announced.
The new designs are supposed to be more community-oriented and focus more on “character personalities, rather than their gender.”
In 1997, the green M&M received white go-go dancer boots, which have now been replaced by “cool, laid-back sneakers to reflect its inherent confidence,” according to the company.
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The redesign comes after Mars has been criticized for the green M&M’s approach to being sexy in its marketing.
The company said the green M&M will be “better represented to reflect confidence and empowerment, as a strong woman known for much more than her boots.”
The new strategy of marketing it will also show that the green M&M and the brown M&M will have a better relationship to show a “supportive force among women”.
They will now “encourage each other instead of criticizing each other,” the company added. At times, the green M&M and brown M&M have been antagonistic in ad campaigns, at other times they have been friendly, and at other times they have been seen as something more than that, as in a viral tweet from 2015 in which they can be view holding hands on a beach.
It’s rare Ms. Brown and I get to spend time together without some colorful characters barging in. – Ms. Green pic.twitter.com/hnoktsAgAW
— M&M’S (@mmschocolate) June 28, 2015
While the brown M&M won’t lose its heels, they will be smaller, the company said.
Mars said the orange M&M is “one of Generation Z’s most relatable characters” because it’s the “most anxious generation.”
They said the character will “embrace his true self, worries and all,” but added that his shoelaces will be tied, in keeping with the character’s care.
The red M&M has been seen as a bully in previous marketing, but will now be friendlier in the updated campaigns.
M&M’s will also no longer have the same proportions to include all shapes and sizes of candy in their ads.
The company said these interventions aim to show the value of “personal expression” and the “power of community.”
Mars Wrigley North America President Anton Vincent told CNN that try to make the characters more “current” and “representative of our consumer”.
He said the new shoes are “a subtle sign, but it’s a sign that people really picked up on.”
The logo will now stand upright instead of sideways, to emphasize the et (&).
Although the changes are small, the co-founder of the company marketing Metaforce, David Camp, told CNN that “every brand has to continually reinvent itself to remain relevant.”
M&M’s were introduced in 1941 and the characters began to be used to sell the candy in 1954. The red and yellow M&M’s were originally used to advertise the regular versions and the versions with peanuts inside, but other characters joined in the 1950s. 1990 and was added to the M&M coffee in 2012.
Vincent said the company aims to show “a little more gender balance” in its marketing and that the changes “give us a good platform to talk about the general idea of belonging.”
He added that the company will “focus on the characters in terms of the total brand, and then we will build a platform to be able to defend and talk about this idea.”