On February 5^th 2012, during SuperBowl XLVI, a new M&Ms commercial was shown. In it a new character was introduced: Ms. Brown, who is voiced by former Miss America Vanessa Williams.

So was adding Ms. Brown a good idea?
Before Ms. Brown was introduced, the only female character in the group was the flirtatious Ms. Green. In Ms. Brown’s debut commercial, it was clever that they played  with the aspect that she looked “naked”  compared to the other M&Ms.

I believe adding her was a good idea. Her character fits nicely with the group because she is the first truly intellectual character. Without Ms. Brown, there is smart alec Red, gullible Yellow, cool Blue, nervous Orange, and vampy Ms. Green.

The only problem Mars might run into is that their current slogan is “Chocolate is Better in Color.” Since brown is not a bright color, it might seem strange to use it in commercials that feature Ms. Brown.

Incorporating Ms. Brown into M&Ms Branding

A few months after the SuperBowl, Ms. Brown appeared in her second commercial which was promoting the “Find Ms. Brown” sweepstakes.

It was smart that the Mars decided to use Ms. Brown in commercials intended to air during NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice. These commercials were broadcast right before the contestants went to the boardroom and consisted of her giving business advice. Since Ms. Brown is the only character portrayed as a savvy and smart, it wouldn’t make much sense to have those commercials with another M&M character.

In the future I would like to see her in commercials and merchandise with Ms. Green. Now that there are two female characters, there is a huge advertising and merchandise opportunity to play off of their different personalities: the businesswoman and the flirtatious girl. Now that Mars has two female characters promoting the M&Ms line, they have more incentive to make more merchandise aimed at girls and women.

Mars should not have a problem adding Mrs. Brown to its stable of character merchandise because there will be a demand for products with her image. In future commercials, Ms. Brown and Ms. Green can play off of each other in commercials like Red and Yellow do. Hopefully, Ms. Brown will appear on some merchandise soon. Only time will tell if Mars takes full advantage of the marketing opportunities for Ms. Brown.