April 18, 2012: Advertising Techniques Journal 

M&Ms "Sexy and I Know It" Commercial

Give a brief description of the ad:

This is an advertisement for the candy M&Ms where the brown M&M girl is talking to two other women at a party. She notices a man across the room is laughing at how she appears to be naked and sees that assumption as ridiculous. Soon after, the red M&M appears and exclaims, “So it’s that kind of party!” rips his red coating off, and begins to dance to the LMFAO song “Sexy and I Know It.” The ad ends with the M&M candy with the phrase “not your average chocolate” underneath and closes with a short dance move from the red one.

What propaganda techniques are used? Point out where/how each technique is used.

The propaganda technique that was used throughout the commercial was humor. This is seen when the man across the room thinks the brown M&M is naked as well as when the red M&M strips and starts dancing.

What effect do the techniques have? In your opinion, do they do their job?

This technique did exactly what a humorous ad was supposed to do, it makes people laugh. M&Ms have had very funny commercials throughout the years and it keeps the candy in the minds of people when they are at the store or they make the connection when they hear the overplayed LMFAO song.

Who is the audience for this ad, and how do you know?

I think the audience for this ad is mainly the younger people who listen to the mainstream radio the most, just because of the song choice. But I also think it can be projected to everybody because the humor is not something that only kids or only adults would understand. For the most part, it is funny no matter who you are.

What is omitted from this ad? What is the effect of the omission?

The only things that are omitted from the ad are price and basic nutrition facts for the candy. This omission does not really have much effect because of how well known of a product M&Ms are and because they are generally not very expensive.

Would different audiences have different reactions? Explain!

In general, I do not think that different audiences would have different reactions. I think that based on the simplicity in both the humorous aspect and the commercial in its entirety, it would have the same effect on all different types of people. It is not something that would go over the head of a small child, it is not offensive to any specific group of people, it does not have any controversial connotations, and it is not too “dim-witted” for the older crowd.

What message, lifestyles and values are encouraged and/or portrayed through the ad? Make connections to what is in the ad.

I think in the beginning, this ad portrays elegance and a certain level of formality when the brown M&M is talking to the two other women. Then it shifts and shows the more outgoing and crazy lifestyle when the red M&M starts to dance around “naked.” When the phrase of “not your average chocolate” comes up at the end, the whole commercial can be summed up into a meaning that can be interpreted as something along the lines of M&Ms being a candy that a sophisticated person can enjoy M&Ms in a peaceful manner just as easily as the life of the party can.