M&M’s is officially returning to the Big Game, and it’s doing so with a new CMO at the helm.

Today, Mars Wrigley North America confirmed M&M’s participation in next year’s Super Bowl under the guidance of its newly appointed chief marketing officer, Gabrielle Wesley. The brand last participated in the event in 2021 with its spot, “Come Together.”

For Super Bowl LVII, which broadcasts on Feb. 12, 2023 on Fox, the candy brand will air a new 30-second spot from BBDO New York during the third commercial break in the second quarter. According to Mars Wrigley, the new work is just one factor in an “extensive, immersive campaign” that will roll out throughout the month surrounding the game.

While the Super Bowl is a massive undertaking for any first-time CMO, Wesley remains assured in her ability to follow the brand’s longstanding pursuit of fun, which she says ultimately guides all of M&M’s work, regardless of scale.

“Mars Wrigley has had a history of having a really iconic Super Bowl presence over the past decades,” Wesley told Adweek. “M&M’s is a brand that is all about fun, so I tell the teams all the time that if we’re not having fun, we’re not doing it.”

In a separate statement, Wesley noted that the new campaign will continue the brand’s purpose-led work from the past year—which delved largely into inclusivity with its recent character refresh and introduction of the new Purple spokescandy—while wading into “new creative territory.”

“We can’t wait for our fans to see what’s about to unfold,” she said.

Moving forward with purpose

Wesley, who has been with the company for over five years, succeeds Sarah Long, who left in October. In her new role, Wesley aims to maintain the brand’s cultural relevance by strengthening its relationship with younger audiences—a challenge that one might not readily associate with a tentpole snack brand.

“I think that it’s common knowledge that Gen Z is one of our most different generations, from how they shop and think to how they snack,” she observed. “So we have to adjust and stay relevant to all the generations of snackers. Some of our brands are 80 to 100 years old, and we continue to evolve.”

It’s a unique challenge that has pushed fellow legacy brands like Ocean Spray and McDonald’s to closely examine their creative approaches, resulting in campaigns guided by very specific humor or partnerships that are rooted in culture, respectively. In M&M’s case, Wesley says the brand will be expanding its presence in the music space by growing the M&M’s Music Lounge across major concert venues and exploring more partnerships with big artists, similar to its recent team-up with Lil Nas X for its limited edition packaging.

So far, the brand’s outreach seems be working: per Morning Consult’s 2022 ranking of favorite brands among Gen Z consumers, M&M’s placed fifth on the list. But overall, Wesley hopes all of the brand’s marketing efforts are seen as a unifier amongst younger and older fans alike.

She concluded, “I think that what you will see from our brands is that we will inspire moments of everyday happiness and meet our consumers where they are, regardless of what generation they’re a part of.”