I chose the
M&M commercial with William Levy and the female chocolate M&M
character. Chocolate is special when one considers sweet treats; it is elevated
to a special status, chocolate is
an aphrodisiac. This commercial has Levy and the Chocolate M&M on a date in
a restaurant. The dialogue is clever, it starts with Levy complimenting the
M&M, telling her she looks delicious. This starts the discussion about why
he likes her, is it for her body or for who she is. Levy tries to reassure her
saying he likes her for what she is on the inside. She’s chocolate. The female
M&M tells Levy she thought he loved her for her brain. Levy then leans
forward smiling and asks the M&M if it is made of chocolate too? She pauses
for a second, one thinks she will cut him down with a clever quip but her reply
is “Gosh you’re handsome.”
The setting and the conversation feel
like a real date with someone you are physically attracted to and the
relationship is very new. The idea M&Ms is trying to portray is its chocolate
candy is irresistible and delicious. The choosing of William Levy is
deliberate, he is a Cuban actor that is considered a male sex symbol and he is
lusting after a chocolate M&M. Levy is trying to sweet talk the M&M. Millions
of women would want to be in the chocolate M&M’s place; that must be some
terrific chocolate to have Levy gazing at the chocolate M&M that way.
This commercial is trying to sell
M&Ms to adults. M&Ms does not want children to be its primary market. The
advertisement is persuasive because it manages to talk about the product, pure milk
chocolate inside every M&Ms. I like how they developed the female M&Ms’
character, she fails to get mad because she is an M&M, she is sweet inside.
But the female is also playing the role of desire, she is also very attracted
to William Levy. A dream date with a sexy, desirable man who is lusting back at
you makes the chocolate M&M “not your average chocolate”. It is not
difficult to see M&Ms is using desire as a way to make viewers crave
something sweet.
If there is a cultural narrative, it
is romance, desire, a woman is supposed to want to be pursued by a man. It can
reduce a woman to a sex object but in this commercial it is not offensive, the
female is an object-she is an M&M. She does not have to defend feminism,
she is not properly equipped, her substance is pure milk chocolate, she will
melt. (This commercial is also in Spanish, it is
effective too because in Spanish, individual syllables in words can be emphasized,
making William Levy’s pursuit of the female M&M a more sexual banter before
he wins over the M&M).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg-0Mq7I9b0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg-0Mq7I9b0
I have seen this commercial before & I love it. I didn't get tired of watching it over & over again. I think this commercial helped the M&Ms commercial tremendously because of choosing William Levy. He is a very handsome man & he could advertise anything & many people would buy it no matter what it was. I don't care for M&Ms but it made me like them more just because of this advertisement.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about adults wanting M&M’s. I always just thought that by that time they already established their candy preferences and that the commercials were just to remind them or reel in their children. It is interesting that they seemed to play on the idea of a first date. It makes it seem almost like you should bring your date M&M’s so that they have increased interest in you. It also seems like they are saying it is okay to be with someone solely for their looks because the M&M is worried about intelligence but gives in to his looks anyway. It also reminds me of the other commercials where the red M&M is taken by women who are interested in his body. I never really considered them before.
ReplyDeleteT. Bowers
I always seem to like all of M&M’s commercials, and this one is no exception. I agree with what you said. It is like they are trying to make it seem like M&Ms are irresistible and delicious. I also think that they are trying to capture the typical date when the woman want the man to see what’s on the inside and have an intellectual conversation, but being the typical man all he sees is her body and that’s all he can focus on.
ReplyDelete