M&M Ads

During the presidential campaign, I saw these ads for M&Ms and I found them particularly funny. The first one is what looks like a Soviet Union Propaganda poster. It shows a red M&M with his fist in the air. Under him are the proletariat masses carrying hammers, pickaxes, and other tools. Above the M&M is the slogan, "The Redolution Is Now!".  The second shows a blue M&M pointing at you with the caption, "A Vote for Blue is A Vote For You".

The main advertising techniques used in these ads is wit and humor, and gestalt. Wit and humor is used in the ad with the blue M&M. One would find his ad to be funny, especially in the midst of an election because it makes fun of political advertisements. It shows that the M&M is trying to connect with "voters" by trying to be a cool, laid-back dude. The ad with the red M&M is using gestalt by showing the odd combination of M&Ms and communism. This surreal image of an M&M leading an army of workers in a revolution may seem odd to many people, therefore they will remember it.

The main demographic that these ads target is probably anyone over the age of 18 who has liberal political leanings. A liberal American might like the ad with the blue M&M because blue is the color that is associated with the democratic party. A democrat might also like the red M&M ad because it displays socialism (even if it is an extreme form of socialism). These ads would be appealing to people over the age of 18 because they are old enough to vote, therefore they might appreciate the humor more.