Dive Brief:

• Mars, Inc.’s candy brand M&M's is launching a "Fans of Wind" energy campaign, according to a company statement. The campaign features celebrities — including M&M characters Red and Yellow — extolling the virtues of wind power.
• Mars currently purchases enough wind power to cover the electricity needs of over 70,000 U.S. households, which is the equivalent of the energy it takes to make all of the M&M’s in the world.
• The goal of the campaign is to share what the company is doing to shift toward renewable energy sources with consumers, inviting them to join the "clean energy revolution."

Dive Insight:

M&M’s are fans of wind energy, and they want the world to know it.

The company’s new campaign comes on the heels of Mars’ Sustainable in a Generation Plan, announced last month.  It’s a $1 billion pledge to fight climate change. The "Fans of Wind" campaign will spread the word about what Mars, Inc. is already doing to use renewable energy sources and encourage consumers to learn more about wind-powered energy.

The advertisements posted on YouTube are an effective first step to get M&M fans attention. They’re playful with the simple message that the company sources enough wind power to make all the M&M’s sold in the world. At the end, they show the URL where consumers can learn more about renewable energy. The potentially divisive words "climate change" aren’t anywhere in sight. This campaign is just about sharing how Mars is using wind power, and how to learn more about it.

It wouldn’t be surprising if other food mascots started appearing in campaigns to promote similar causes. When a food manufacturing giant is making a sizable investment in renewable energy, they’ll want to get the good press that usually comes along with it. Their altruistic intentions of educating the public and encouraging consumers to find their own ways to conserve power are a nice bonus.

The target audience for this campaign is quite broad. A person doesn’t have to regularly buy M&M’s to be engaged by their ads, nor does he need to already be a climate change advocate. People who can watch or read any part of the campaign are their target audience.

While M&M’s effort might not result in a wind power revolution, it will likely start some conversations about the renewable energy source. In addition, it should drive traffic to M&M’s website focusing on the Fans of Wind campaign, where curious consumers can learn more about renewable wind energy. It might not result in earth-shattering change, but it sweetens the conversation.