In spring 2021, M&M’S was set to introduce M&M’S MIX, a highly-anticipated new offering that combines three M&M’S flavors in one bag. And they were looking to use the launch to begin to introduce a new brand purpose (bringing people together) and a new brand focus (music!). All at a time when there was no getting together...and even less getting together with music.

With concert halls shuttering across the country, more-established musicians turned to streaming to get by. But less-knowns (and buskers in particular, who rely on foot traffic) had no such luxury. So we decided to use our platform to give them one. And use the limitations of a global pandemic to reimagine what coming together around music looked like.

Taking cues from “jam sessions” of the past to create music (and produce content) in a totally new way, we identified a "mix" of three unique and representative up-and-coming musicians whose work had been impacted by the pandemic.

Working safely from their respective cities of Seattle, Los Angeles, and NYC, the three different musicians collaborated to recreate the beloved classic “The Candyman”…using virtual collab session to feel out the parts and pieces of the song and bring a new version to life. The result was a soaring piece that they then performed in their home cities, which was captured by our crews and used in a brand film.

Using the limitations of a global pandemic to reimagine what coming together around music looked like, we brought together a mix of three musicians for virtual collaboration and creation…to give them some much-needed exposure and help launch the new M&M’s Mix product.

The hero video (featuring our freshly revamped track) launched on June 2, shared on the social channels of M&Ms, Meghan Trainor, and our 3 artists…along with a call to action for consumer to make their own remix of The Candyman.

500MM Impressions, 60% more traffic to M&Ms.com, nearly 9K new TikTok Followers, and lots of great exposure for our musicians.