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With Ads of the Weird, MSNBC.com takes a look at some of the oddest, most eye-catching, controversial and just plain interesting advertising out there today. Primary writer Allison Linn covers the retail and advertising industries for MSNBC.com. The Ads of the Weird team is always interested in hearing what ads have caught your attention, whether it's online, on television or in print.


The Adams candy family

Posted: Monday, July 02, 2007 4:59 AM by Allison Linn
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You hear a lot these days about how eating dark chocolate is actually good for you because it contains flavanols – never mind the sugar, butter fat and other less healthy ingredients.

With its latest ad campaign for dark chocolate M&Ms, the candy maker is “just sort of taking the seriousness out of dark chocolate,” says Ryan Bowling, a spokesman for Mars Snack Food U.S., which makes M&Ms.

How? By using “The Addams Family” to promote them.

Mars

It’s nice to see a candy maker not jumping on the chocolate-as-health-food bandwagon, and the sound of “The Addams Family” jingle is sure to evoke nostalgia for the show’s quirky characters. The ad campaign characters themselves, with their oversized faces and an “m” on their chins, look humorously like the offspring of the original Addams family and the traditional M&Ms characters.

Bowling said the company has pledged not to market to kids 12 and under, and that the ads are aimed at anyone from teenagers to retirees. Considering the original Addams family TV shows are now decades old, and even the movies date back some years, one wonders whether anyone under 12 would even know what “The Addams Family” is.

Nevertheless, the company is right to say the characters are dark and witty – that is, creepy in a funny way, without being scary – and you don’t have to have grown up with Gomez, Morticia and Thing to find them appealing. Still, one wonders what the decidedly un-mainstream Addams family would have thought about hawking candy.

Click here to see the ad.

Update! MSNBC.com TV editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper also is writing about creepy candy ads - in her case, Skittles - on her blog, Test Pattern. Check it out here.

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Comments

I dislike some of the ads I see on TV using animation and themes from old shows (like what they do with the jetsons and dish washing).  However this was fun and cute, and got my daughters attention when I was snapping my fingers along with the music.  

Jason, Round Rock, TX (Sent Monday, July 02, 2007 4:59 PM)

Well, I've been waiting for a dark chocolate version of my favorite candy for a while.  The commercials I thought were silly, but now I know about the DC MMs.  You'd be surprised at how many teenagers know about the Addams Family ;)

Maria Marsala, Poulsbo WA by way of NYC (Sent Monday, July 02, 2007 5:32 PM)

The creators did a nice job of using the Adams Family for the "dark" chocolate commercial. Cause people associate dark with the "creepy," and "spooky", and the Adams family look fit right into that. (or maybe I'm just thinking to much into it and I don't make any sense. Either way it sounds good) And I think that it really would only appeal to the people in their late teens and older. I'm 20 and the only reason I know anything about the Adams family is because of the re-runs that would air at odd hours of the night.

Midget2Most, Tulsa, OK (Sent Monday, July 02, 2007 7:19 PM)

I love the M&M's commercial with the Addams family. It brought back great memories. I have the intro to the Addams Family on my cell phone and I had it long before this commercial came out.

Sue Clearwater FL (Sent Monday, July 02, 2007 9:24 PM)

I really like this commercial and have seen it a lot recently.  I especially like how they stay with the details of the show (which those of us who watched it a lot would pick up on) such as Wednesday is holding a "modified" M&M to look like her doll Marie Antionette.  Perfect!!

Jackie, Portageville, MO (Sent Tuesday, July 03, 2007 3:37 PM)

love the adams family m&m commercials
but
would love to have a set of bobble heads,
that would make it perfect
i still have the calafornia rasins ha ha

dorris spell deland fl (Sent Tuesday, July 03, 2007 5:58 PM)

I disliked all the animated M&M ads EXCEPT the addam's family one!  I'm 24 and I have all the old episodes of this show on iTunes and I LOVE the M&Ms commercial, it's just so cute!  

SN, Philadephia PA (Sent Wednesday, July 04, 2007 1:54 AM)

I love M&Ms, light or dark.  Apparently, so do millions of other folks, or they wouldn't have been in business all these years.  I also love my European, premium, 70% dark chololate, eat a piece everyday.  It satisfies the cravings, and has very little sugar.  White chololate is only cocoa butter with lots of sugar, ugh.    
The Food Police, (who I doubt are real nutritionists,) should eat a little natural fat once in awhile, it would benefit their brains, eat some dark choloclate, and go for a walk with the Global Warming Police.  They could lecture one another, and stop boring the healthy folks who know how to eat and live right.

Judith Bisso (Sent Wednesday, July 04, 2007 11:31 AM)

I felt the commercial was "right on", the Addams family was DARK and comical now the comical M&M's are dark what a humorous way to say HEY we have got something new using something old. GOOD WORK advs.

ERIC LANE CHICKASHA,OK (Sent Thursday, July 05, 2007 2:17 PM)

I thought it was the best M&Ms commercial I ever saw. It was funny and classy, using a 1960s era TV show that was "dark", but funny and taught good morals at the end of the day. I couldn't have thought of a better commercial for this product given their other animated commercials!

Craig S., Allentown, PA (Sent Thursday, July 05, 2007 2:17 PM)

Hey M&Ms people!  PLEASE bring back dark chocolate PEANUT M&Ms! They were the best US candy, ever!

Conrad Shull (Sent Friday, July 06, 2007 3:52 PM)

this commercial for mar's inc's dark chocolate m-m's reminds me of when they did a sketch ad featuring the charactures from the star-wars movies on m-m's dark chocolate debut ad's that came out a few months ago!!!! it's wonderful i love these kind of ad's better then those swiffer ad's that have everyone talking to their brooms,mops,dust pans,feather dusters {;-)>

MICHAEL BERRYMAN-LEXA ,ARKANSAS BY WAY OF LONG ISLAND NY (Sent Saturday, July 14, 2007 1:39 AM)

i thought it was great.  like the way they brought the old with the new.  great.

mmays`welch wv (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 10:03 AM)

I love that m&m candy adam family.
And it very funny.My favorite part
is the m&m adam family snap their
fingers.Who ever made this funny
commercial,I it very funny.I really
enjoy and it really creative.

Tantanea Baker,Paterson, New Jersey (Sent Thursday, August 16, 2007 6:11 PM)

they're icky and they're ooky
dark choclaty and spooky
they're wacky and they're kooky
dark choclate m&m's....

teresa, birmingham alabama (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 2:53 PM)

Could they at least show the male candy pieces with pants??

james (Sent Tuesday, September 04, 2007 2:33 PM)

James,

Is it really crucial to cover up the anatomy of an M&M???

DawnB (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 8:02 PM)

It's strange how many dirty little minds there are out there.  Why should M&M's wear clothes - just exactly how is a unclothed M&M offensive?
Are you going to sell the Adam's Family M&M figurines?  I would love to have them!

Carla Foster, Austin, Texas (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:21 AM)

I think it is very clever commercial! With many of the commercials out there being just plain stupid, it's refreshing to watch one that isn't.

Cindy K, Las Vegas, NV (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 1:17 PM)

the commercial "the Dark side', well thought out and cute. i dont usually enjoy commercials anymore. but this one caught me off gaurd and was enjoyable. i got a kick out of the chararter portrial of each m&m. im sorry you will not be showing it any longer.i think following the dark side for dark chocolate  shows insight on your part. i always thought the coat was their cloths.. what do you want a bunch of m&ms opening their coats and becomming choclate flashers????lol

chrystal, abilene,Texas (Sent Monday, October 29, 2007 7:41 PM)

I Love that commercial and eat the candy too.

Shanashia Mitchell Paterson,NJ (Sent Saturday, March 08, 2008 4:24 PM)

LOVED the ad.....PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEEE could you make the figures available for sale?????

Susie Elberton GA (Sent Tuesday, June 17, 2008 7:19 PM)

i love the c ommercial so much i wish to know where i can purchase the MMs adamms family. will they be on sell. thank you .

feliz palace chicago, IL. (Sent Thursday, June 19, 2008 6:29 PM)

i think the actor Raul Julia is smiling from heaven
you guys did a great job with this commercial.  

feliz palace chicago, IL. (Sent Thursday, June 19, 2008 6:31 PM)

I am another fan of this ad who wishes I could purchase a set of these figurines!!!!  Yes, PLEASE make them available!!

Peg, Erie, PA (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 6:51 AM)

this is sooooo cute - when it comes on my boston terrier starts to sing - for real!!!!

patti -vero beach FL (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 8:53 AM)

I love the Addames Family and I love M&M candys. I hope you will make small models of them. It is the perfect ad. Than you so much.

Andrea Stephens Hickory,N.C. (Sent Tuesday, August 12, 2008 4:05 PM)

I Love the Addames family m7 m's!! WHEN CAN WE PURCHASE  PHONES, MODELS, BOBBLE HEADS ,ETC OF THEM?

KIM MEHAFFEY, PLAIN DEALING. LOUISIANA (Sent Friday, August 22, 2008 9:03 AM)



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