M&M’s delivers unique ‘peanut butter diamonds’ to NFL stars in major Super Bowl campaign
M&Ms NFL Hall of Fame stars back new Super Bowl campaign. Pic: M&Ms
A unique promotion for this year’s Super Bowl LVIII has been crafted by M&M’s, as it creates a peanut butter enhanced ‘almost champions’ diamond ring for three NFL Hall of Fame legends, in the form of Dan Marino, Terrell Owens and Bruce Smith, reports Neill Barston.
The trio, who all narrowly missed out on winning the ‘big game’ down the years, appear in a key new advertising campaign for the major confectionery brand, presented with their finely crafted gift, which was developed in a lab to celebrate this year’s main event, which will be contested tomorrow between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
US confectionery giant, Mars, owner of the M&M’s brand has produced a distinctive tongue-in-cheek video teaser for the ad, which will air as part of the coverage of the Super Bowl, aiming to offer some consolation to the stars, who engage in the light-hearted reflections on their near-brushes with winning one of the ultimate sporting prizes.
As the brand explained, usually only the Super Bowl winners walk away with a championship ring, and the runners-up get nothing. But M&M’S is changing that by providing comfort when it’s needed most for this trio of “almost champions.” The brand created the first-of-its-kind “M&M’s Almost Champions Ring of Comfort,” featuring real diamonds. The largest of these on the individual rings were created by exposing M&M’S peanut butter to a high-pressure environment – including 3,000°C temperatures and 800,000 pounds per square inch of pressure – before grinding and grading the diamonds into their final form.
In addition to the M&M’S peanut butter diamonds, the 14K gold ring features with a diamond-encrusted replica of M&M’S Orange character and a secret internal compartment to house a single Peanut Butter M&M’S, forging a distinct connection to one of America’s most enduring sports phenomenons.
Speaking on the campaign, Dan Marino, formerly of the Miami Dolphins said: “The M&M’s Super Bowl campaign highlights the essence of sportsmanship for me – celebrating all players for the endless, demanding effort they put into their craft while enjoying the fun of the game. Historically only one team walks away with a championship ring, but Mars’ inclusive message to inspire moments of happiness and to bring fun to everyone on and off the field really resonated with me. Just like the game itself, stay tuned for the ad’s full release as there are always some surprising twists.”
Fellow Hall of famer Terrell Owens, who played for teams including the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills, added : “I’m no stranger to laying it all out on the field and still not seeing those efforts result in a win. You’re not going to win every game in life, which is why you’ve got to remember to have fun through it all. I applaud M&M’s for making a point to offer fun and comfort to everyone – especially in such an unexpected way.”
Finally, Bruce Smith, formerly of Buffalo Bills and latterly Washington Redskins, also enthused about the campaign. He said: “I love the M&M’s ‘Almost Champions’ campaign because I’ve been in that position before, and compassion, humour and fun are key in getting through the initial disappointment. This campaign focuses on all of those things, and I hope it inspires others to embrace those moments and use them as motivation to work even harder for their goals.”
