Listen, I am a sucker for award shows on TV but I can honestly say I am way more likely to have the emotion sucked out of me by that one Superbowl commercial that just puts my hormones over the edge. And I’m not talking about shedding a tear during the Taco Bell commercial because I just love tacos that much.. (I do love tacos that much, but that’s not where I am going with this). For some reason, when the 2016 MTV Movie Awards aired, I had a moment.
No, I wasn’t fan-girling over how hot Zac Efron has gotten, nor was I crying over the fact that I will never come close to having Halle Berry’s body – though these days, you can probably find a handful of girls sulking for those reasons – it was something much closer to my soul that forced me into an emotional meltdown. *Cut to commercial break* The 75th Anniversary M&M’s Commercial, entitled “Candyman”, comes on and immediately sends my life spinning into a vortex of every emotion I have ever felt in my 25 years of living. Before you judge, watch the video below and then let me share with you my logic… because I guarantee this will make you take a good look a your life:
[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/7bxGl6IxzSs”]
Now, I don’t know if it was the musical collaboration of Zedd and Aloe Blacc, (I can’t lie his BEATS BY DRE commercial brought out some feels in me too), or the fact that the classic candy we’ve all grown to love was getting older… but whatever it was, I completely lost it. There was something so compelling about the dynamic of this commercial that made me want to go buy a million packs of M&M’s and hoard them in my closet forever.
Though it is only my 26th birthday that is approaching, the flashbacks showing the lifespan of M&M’s made me burst into tears. Pathetic, I know. But it got me thinking… How did a celebratory anniversary commercial of my favorite chocolate make me feel like I was mourning my childhood? The subtle glints of photos from way before my time made me feel like I was being forced to face the harsh reality that growing up and evolving is unavoidable.
Perhaps what hit a soft spot for me was seeing the growth of the beloved company mascot’s, who have become, in a weird way, like family to many of us. After years of watching them multiply, diversify, and become more and more human-like, you can’t deny that the brand has done a pretty good job of making these animated characters extremely relate-able.
Let’s do some quick ‘math’: My grandfather (78), let me have my first mini M&M at age 2, (around 23 years ago). This means that at that time, the candy was approaching 50 years – which is the age of my mother. So, in another 25 years, when M&M’s celebrate their 100th anniversary, my grandfather will most likely not be here, my mother will be 75 and I will be 50, probably forcing my child, (whom does not yet exist), to read this article to better understand what a commercial made me remember: Time does not stop and life will keep happening, no matter how much we want to stay in a certain time period of our life.
There have been way too many times where I, like many others, have found myself saying, “I can’t wait to be older and do this or have that.” If I knew then what I know now, ha… the things I would have done differently. I am not one to have regrets but this commercial certainly put some things in perspective for me. From a media/advertising standpoint, it was completely brilliant. It evoked emotion from me that provoked me to write about how I felt – which was everything from happy, sad, excitement, fearful in regards to the future, distress about the past… I could go on but, I digress. Let’s just call it as it happened, it f#%ked me up a little.
On numerous occasions, I have fallen victim to the manipulation of my own mind, thanks in large part to the ever-changing, and mostly unrealistic, societal standards, which come from who even knows where. This has both launched me into amazing places and created challenging obstacles that nearly prevented me from reaching some of my goals. Either way, life has never stopped… but I always felt like it should. Too often we are so “busy” focusing on and striving towards our next move, that we forget all the things that led us to this point. Sometimes, we even do it on purpose… we try to force ourselves to wipe the past out of our heads because we just want a clean slate. We all know it doesn’t work like that and no matter how hard you try, you can’t erase what is behind you.
This commercial made me realize that we need to focus more on embracing the past; no matter how painful the realization of those times no longer existing may be. We need to make the time to look in the mirror and get to know ourselves a little better. We need to find the balance between where we are, where we are headed, and most importantly, where we came from. We need to dissect our own evolution and take pride in the changes we’ve made. And if by chance, we haven’t yet made the changes in life that may be necessary for growth, we need to push through and find a way to do so.
If I have realized anything from the “Candyman” commercial, the most important thing is this: It’s no secret that life does not stop for anyone. In order to keep moving forward we must not forget the things along the way, both good and bad, that bring out the most in us… because the combination of those things is what makes us who we are.
Thanks Mars. Inc, and whoever else was behind the M&M’s 75th Anniversary Commercial -“Candyman” by Zedd & Aloe Blacc- for the reminder that sometimes life’s most important messages come from the most unsuspecting places.
Featured Image from AdWeek.com
