The story behind this collaboration sparked through the social phenomenon circulating M&M’s rebranding, regarding the change in footwear for their female characters in an attempt to become more inclusive. The reason behind choosing Steve Madden to collaborate with M&M’s, is due to their pre-existing product; the Cypress Off/White Platform Boots.

The current controversy circling around M&M’s is all based on the fact that the change in the brown and the green M&M’s footwear makes their appearances “less sexy”, at least according to Tucker Carlson, a conservative news host who brought up his issue with M&M’s rebranding on Fox News. The change in the M&M’s footwear from high heels and platform boots to plain sneakers has been described as a way to make their characters seem as “deeply unappealing and totally androgynous” as possible, as said once again by Tucker Carlson, a statement that he later followed up with by saying that he “wouldn’t want to have a drink with any one of [the M&M’s]” (Niemietz, 2022). Now while some may think it is strange for a statement like that to be expressed, it is important to realize that even if it might not seem like it, people like Tucker Carslon are part of M&M’s audience and there are thousands of people out there who are feeling the same way about M&M’s rebranding which could ultimately be more harmful than helpful for their brand.

By collaborating with Steve Madden and its Cypress Platform Boots, M&M’s is able to bring their sexy style to life and esentially bring back their more popular version prior to their rebranding.

Prior Collaborations

Adidas released a collaboration with M&M’s in the fall of last year. The shoes released are all similar in fashion to UltraBOOSTs and they come in a wide variety of different colors. The goal identified in this collaboration was to be able to bring the six different colored M&M’s to life (yellow, red, blue, green, orange and brown). Every shoe is split evenly between a complementary color & white and they each contain “profile 3-Stripes, lockdown straps near the collar, much of the heel and part of the midsole are animated with the aforementioned hues” (Hernandez, 2021). The labels on the tongue of the shoes are specifically designed to imitate the tag of an M&M box, the name/logo is on the side of each shoe, and it is printed on its package as well.

Adidas prepared several different collaborations ahead of time for last year’s releases in order to celebrate its Forum Low silhouette, and that was only the beginning of their marketing plan. Additionally, their marketing plan strategy consisted of teasing the collaboration with M&M’s. The same marketing/advertising went into this collaboration as it does for any other shoe that is releasing in the near future. Overall, they did not need much marketing for their Forum Low silhouette shoes as they have a pretty loyal customer base which are always on the lookout for new shoes dropping the second anything is announced.

When M&M’s hit their 75th anniversary, they decided to collaborate with Camilla Stærk, a Danish fashion designer, and create the “M&M'S by Stærk Designer Collection”. Stærk was able to incorporate a sophisticated look and bring in creativity, all while managing to sell exclusively in Target stores nationwide. The unique packaging of the M&M'S Milk Chocolate and M&M'S Peanut bags includes designs that have been inspired from animal print.

The M&M’S STÆRK Collection collaboration gave Camilla Stærk, the Founder and Creative Director, “the chance to apply what [she does] in fashion” and “create a strong design story for [the] exclusive packaging for the brand’s 75th anniversary”. This collection was supported with a marketing campaign which not only included retail displays and packaging, but a print advertisement in the September issue of VOGUE as well (Mars Incorporated, 2016).

The Products

The product categories that will be sold in M&M’s collaboration with Steve Madden are shopping goods under the footwear section, specifically high heels and high heeled boots. The products in the collaboration consists of two different products, the first one being the Cypress Off/White Disco Platform Boots which are extremely popular among Steve Madden’s consumer audience due to their exaggerated 70’s inspired silhouette. Additionally, the Cypress Off/White Boots are an exact replica of the ones previously worn by the green M&M, prior to their footwear rebranding. The second product is Steve Madden’s Vala White Patent Stilettos, which are the closest thing to the heels that were previously worn by the brown M&M prior to their footwear rebranding as well. The Vala White Patent Stilettos are known for being described as “shiny, sharp, and seductive” which perfectly aligns with M&M’s prior sexy look and targets their customer audience prior to their rebranding which they may have lost by helping rope them back in.

The product assortment in this collaboration consists of Steve Madden’s popular Cypress High Boots, mainly in the color “Cypress Off/White” to match the M&M’s previously famous footwear attire. However, Steve Madden’s Cypress High Boots also come in two other additional colors; Cypress Black & Cypress Brown. The models of the high boots are all the exact same model and are all priced at $189.95, the only difference between them is the different colors that are offered. The Vala White Patent Stilettos come in fourteen other additional colors, including some patterns as well. These include; Black Leather, Black Multi, Black Patent, Black/White (Checkered), Camel/Brown (Patterned), Camel Patent, Clear, Cognac, Gold, Iridescent, Lime, Natural Raffia, Orange Patent, Pink Patent, Pink/White (Checkered), Red Patent, Silver/Multi (Patterned), White/Yellow (Patterned), and Yellow Multi (Patterned) all priced at $99.95.

Target Market

Steve Madden’s general target market consists of both “young [men and women] from upper middle class and upper class”, in this case, we want to specify it to just women, seeing as the product selected are women’s Cypress Off/White High Boots and Women’s Vala White Patent Stilettos. Additionally, Steve Madden generally seems to target a little bit of a higher age range for women, specifically grown women. However, in our case we decided to target a slightly younger population of women as well, due to their familiarity with the phenomenon and in order to be able to include a wider range of millennials as well (MBA, 2020).

The demographics include caucasian women in ages 19-39 from an upper middle class household with a high education level and no kids. This is due to the fact that the products at hand are geared more towards a fun and flirty scene in which young women who like to get dressed up and go out would wear. Additionally, they should have a high education level in order to be in the working class and be able to make enough money to afford the certain lifestyle these shoes entail. 

The psychographics include a high prestige and an easy convenience, however, the target market for these shoes is willing to wait for new releases in order to be able to own a certain product. They expect high quality products, which is exactly what they will receive, especially regarding the prices that they will be paying. These women are not only interested in fashion but have built lifestyles around it which help portray their confidence in themselves and their value of self worth by how they chose what to wear/own.

Marketing Plan

The M&M x Steve Madden collection will not only be available in all Steve Madden stores nationwide but it will also be exclusively sold in the biggest M&M store locations  all around the world such as New York, Las Vegas, Disney Springs, London, Shanghai, Berlin, and the Mall of America. Additionally, the collection will also be sold on Steve Madden’s website but not on the M&M’s website. However, for promotional purposes there will be an interactive banner at the top of M&M’s website with a link directly to the collaboration shoes on Steve Madden’s website available for purchase.

Other marketing strategies include social media advertisements and posts through Steve Madden brand ambassadors in which they are required to post a unique tracking link provided by Steve Madden as well as post on Steve Madden’s social platform, as well as their own, in order to promote the product. A post should consist of a post, story, tweet, video or blog, as applicable, created by the brand ambassador on their social media, showcasing the product to the terms of their agreement. The same concept applies for M&M’s brand ambassadors.

Conclusion

In conclusion, M&M’s downfall after its footwear rebranding to become “less sexy” after switching from high heels and platform boots to plain sneakers has opened the door for M&M’s to have the opportunity to collaborate with Steve Madden at an attempt to try and bring back their sexy appeal to their customer market prior to their rebranding, which ultimately might have been more harmful than helpful for their brand.

This collaboration is also a great chance for not only M&M’s to reach a wider range of customers, but it is also mutually beneficial for Steve Madden as well in helping them reach a new customer base.