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Tag Archives: Red
How a 1970’s Russian “Red Scare” Set M&M’s Mascots Back Twenty Years!
Between 1976 and 1985, red M&M’s were banished from the world due to a Russian “red scare” having to due with a food dye additive. It is a story that has been told before, but newly discovered evidence reveals an … Continue reading
Posted in 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, Chocolate, M&M's, Mars
Tagged candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, M&M, M&M's, Mars, mascot, packaging, packaging design, Red, sweets, vintage candy wrappers, wrapper
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![Today I thought I’d share a pre-war candy wrapper from the archives—an example that’s a little giggle-worthy.
The reason for sharing it is simple: it was sitting on my desk, it made me shake my head, and it got me wondering what insight might be hiding in this tiny scrap of packaging history.
(The following text was written for my LinkedIn community so take it in with that knowledge.)
For me, the takeaway today is this: certain “givens” in business and branding can mean very different things to consumers as the world around them evolves.
A brand might stay consistent. A manufacturing process might remain unchanged. But as cultural expectations shift, the meaning people assign to those same practices can change dramatically.
There are countless examples. Plastic packaging. Workforce diversity. And something I’ve talked about recently: ingredient changes.
Ingredient substitutions, like swapping milk chocolate for compound chocolate (and sometimes swapping back again), have been happening for decades. Historically, these changes didn’t make headlines. But lately they seem to.
Is that the result of savvy competitors amplifying a previous non-issue? A few vocal consumers gaining traction through modern media channels? Or are today’s shoppers simply scrutinizing ingredient lists the way previous generations read front-page news?
My guess is: all of the above.
So perhaps the small reminder for brands is this: external change is inevitable. The real question is whether to respond with nimbleness or with consistency.
And the answer, as always, depends on which way the wind is blowing.
So it’s worth checking that wind every now and then.
[P.S. The Tom Huston Nut company has a rich history with a surprisingly robust range of products they offered mostly to southern states for generations, but that story will have to wait for another time…]](http://collectingcandy.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)