Final answer:
In the communication model, animated M&M candies in commercials act as the message, as they personify the content meant to persuade the audience.
Step-by-step explanation:
In terms of the communication model, the animated M&M candies in television commercials are representatives of the message. When we look at the communication process, the sender is the one who initiates the message, the encoder is the one who translates the sender's ideas into a communicative form, the channel is the medium through which the message is sent, and the message is the actual content being communicated. In this case, the M&M candies are characters used to articulate and personify the core content of the commercials, which is designed to entice and inform viewers about the product. Hence, they are an integral part of the message itself, which is aimed to persuade the audience into buying M&M's.