Skittles: Give The Rainbow

Skittles, a fruit-flavoured sweets brand, reversed declining sales in the UK by launching a Gay Pride campaign that removed the brand's rainbow colours from its packaging.

Advertiser: Mars WrigleyBrand: SkittlesAgency: adam&eveDDB LondonCountry: United Kingdom

Objectives

Background

Skittles are a Mars brand that makes sweets – the most impulsive of impulse purchases.

Figure 1: A pack of Skittles

People only pick up sweets in supermarkets if the brand is top of mind (Mental Availability) and easy to find on the shelf (Physical Availability).

For Skittles in the UK, people just weren't as impulsive as they used to be.

The problem

Skittles have built their brand through consistent investment in distinctive TV advertising.

Figure 2: Classic Skittles TV ads

However, by...

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