On Strategy Showcase Skittles. An Effie Best-of-the-Best Winner
May 4, 2025
Join Rankin Carroll, Chief Brand Officer for Mars Wrigley, and Colin Selikow, Chief Creative Officer of DDB Chicago, as they discuss the award-winning 'Apologize the Rainbow' campaign. They reveal how they turned consumer frustration over flavor changes into a vibrant marketing opportunity. The duo dives into the strategic decisions behind the return of Lime Skittles, emphasizing the importance of engaging fans authentically. Listen in to explore their creative approaches and the innovative use of platforms like Twitch to strengthen brand connections.
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Personalized Apology to Fans
- Skittles apologized directly to 130,880 people who complained about the lime flavor removal via personalized messages.
- They followed with a 40-minute live press conference on Twitch reading negative comments to own the narrative creatively.
Modular "Blank of the Rainbow" Concept
- The campaign uses a modular "blank of the rainbow" structure to creatively disrupt moments and events.
- This creates a distinctive, flexible brand identity tied to the core rainbow theme on packs.
Welcome Disruption to Predictability
- "Disrupting the predictable" connects deeply with younger consumers craving non-conventional, surprising engagement.
- Skittles aims to offer a "welcome" disruption that is weird but still entertaining and shareable.