Skittles: Lime Apology
The client wanted to reintroduce the lime Skittles flavor after years of fan demand. The campaign needed to acknowledge the previous removal as a mistake, generate positive buzz, and celebrate the flavor's return in a distinctly Skittles - humorous and self-aware - way. The goal was to delight loyal consumers and reinforce brand love.
Creative Idea
Skittles apologized for removing lime, bringing it back with self-aware humor.
Skittles apologized for removing lime by making the candies themselves express regret, creating a humorous, self-aware campaign that delighted fans with the return of their beloved flavor.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Skittles could credibly deliver a self-aware, humorous apology for a past flavor change, bringing back a fan-favorite.
Category
Candy brands typically focus on taste, fun, or newness, often avoiding past controversies or mistakes.
Customer
Fans felt betrayed by the removal of lime and passionately desired its return, expressing their outrage online.
Culture
A culture of online fan engagement and brand accountability made a public, humorous apology resonate deeply.
Company
Skittles could credibly deliver a self-aware, humorous apology for a past flavor change, bringing back a fan-favorite.
Category
Candy brands typically focus on taste, fun, or newness, often avoiding past controversies or mistakes.
Strategy:
Skittles humorously acknowledged their past mistake, engaging fans by bringing back a beloved flavor.
Customer
Fans felt betrayed by the removal of lime and passionately desired its return, expressing their outrage online.
Culture
A culture of online fan engagement and brand accountability made a public, humorous apology resonate deeply.
Strategy:
Skittles humorously acknowledged their past mistake, engaging fans by bringing back a beloved flavor.
Strategy Technique
Make the Product Misbehave
The Skittles candies themselves were personified as regretful, delivering apologies for the lime flavor's absence. This created drama and entertainment by making the product the source of the campaign's humorous narrative.
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Creative Technique
Lean Into the Problem
Skittles directly addressed the past controversy of removing lime. They turned fan outrage into a humorous, self-aware campaign by apologizing for their - 'mistake'.
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