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In 1971, Skittles made its debut in the candy market with the slogan "The Rainbow of Fruit Flavors”.
The original assortment featured a vibrant spectrum of tastes including lime, lemon, grape, orange, and strawberry, each corresponding to a different color in the rainbow.
This inaugural marketing introduced consumers to Skittles' unique selling point of varied flavors in a single package.
In 1974, Skittles aired its first television commercial, marking a significant milestone in the brand's early marketing efforts.
This pioneering animated advertisement bore the logo of the "Galaxy" company and was copyrighted by Jack Candies Ltd.
In 1994, Skittles launched its "Taste the Rainbow" campaign, created by the ad agency D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles. It would become the brand's most iconic and enduring marketing effort to date.
They reimagined Skittles' advertising approach by featuring surreal scenarios where the colorful candies interact with the real world in unexpected and often humorous ways.
For nearly three decades, "Taste the Rainbow" has been the main slogan and ad campaign for Skittles. Evolving with the market along the way.
In 2009, the candy pushed the boundaries of interactive advertising with its innovative "Touch the Rainbow" campaign. It instructed viewers to place their finger on a specific spot on their screen during video ads.
This clever approach transformed passive viewers into active participants, as their finger seemingly became part of the commercial.
In the 2010s, Skittles launched its "Believe the Rainbow" slogan and campaign.
It pushed the boundaries of surreal advertising with a series of commercials featuring bizarre and nonsensical scenarios.
The campaign reached peak absurdity with the famous "Skittles pox" ad, where a teen's Skittles-covered skin was depicted as contagious.
In 2011, they launched the "Exchange the Rainbow" campaign.
The ad campaign set up pop-up stores where people could trade various items for packets of the colorful candy.
This unique marketing approach not only generated buzz and engagement but also had a charitable component. The traded items were auctioned off with proceeds going to worthy causes.
Since 2016, Skittles has run its annual "Give the Rainbow" Pride campaign.
The campaign makes a bold statement by temporarily removing the rainbow colors from both its packaging and candies.
This unique approach, accompanied by the slogan "During Pride, only one rainbow matters," demonstrates Skittles' commitment to LGBTQ+ visibility and allyship.
In a groundbreaking move for Super Bowl advertising, Skittles created a unique commercial in 2018 that was shown to only one person—eschewing the traditional multi-million dollar TV spot seen by millions.
The ad generated significant buzz by allowing the public to watch the lone viewer's reaction to the ad on Facebook Live.
In 2019, instead of showing a normal super bowl ad, Skittles took its unconventional step of showing a 30-minute live Broadway musical, starring Michael C. Hall.
This one-time-only performance, titled "Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical," not only subverted expectations for Super Bowl advertising but also blurred the lines between commerce and art.
In 2020, Skittles launched its "Settle the Rainbow" campaign, partnering with Rock the Vote to encourage civic engagement, particularly among younger voters.
The campaign featured limited-edition packaging adorned with "Gen Z" inspired slogans.
Showcasing playful identity to promote the importance of voting and political participation.
In 2022, Skittles launched the "Recolour the Rainbow" campaign, partnering with GLAAD to colorize significant black-and-white images from LGBTQ+ history.
It highlighted Skittles' ongoing support for the LGBTQ+ community.
It also served an educational purpose: bringing attention to important historical moments and figures while metaphorically and literally adding color to often overlooked aspects of queer history.
Most recently, in 2023, Skittles launched its "Apologize the Rainbow" campaign, addressing the controversial decision to previously remove the lime-flavored Skittles from its original flavor mix.
The campaign featured a humorous video apology and marked the triumphant return of lime Skittles to the classic assortment.
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