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Skittles'“Skittles Broadway Musical”
2018 · United States · Live Theater / Experiential / PR / Digital · Confectionery
Context
Late 2010s advertising landscape:
Consumers increasingly ignoring traditional ads
Brands competing for viral attention
Experiential marketing rising in popularity
Skittles known for surreal, unpredictable campaigns
Owned by Mars, Incorporated, Skittles had built a reputation for strange, unpredictable advertising aligned with its famous tagline “Taste the Rainbow.”
The challenge:
How do you create something people talk about during the Super Bowl without actually running a typical Super Bowl ad?
The Problem It Solved
Super Bowl Advertising Saturation
Brands spend millions for attention during the game.
Skittles’ Brand Personality
The brand thrives on absurdity and unpredictability.
Audience Engagement
Consumers increasingly value shareable experiences over commercials.
The opportunity:
Turn advertising into a spectacle.
Strategic Insight
If Skittles ads are strange,
make the marketing event even stranger.
The idea:
Create a Broadway-style musical about Skittles—but allow only one person to watch it live.
Everything about the production was excessive:
Full theatrical set
Professional actors and musicians
Dramatic narrative about Skittles
But the audience consisted of just one randomly selected viewer.
The exclusivity and absurdity became the story.
Execution Discipline
A. One-Person Audience Concept
A single attendee watched the entire performance.
B. Large-Scale Production
Professional stage production worthy of Broadway.
C. Media Amplification
News outlets and social media spread the bizarre premise.
D. Super Bowl Timing
The event coincided with Super Bowl marketing buzz.
What It Avoided
Traditional TV ad structure
Direct product selling
Predictable brand messaging
Generic celebrity endorsements
Conventional event marketing
Instead, it embraced ridiculousness.
Brand Impact
Extensive press and online discussion
Reinforced Skittles’ reputation for bizarre marketing
Demonstrated creativity beyond traditional ads
Strengthened the brand’s distinctive identity in the candy category
The event became one of the most unusual marketing stunts ever staged.
Why We Love It
Traditional TV ad structure
Direct product selling
Predictable brand messaging
Generic celebrity endorsements
Conventional event marketing
Instead, it embraced ridiculousness.
The Takeaway
Sometimes the best way to get attention
is to do something impossibly strange.
By leaning fully into its weird brand identity, Skittles created a marketing moment people couldn’t ignore.
What Would Have Broken It
Inconsistent brand tone
Confusing or unclear concept
Poor production quality
Lack of media amplification
A brand identity that couldn’t support absurd humor
Strange ideas only work when they fit the brand.
Applicability In Today’s Market
Today’s marketing environment:
Viral stunts driving brand awareness
Experience-driven storytelling
Social media amplifying unusual events
Brands competing for cultural relevance
Transferable principles:
1. Lean Into Your Brand Personality
2. Create Shareable Cultural Moments
3. Surprise the Audience
A modern evolution might include:
interactive livestream experiences
creator participation in absurd events
digital-only theatrical productions
fan-driven narrative twists
The enduring lesson:
When your brand is weird,
go all the way.
