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Skittles' "Taste the Rainbow"
1994–Present · Global · Television / Digital / Social · Confectionery
Context
1990s confectionery landscape:
Candy advertising centered on flavor claims and fun mascots.
Youth audiences were increasingly media-savvy.
Category clutter made differentiation difficult.
Skittles needed distinctiveness beyond “fruity candy.”
The Problem It Solved
Flavor Parity – Many candies offered fruit flavors.
Youth Attention Fragmentation – Humor had to cut through.
Brand Blandness Risk – Fruit imagery alone lacked memorability.
Skittles chose weirdness over realism.
Strategic Insight
If flavors are bold,
make the world absurd.
“Taste the Rainbow” wasn’t literal. It became:
A portal to surreal storytelling
A platform for strange, unexpected humor
A shorthand for sensory overload
The rainbow symbol allowed creative freedom without rigid logic.
Execution Discipline
A. Surreal Humor
Unexpected scenarios (e.g., bizarre characters, awkward moments) made ads unpredictable.
B. Minimal Rational Messaging
Little discussion of ingredients or production.
C. Visual Consistency
The rainbow remained a symbolic anchor.
D. Cultural Adaptability
Campaign evolved into social-first absurdity and internet-native humor.
What It Avoided
Over-Explaining the Joke
Absurdity remained unexplained.
Overly Polished Tone
Leaned into awkwardness and randomness.
Flavor-Feature Overload
Stayed emotional and experiential.
Safe, Generic Fun
Took creative risks.
Constant Repositioning
Maintained a consistent surreal identity.
Restraint preserved creative freedom.
Brand Impact
Cemented Skittles as one of the most distinct candy brands
Generated viral, shareable content
Maintained youth relevance for decades
Built strong brand recall tied to a single line
The phrase became embedded in pop culture.
Why We Love It
From a strategic lens:
Ownable creative territory (absurdity)
Long-term platform flexibility
Clear, memorable tagline
Youth-culture alignment
It proves weirdness can be a sustainable brand asset.
The Takeaway
If the product is simple,
make the brand world extraordinary.
Skittles didn’t compete on fruit flavor.
It competed on imagination.
What Would Have Broken It
Shifting to serious, rational messaging
Over-commercializing with heavy price promotions
Losing surreal edge to play it safe
Replacing the tagline too frequently
Creative inconsistency across markets
The platform thrives on bold creative confidence.
Applicability In Today’s Market
Today’s youth marketing environment includes:
Meme culture
Short-form video dominance
Irony-heavy humor
Rapid trend cycles
Transferable principles:
1. Own a Creative Territory
Absurdity became Skittles’ moat.
2. Design for Shareability
Strangeness fuels virality.
3. Protect the Core Line
Consistency builds memory.
A modern evolution might:
Lean into AI-generated surreal visuals
Co-create weird content with creators
Build interactive “rainbow” digital experiences
Use community challenges tied to unexpected humor
The enduring lesson:
When everyone else is logical,
be unforgettable.
