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For decades, Skittles has carved a distinctive niche in the advertising landscape, captivating audiences with its consistently bizarre and wonderfully imaginative campaigns. The brand’s enduring tagline, "Taste the Rainbow," has become synonymous with a unique blend of humor and unsettling absurdity, a formula that has seen them through memorable spots featuring everything from a cursed co-worker and a battered piñata man to a prehensile beard and a host of other outlandish scenarios. This penchant for the surreal, where humor is often spiked with an undercurrent of mild discomfort or pain, has returned with a vengeance this month in a series of new advertisements designed to promote the brand’s latest offering: Skittles Gummies. These latest creative endeavors hail from TBWAChiatDay, the very agency that initially steered the Mars brand down this unconventional advertising path many years ago. It’s worth noting that DDB also contributed to the campaign’s evolution in the years prior to its absorption into TBWA, underscoring a long-standing collaborative effort in defining the brand’s distinctive voice.
The new campaign introduces a cast of characters that are as peculiar as they are memorable. Among them is the "Mangaroo," a hybrid creature blending human and kangaroo characteristics. The Mangaroo speaks in a whimsical, sing-song voice as he doles out candy to his adult offspring, a scenario that immediately sets the tone for the campaign’s off-kilter reality. Complementing the Mangaroo is "Balloon Dog," a twisted interpretation of a party favor. This animated canine doesn’t just wag its tail; it exhibits a peculiar habit of scooting its rear end across the carpet, a visual gag that is both unexpected and subtly humorous. Rounding out this trio of oddities is "Jellyfish Massage," a concept that lives up to its name with a literal depiction of a jellyfish providing a rather unconventional massage. Each of these characters and scenarios are presented in 15-second spots that have been strategically rolled out across a multi-platform media blitz, encompassing linear television, connected TV, online video, and social media channels.
Creative Genesis: Embracing the Uncomfortably Soft
The campaign’s creative direction, spearheaded by TBWAChiatDay, hinges on a core insight about Skittles Gummies: their inherently softer texture compared to other gummy candies. This characteristic was taken to an "uncomfortably soft level," as described by Brian Culp, Group Creative Director at TBWA. "We try to stay true to the original world-building that Chiat/Day New York did back in the day," Culp explained. "Where you’re basically trying to add a little bit of magic to a pretty mundane world, and everyone treats that magic like it’s pretty normal. No one really acknowledges there’s anything wrong about it, and then there’s always a slight bit of tragedy where maybe the magic didn’t end up panning out like someone in the spot would have hoped for." This philosophy of normalizing the absurd, while subtly hinting at underlying awkwardness or disappointment, is the bedrock of Skittles’ enduring advertising appeal.
The agency enlisted the talents of director Carl Sundemo from Epoch Films to bring this unique vision to life. Sundemo’s practical approach to filmmaking was a key factor in the creative team’s decision. This emphasis on practical effects, rather than solely relying on digital manipulation, imbues the ads with a tangible, almost visceral quality. For instance, the Balloon Dog’s movements and the actions of the jellyfish were meticulously controlled by puppeteers, with their presence then digitally removed from the final frames. This technique allows for a level of realism in the characters’ interactions with their environment and with human actors, contributing significantly to the unsettling yet humorous atmosphere.
The Art of Practical Surrealism
"You can very much feel it, even how the actors respond to things," Culp elaborated on the impact of practical effects. "You typically feel when things are practical, and it really adds this level of surrealness and ups the unsettling nature of some of these, which I think you would lack with CG and AI." This sentiment was echoed by Katie Bero, another Group Creative Director at TBWA, who highlighted a specific moment from the Jellyfish Massage spot. "The guy who was getting the massage in the jellyfish spot was genuinely uncomfortable when he got slapped by the puppet. There’s just something about the realness of truly being slapped by a jellyfish that you can’t fake," Bero stated. This commitment to tactile reality, even in the depiction of fantastical scenarios, creates a unique tension that resonates with audiences, making the surreal feel oddly plausible and therefore more impactful.
The efficacy of this approach is evident in the campaign’s early performance. The 15-second spots have collectively garnered over 5 million views on YouTube, a significant viewership across multiple platforms. This success suggests that Skittles’ unconventional approach continues to strike a chord with consumers, particularly in a crowded marketplace where breaking through the noise is paramount.
Market Context: Candy’s Enduring Appeal and Generational Targeting
The Skittles Gummies campaign arrives at a time when the confectionery market is demonstrating robust growth. According to the National Confectioners Association, candy sales are projected to reach an impressive $27.8 billion by 2030. Furthermore, the demographic of Gen Z is emerging as a significant driver of this growth, with their spending on candy increasing by a remarkable 47% year-over-year in 2025. While the new ads are strategically pitched at this younger demographic, the creative team emphasizes that the fundamental principles behind Skittles’ advertising have remained consistent, irrespective of the target generation.
"Gen Z is not the idea; they’re the target," Bero clarified, underscoring the brand’s commitment to its established voice. "A lot of times people are starting with Gen Z as the idea. Skittles is the brand and Skittles is the voice. I think it’s just finding the right stories to tell that hit for them and then delivering it in ways that will reach them, versus trying to over-index on, ‘Oh, we have to make sure it feels like this is for Gen Z.’" This strategic focus on maintaining brand integrity while adapting delivery methods to suit contemporary consumption habits is a testament to Skittles’ long-term marketing vision. The brand understands that while generational preferences in media consumption may evolve, the core human elements of comedy and tragedy, delivered through a unique brand lens, possess a timeless appeal.
A Look Back: The Evolution of Skittles’ Surrealism
The genesis of Skittles’ iconic advertising style can be traced back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, when agencies began to experiment with more abstract and often unsettling concepts. Prior to the current campaign, memorable examples include the "Skittles Pox" campaign, which featured individuals covered in Skittles, and the "Touch" campaign, which explored the sensory experience of eating Skittles in a hyper-real, almost uncomfortable way. These early forays into the bizarre established a precedent for the brand, setting the stage for the increasingly imaginative and surreal narratives that would follow. The consistent thread has been the brand’s willingness to push boundaries, to embrace the unexpected, and to create advertising that is not just seen, but deeply felt and remembered.
The current campaign for Skittles Gummies represents a sophisticated evolution of this long-standing strategy. By leveraging practical effects and a deep understanding of the brand’s established comedic tone, TBWAChiatDay has crafted a series of advertisements that are both fresh and deeply rooted in Skittles’ heritage. The introduction of characters like the Mangaroo, Balloon Dog, and the Jellyfish Massage serves to re-engage existing fans while simultaneously attracting new audiences with their novel and intriguing presentations. The campaign’s success, measured in both viewership and brand resonance, suggests that Skittles’ commitment to "tasting the rainbow" through the lens of delightful absurdity continues to be a winning formula in the ever-evolving world of marketing. The brand’s ability to consistently generate buzz and conversation, even through its most peculiar offerings, solidifies its position as a leader in creative advertising.
