Skip to content
Table of Contents
Skittles: A Role Model for Jester Brands
Skittles is a true Jester brand, as anyone who has ever seen a Skittles commercial can attest. The candy is famous for its often irreverent ads that focus on bizarre scenes, all of which culminate in promoting the colorful, fruit-flavored treats. Skittles proudly owns its strange sense of humor that has become well-loved and memorable with its American audience.
Skittles is owned by confectionary parent company Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, Inc. They were first sold in the U.S. in 1974, having originally been imported from the UK. The candy was meant to become the non-chocolate alternative to the M&M, and it achieved that goal in 2016 when it became the most popular non-chocolate candy sold in the United States. Skittles are sold in over 65 countries as well as at every convenience store and supermarket in America.
But Skittles’ journey to the top would likely not have been possible without their iconic advertising. In all of their messaging, they embody the archetype of the sometimes crazy, but always entertaining Jester. Let’s take a look at how Skittles has utilized their fun-loving personality to become the prototype for the Jester brand.
Since the early 1980s, Skittles has incorporated the rainbow into its logo with the tagline “Taste the Rainbow,” as its memorable call to action. The simple font of the logo, as well as its predominantly red and white color scheme, have hardly changed over the years.
Everything about the logo communicates “fun.” The bright white lettering (with the “i” playfully dotted with a Skittle) is delightful to look at, and the variety of colors makes the logo bright and energetic. Even the Skittles themselves seem to be having fun, appearing to use the rainbow as a playground slide. The whole image excites the viewer and encourages them to treat themselves to a good time and a pack of Skittles.
Advertising
Skittles is well known for its avant-garde style advertisements, often running baffling, humorous sketches as ads. The brand cements itself as a true Jester brand because it never takes itself (or life) too seriously. Skittles has set the tone for its fruity candy competitors, as Starbursts and Sour Patch Kids continue to try to mimic the iconic humor of Skittles commercials.
Skittles typically uses real actors and people over animation, even when animation would make the ad far easier to produce. This is the case in Skittles’ 2011 ad in which an older man has the gift (or curse) of turning everything he touches into Skittles. It seems obvious that an ad with this theme would be lighthearted, but Skittles took a much darker approach. Instead, the man laments not being able to do simple office tasks, dress himself, or shake a stranger’s hand. In many of their ads, the Skittles brand thrives off of shock humor, taking the opposite approach of what the audience would expect. It results in extremely memorable commercials that generate viral online views and shares, effectively generating buzz around the Skittles brand.
In 2018, Skittles took a new approach to their Super Bowl ads, by running teaser ads leading up to the Super Bowl, and then showing the actual Super Bowl ad to just a single teenager in California. Skittles fans could then watch a Facebook live stream to view his reaction to the ad, but the ad was never displayed publicly. Skittles turned the novelty of SuperBowl ads (their high visibility) on its head; in the process, they set a new precedent for creativity in SuperBowl advertising.
In 2019, not to be outdone by the previous year, Skittles again decided to go in the direction of anti-Super Bowl ad. With the help of their ad agency DDB Worldwide, Skittles produced and performed a one-night real Broadway show during (you guessed it) the SuperBowl. Starring Michael C. Hall of Dexter fame, the play was an ironic take on how Michael’s character’s performance in an ad would ruin his acting career. The entire show was created to reflect the actual performance, and reflect on the role advertising plays in our modern capitalistic society. It was the perfect tongue-in-cheek, meta, and gratuitous advertising gimmick that Skittles has perfected.
Brand Voice
Skittles has a witty, brief voice. Nearly every Skittles advertisement is tied together by its “Taste the Rainbow” tagline. For instance, ads will say “Touch the Rainbow. Taste the Rainbow.” or a similar mirrored phrase that relates to the specific ad’s content. Rarely do these phrases make sense (i.e “Transplant the Rainbow” or “Contract the Rainbow”), but this absurdity helps the brand stand out.
As a Jester brand, Skittles focuses on humor in everything, finding light-hearted approaches to promoting their traditional product and its many variations: tropical, berry, sour, and the infamous Fizzl’d Fruits that foamed in your mouth (a bit out there, even for Skittles). Like a true Jester, Skittles uses over-the-top acting in all of its ads. From a man laughing into the sky after milking Skittles from a giraffe to a piñata man shouting to his coworkers that there are no Skittles inside of him, the Skittles voice demands the attention of the audience. These tactics can be very useful for Jester brands wanting to leave a lasting impression on viewers.
Public Perception
Skittles is seen as a likable, funny, and familiar treat to reach for when at the store. As a candy company, the brand made a wise decision to position itself as a Jester personality, since candy is already viewed as a fun, indulgent product. As a result, Skittles has become a brand loved by all generations.
Top 3 lessons that other Jester brands can learn from Skittles?
- Find a new way to capture attention. Skittles pushes the boundaries, not just settling for funny commercials. They create new live events and guerilla marketing tactics to create intrigue and curiosity around their decisions to not remain within the status quo.
- Trust your audience’s ability to enjoy different types of humor. Skittles doesn’t play it safe with “vanilla” humor. They aren’t afraid to raise eyebrows in order to be memorable.
- Don’t go halfway. As a Jester brand, you must fully embrace your brand’s humor, energy, and ability to entertain. Don’t cap your personality — embrace it to impact the most customers.
Could your brand be a “Jester” brand like Skittles?
Take Ardent’s Brand Personality Quiz to find out which of the 12 brand archetypes you represent.
