Skittles campaign turns local 'villian-hitting' folk sorcery tradition on its head

The campaign is meant to strengthen engagement with teens and ensure that the Skittles brand is part of their choice of candy. Jeffry Gamble, ECD of DDB Group Hong Kong said the idea, based on social creativity, was to bring some unexpected fun to the dark folklore.

The purpose of the 'villian-hitting' or ‘beating the little person’ spiritual ceremony is to curse one's enemies. Such rites are often performed by older ladies in Hong Kong and China, who continously beat human-shaped papers with shoes or other implements.

A Skittles 'beat the rainbow' smartphone app provides a virtual platform for teens to 'beat' their chosen 'little persons'. In the app, users can select an image of their friend (or enemy) and 'beat' it until the image enlarges to a bigger size.

 

The twist lies in the message that the app randomly generates at the end of the 'beating'—one that blesses the ‘little person’ that was beaten instead of cursing him or her. The user is encouraged to pass on the 'lucky' message via Facebook.

Other executions in the campaign include guerrilla marketing via leaflets, point-of-sale materials, and a viral video (below).

Credits
Campaign: Skittles – Beat the Rainbow
Client: Wrigley's

Agency: DDB Group Hong Kong
Executive Creative Director: Jeffry Gamble
Creative Director: Danny Chan
Associate Creative Director: Raymond Chau
Senior Account Director: Roy Ha
Art Director: Michael Chan
Senior Copywriter: Pui Shan Ting
Strategic Planner: Andrew Ho
Business Director: Lisa Ip
Senior Account Executive: Emile Chan

Exposure: Digital, online, POSM