Ad Nut
May 15, 2017

Skittles strikes the wrong cord with Mother's Day ad

If you haven't seen the US commercial the brand had to pull after complaints, consider yourself lucky and think seriously before you go any further.

That's not a typo in the headline; Ad Nut was using a terrible pun to give you a giggle. You'll need it if you watch the profoundly icky ad above, which Skittles has pulled following an unsurprising backlash.

The ad was created by DDB Chicago.

Now granted, this particular candy brand is not averse to taking risks with its marketing, which is generally commendable. For example witness two potentially gross examples from recent years, below. Both are among the most popular clips on the brand's YouTube page. They manage to approach—but not go over—the line that the Mother's Day ad not only crossed but stomped and spat upon while it was doing so.

Actually, Ad Nut is more disgusted that Skittles is trying to pretend the ad and its backlash didn't happen than by the ad itself. There's no mention of the controversial clip on any of the brand's many social-media channels at this point. Seeing as it created a fair amount of media coverage before the brand pulled it, a short, simple apology would seem to be a wise move.

Ad Nut can almost but not quite forgive the brand thanks to this Tumblr post, which shows that at least someone there has some taste.

By the way, hitting a note of weird is not that uncommon in candy advertising. Take for example this Rio Mints ad from Hong Kong, which involves a purple, nipple-licking llama (giraffe?) and made our list of the most perplexing ads of 2014.

Ad NutAd Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. Check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame.

 

Source:
Campaign Asia

Related Articles

Just Published

4 hours ago

Of fandom, kawaii, and marketing: Hello Kitty turns 50

Campaign dissects the secret sauce to Hello Kitty’s iconic global domination, its grasp of the timeless kawaii concept, and its astute understanding of nostalgia.

5 hours ago

Performance vs. branding? You're asking the wrong ...

While marketers wage endless war over metrics versus memory, the smartest brands have already moved on, argues Quantum's Saim Qadri.

5 hours ago

The best Christmas ads of 2024 are here

A roundup of the best Christmas ads, brimming with creativity and festive cheer. This list is live and will be updated continuously, so check back often for the freshest holiday inspiration.

9 hours ago

SearchGPT: How to adapt for the AI search engine era

Welcome to a new chapter in content marketing. Late October marked the debut of OpenAI’s artificial intelligence-driven engine, transforming the way we think about search optimisation.