For my overview, I have chosen to look at the Skittles’ brand advertisement campaign “Taste the Rainbow”. The idea behind it appeared to make memorable and interesting advertising, one that will have the staying power and memetic potential to sell the product. This line of advertisements featured an arrangement of surreal situations, many of which centered on the presence of Skittles candy in the lives of people. Ranging from the girl who grew skittles on her body to the man who made everything he touched into Skittles, the clear focus of the advertisement was made to shock, grab the watcher’s attention and build interest (Decker, n.d.). I have chosen these advertisements because they have stayed with me for a long time after I’ve seen them, and I would also consider them to be effective in raising brand awareness.
Brands of the recent years have grasped the potential of surreal marketing, used both comedy and mystery as a tool for engaging with their audience. With the over-present nature of advertisement, it is natural that many people simply start out to “tune out” regular ads. In such cases, an entire campaign can be ineffective. Because of this, advertisers and their organizations must devise ways to increase customer retention, as well as improve the audience engagement. The use of colorful and weird advertisements creates a new ability for ads to interest the viewer. In addition, ads such as the Skittles’ campaign have a solid potential for being shared online, as they share many central characteristics with memes and other internet-based content produced today. Overall, I think that the “Taste the Rainbow” campaign can be seen as an clear and successful campaign for increasing the company’s brand outreach.
References
Decker, I. (n.d.). Taste the rainbow with skittles: Marketing campaign review. Our blog for brands looking to create authentic connections with makers & DIYers | Anthony Thomas. Web.