This is a video from YouTube user Chodda
1. Describe- This video is a little older for the Skittles franchise but it's still pretty popular and can still be seen on television sometimes. I saw this advertisement about 3 or 4 years ago and it has not left my mind since. Whenever I buy a pack of Skittles I see the commercial running through my head. The commercial focuses on the "epicness" of Skittles and how important they are. Obviously if you do not believe in the rainbow you are bound to fall to your death. The dialog is the three teenagers just talking on a rainbow while eating Skittles and little to no music is incorporated. The characters in the advertisement are not famous or well known, just a bunch of teenagers sitting on a rainbow. The length of the ad is not long at all and gives just enough time to get the point across- "believe in the rainbow or die"
2. Analyze-The persuasive techniques being used in this ad seem to be the "plain folks pitch" and the "association principle". By using "plain folks" they are using actors that aren't popular to appeal to all of society- all the "common" people out there. The message is simple- "believe in the rainbow"- something that easy for everyone to understand. The association principle isn't exactly positive in this sense- it's saying that if you don't value or trust in the rainbow, ultimately you will die. By associating life without trust in the Skittles rainbow and death (or at least severe pain), people will get the sense that they need Skittles to survive. That could tie into the "hidden fear" technique as well. Everyone is afraid of dying- if Skittles could keep them alive then they might be persuaded to buy some. Obviously no one died in this commercial- a green-screen was used as well as some kind of computer software. I think any medium could be good for a message- if it catches attention and people remember it, then the job has been done. This might not be the best medium seeing as how someone "dies"- do you really want your company to be associated with that image? But it did exactly what they wanted which was to get people to remember them.
3. Interpret- This commercial could be a part of a larger campaign. All of the other Skittles commercial were just as strange and slightly disturbing. I think to a certain extent they're trying to show that Skittles is like the God of candy- it is wonderful but if you betray it, it has powers that can hurt you. Before these commercials came out I really hadn't heard or seen anything like it before. I think that makes it a different approach to advertisement. Most companies wouldn't go with such a twisted angle. I think teenagers or young adults are the main target audience. You see teenagers sitting on top of the rainbow. The majority of people I have seen laugh at and remember this ad are younger. I remember my parents thinking it was stupid and that it didn't make any sense. If any stereotypes could be included I think it would be that of teenagers being apathetic and questioning of authority. The boy who falls off the rainbow questioned if it even existed- the rainbow was the authority and it dropped him because he questioned. When he falls his friends just watch and don't seem to show any emotion. I didn't really recognize any aspect of pop culture in this ad and I think that's what made it so different. I really don't find the message offensive. I remembered it and might have laughed once or twice but I never gave it another thought. it just didn't affect me in a negative way. It hardly affected me at all.
4. Evaluate- The effectiveness of the commercial is only by how you interpret the message. Some people may receive the message as a negative thing such as the fact that a kid dies because he doesn't believe in the rainbow. Some can interpret the message as a funny joke making Skittles seem worth buying for the hilariousness of the ad. Either way I think that the message got across to everyone that saw it, so it is effective in getting the message to the population. Being as every time I see Skittles or buy them I think of the commercial, I see it as definitely something that is memorable. What makes it memorable is the humor and the uniqueness of it which no other commercial has tried to do with the brand Skittles. The product is widely popular so, yes, I have bought tons of Skittles since then- the commercial definitely didn't sway me away or anything from purchasing it. I did not respond to the ad but it is something I will remember for a long time to come whenever I come across Skittles.
Conclusion- I think I've learned that the more unheard of, new, different, twisted or disturbing an ad is makes it more memorable. Most of the commercials people even bother to talk about are the ones that weird or slightly humorous. I think appealing to the happier side of life, boosting those serotonin levels really makes things stick in the mind. Things like that are really useful when thinking about what you should do to grab someone attention.
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Check 'em out: http://creativecriminals.com/compilations/skittles-taste-the-rainbow-campaign/
Check 'em out: http://creativecriminals.com/compilations/skittles-taste-the-rainbow-campaign/
