Is Skittles’ Website Building Their Brand?
Skittles has raised some eyebrows with their latest website redesign.
The new Skittles’ “anti-site“ fully embraces social media, ceding nearly complete control of their web presence to their fans. The effort, to say the least, has been controversial. In particular, a decision to include a live twitter feed that streams all mentions of the word “skittles” to the front page of the site. (Note: The front page rotates daily among the various social media platforms.)
Our office has been buzzing with opinions about the site and we felt we’d share them with you!
Skittles’ latest website has generated a lot of buzz very rapidly. Once the initial buzz wears off, will their campaign have legs? Is it building their brand?
Good Use of Social Media, But Needs A Good Story
I’m impressed by Skittles’ bold embrace of social media – so many brands try too hard to control it or simply ignore it completely. That said, I do wonder about the consumer experience. When your first impression of a brand is their Wikipedia entry, it does not elicit the type of emotional response that keeps consumers engaged with a brand. While traditional advertising still certainly has some lessons to learn from the Digital age, I think Digital advertising is much more powerful when it retains some of that traditional storytelling: namely, a core message that really resonates with consumers. - Betsy
Leveraging social media channels is a good idea, but it’s not a brand strategy. You’ve got to give consumers a reason to care about you, too. Feels like their target is agency/marketing types — judging from their Twitter feed, we’re the only ones talking about it. - Brian
Needs to Move to the Next Level
While the skittles.com site may be attracting attention initially, its buzz will subside rather quickly. Unless taken to the next level in the near future, what will keep the consumer engaged? A clever navigation system does not typically create any kind of stickiness for the typical consumer. Will Skittles.com take it to the next level? Will the site take advantage of social media avenues in unconventional ways? Time will tell. - Augi
The site will build their brand in the short term, but it will be up to them to actively engage their community to make it last. Skittles cannot depend on the social aspect to drive continued interest by itself. They will need to give a little push. - Omar
Excludes their Target Audience
Skittles’ print and television advertising appeals to kids under age 13, yet they’re unfortunately blocking them from participating on their site with an age verify roadblock. Instead of engaging those consumers, Skittles has excluded a large demographic who will have to “Taste the Rainbow” elsewhere. - Tracy
Can you say technology for technology’s sake? Feels a lot like Cannes… the only people who really care are those in the industry itself. It comes across as extremely self-serving (and not on behalf of the brand or consumer). Where’s the content? How about some target-audience focused conversation starters? Participation by a culturally relevant celeb would at least add some intrigue. Hoping the long-term strategy contains some brilliance we’ve yet to experience – somehow I doubt it. -Rich
What do you think? Is Skittles’ new site brilliant or fatally flawed? What will it mean for their brand and what implications does it have for the future of digital advertising? Let us know in the comments!
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Garett…
I think the Skittles site acknowledges the sea of change facing brands today. Embracing the social landscape is commendable. I don’t think it is a brand builder in the sense that it will instill an emotional feeling the brand wants to propegate.
I think it is a realistic adoption of a strategy of bringing what consumers are saying about the brand into the light. The fact that Skittles would allow (good or bad) any commentary about them be broadcast to the masses is a great testament of the brand’s security of their positioning.
Now this type of deployment might create a brand message that Skittles is not afraid of what people might say…I don’t think it goes a long way to deliver a positioning statement.
I remember Skittles being the “Taste the Rainbow” candy. I think they could have used social media to bring that message forward.
Definitely a bold move.
Alex…
Like many of you, I applaud Skittles for its willingness to plunge head first into the world of social media, essentially turning over the keys to their brand to everyone and anyone who cares to share an opinion.
That said, this site misses the mark for me, for several reasons.
1) IT’S TALKING TO ITSELF. Let’s face it, while social media is a fascinating sociological trend and something that teens and people of all ages are truly embracing today, the core “buzz” around this site isn’t being generated among Skittles’ target– it’s being generated among people IN THE INDUSTRY. If one single teen in this country is impressed by (or has even heard about) the new Skittles.com, I’d be astounded. The fact of the matter is the initial buzz around this site isn’t affecting Skittles’ consumers, and therefore the press-worthy nature of the site (it’s strongest benefit, as far as I can tell) is completely negated. The only brand this site moves the needle for is Agency.com, and I think it moves it in the wrong direction.
2) IT DOES NOTHING FOR THE BRAND. Unlike Modernista’s very similarly minimalistic, forward thinking site, Skittles.com does nothing for the Skittles brand. In Modernista’s case, they wanted to paint themselves as a forward-thinking, innovative agency that could think and lead in the digital age. While I don’t think that they are, the site served its purpose and the simple execution ultimately did convey a message. In the case of Skittles, what are we to believe here? Skittles.com is literally the one place on the entire web where the brand has an opportunity to affect brand perception and offer something back to its consumers. The unique personality and image that Skittles has worked for years to cultivate through its above the line advertising isn’t even alluded to here– explicitly or implicitly. It’s a missed opportunity to be a part of the conversation, rather than just pointing people TO the conversation that’s already happening.
3. HAM-HANDED EXECUTION. Wow, could this site be any uglier and awkward to use? I mean, if we can even call it a site, at the very least they could have put some care into the design of the navigational overlay, or perhaps made it movable so it didn’t block the entire upper left corner of the screen? To me, this doesn’t read as stylistically simple, it reads as lazy.
So, for as much as I give Skittles credit for being willing to take a risk, I really do think the execution misses the mark and that key opportunities to actually contribute and participate in the conversations happening in the digital space have been missed here. At least Skittles got a site for (presumably) dirt cheap!
Tina Glengary…
I’m glad they chose this idea rather than another experiential microsite. It’s great they’re pushing the boundaries on how brands can leverage social media. Bless them for trying. But…
They’re not actually having a conversation with people, they’re simply aggregating random (and rarely related) conversations being had about them.
Alex…
Amen Tina.
Nokadota…
To build upon what Tina said, Skittles is letting people make the site their own [so to speak].
Off-topic : This is a great site, you’ve gained another reader.
Brian…
@Nokadota: Thank you! Glad to have you here!
While I agree with your sentiment that Skittles is letting consumers “own the site,” I’m not convinced they’re providing anything in return. To Tina’s point, it’s not really a conversation if only one side is talking. It’s a little ironic that Skittles finds themselves on the opposite side of marketing’s usual shortcoming: doing all the talking.
You’ve got to give love to get love.
Ted…
A year later: Anyone know if it’s helped or hurt?
Brian…
Ted-
I don’t have specifics, but since then Skittles has replaced both their website and their agency.
I’m assuming they considered it a failure.