Skittles has some mad (meant like cool), crazy (same), impressively talented individuals working in marketing these days.
I don’t know if you followed the story. It was mostly media driven. Skittles just made a million new fans, spending a fraction of what they normally would have for a Superbowl Ad Campaign.
I am their new number one fan, and would beg them for a job, even if they are corporately located in some god forsaken place…… Maybe. I’m doing fine, but back to the story.
Skittles. You know them.
TASTE THE RAINBOW!
Need I remind you of our good friend Marshawn Lynch? The man who gulped Skittles on his own terms, with nary a mention of sponsorship (until finally it was ridiculous he wasn’t being sponsored, the man devours bags upon bags).
Eating Skittles like a madman on the Seahawks sideline?
Skittles issued a press release saying that they were holding a contest. They didn’t want to buy a Superbowl commercial for $5,000,000 for 30 seconds. Let alone pay to make a Superbowl worthy commercial.
Oh No, I’m giving my point away. 🙂
They announced that they instead would make a commercial for one kid, and only he or she would see it.
The media was all over it.
They even released a trailer.
Click here to watch (don’t worry, it will be a new tab)
Starring Ross Geller, I mean David Schwimmer. I fell for it, I watched the trailer. They made at least four commercials. David Schwimmer hasn’t done anything for a while, but I’m sure he doesn’t come cheap.
Running total so far (according to me): Advertising Team, Idea and Story Boards $200K, Development, Studio, Casting and Directing $500K, David Schwimmer $300K. Sets, location, craft services $500K.
There had to have been an internet planting team and a pr team. Lets be generous $700K.
$2.2 Million so far. Let’s say a superbowl ad cost $1 million in teaming up and $5million for airtime, that’s $6M total, that’s our goal to stay under, expecting the same ad impact.
Then we have the kid, Marcos Menendez, the one that’s going to be the only one to see the commercial.
I am not privy to the way he was chosen, but I do believe he is real, so let’s add $150K for that whole thing.
He has to be real, because if this whole shenanigans gets blown up to be a scam……. Well, that’s more free publicity, but negative and tricky, we can’t have that.
So $500K to take care of the kid. More than we need, but there are lots of handlers.
$2.85M vs $6M so far.
Everyone sees the trailer.
More free media.
The media suggests that the instagram handle, email and twitter address of the kid chosen have all just been created, suggesting that the kid is fictional. This of course is rather than assuming that the kid just doesn’t have those things yet (he’s 17), or that the corruption of his real, barely established handles should not be at risk.
All reasonable.
Media blackout. As far as I noticed, and I’m a media hound.
There was no Skittles commercial on Superbowl Sunday.
They did do a showing just for the chosen one. A 22 minute commercial, according to the media.
WINNER!
SKITTLES!
Spent $2.85 M, instead of $6M, got loads of free press.
SOMEBODY GETS A RAISE!
Earned internet brownie points.
Made me want to buy Skittles.
Bravo Skittles!
Here is a link to the commercial shown to Marcos Menendez