Skittles Shows How to Escape a Witch’s Clutches in Its Halloween Ad
We all know the popular fairytale, Hansel and Gretel, where a witch lures two children into her den. The witch lures them into her den with candy and tries to fatten them up so she can cook them. The kids escape after they send the witch flying into her oven. Well, Skittles is putting a spin on that story and showing you there’s another way to escape a witch’s clutches in its latest Halloween ad.
This is the candy brand’s first Halloween spot in over five years. The Halloween ad by Skittles was created by DDB Chicago. It was created in partnership with Smuggler Production House.
About the Halloween Ad
The spot shows us a witch who lures a teen into her house with the promise of candy, Skittles to be precise. We find the teen sitting inside a tub-cauldron on a gas flame in the middle of her drab looking kitchen. The teen sits comfortably in the tub eating Skittles. He starts to ask the witch if she has any more of the yummy candy. To which she replies by asking him to leave. Her plans are foiled after the teen keeps asking for the yummy candy, which of course annoys her. He even goes as far as showing him a Skittles commercial on his phone. The commercial he shows her is very similar to his situation. The witch in the witch begs a similar child in a cauldron to eat all the Skittles.  After the commercial ends, he states, “Oh, it’s not as good as I remember,” then goes back to begging for more of the yummy treats. She keeps asking him to leave her house. It closes with the tag, “Annoy the rainbow. Taste the rainbow.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSZ-625GO-g&feature=youtu.be Â
DDB Chicago and Skittles Speak on the Ad
Nathaniel Lawlor, creative director, DDB Chicago spoke about the ad. He stated that in the candy brand’s fashion, they took an iconic Halloween story and flipped it on its head, ultimately turning the evil villain into the hapless victim. Mitch Rotenberg, senior associate brand manager, Skittles spoke about the ad. He talked about how the brand is always rooted in subverting something familiar and turning it into something delightfully unexpected. Rotenberg talks about the ad, stating that the witch doesn’t expect the teen to be annoying and that she wants him to leave. He also talks about how they modernize the stereotypical character. They did this by giving her Velcro sneakers and a large cooking pot or 'bath' instead of a cauldron. Read the full article
