Colourless Skittles controversy: error or overreaction?

Skittles has temporarily changed its traditionally rainbow-colored sweets and packaging to an all-white colour to honour June pride month for the second year in a row.

The Wrigley brand went on to state that “During Pride, only one rainbow matters. So we’ve given up ours to show our support.”

The monochromatic look is a stark departure from the standard theme, drawing attention to the brand and the cause it is supporting. In addition to the altered branding, £0.02 per packet will also be given to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) charities.

So what is the problem?

While the response has been generally supportive, some negative responses from internet commentators have accused the brand of being misguided. There has also been some criticism accusing Skittles of supporting white pride.

The risk of failure is high when using trendy social justice politics as an advertising strategy. In 2015, Brewdog launched 'the world’s first non-binary, transgender beer' No Label. Similar to Skittles’ temporary rebrand, No Label was designed with diversity and inclusivity in mind and Brewdog planned to donate any profits to LGBT charities. However, a spokesperson for LGBT charity Stonewall said: ‘While it’s encouraging to see BrewDog raising money for trans youth communities, and we like the ‘No Label’ concept, we’re concerned about the language. The trans community is diverse, many trans people do not transition, or identify with binary genders, and BrewDog’s language undermines that."

The No Label move was not Brewdog’s first poorly received attempt to engage with social justice issues. A previous advert was the subject of a petition after being criticised as 'mocking homeless people, transwomen, and sex workers'.

Take-away

Adopting social justice issues alone is inadequate to guaranteeing brand success with progressive or wider audiences. While social justice issues are trendy right now, there will always be a vocal group who will take it in bad faith, or those who attempt to create controversy. The way to incorporate progressive politics into a social media campaign is to promote the positive consequences (such as charitable donations) of purchasing the product.

Brands should prepare a communication strategy in the event that social media activists from across the political spectrum turn against them. Apologies are not always required and brands must play it by ear as social media responses to political issues are often fickle and fast-moving. Some poorly implemented campaigns will be legitimately criticised, while well-meaning ones may be intentionally misinterpreted.

Brands should trust the wider public to determine one from the other and focus on the evidence of their good work. However, as with any area where social media is involved, a thick skin will be required and the patience to cut through the noise.