Some companies can’t help but be dragged into controversy due to their sheer size and cultural impact. Skittles has the distinction of being dragged into two different controversies in recent years. Both of which it responded to in a sedate, minimalist way that maximized the dignity of the brand and responded to the emerging situation in a tactful way that did not alienate anybody.
The most recent issue is when the Donald Trump Jr. posted an image of a bowl of skittles, with the macro text “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem.” This naturally set off a firestorm of controversy on twitter.
What skittles did was put out a statement, importantly, not from the primary Skittles social media account, but from the parent company, Mars. The social media post stated, simply: “Skittles are candy; refugees are people. It’s an inappropriate analogy. We respectfully refrain from further comments, as that could be interpreted as marketing”. By putting out this statement, they both staked out their company position, and deny critics who would say they are using this for marketing purposes the battlefield by limiting the response to that one message. By limiting the message to that one line, they have effectively ensured message discipline.
The earlier incident was the death of Trayvon Martin, who had skittles and ice tea when he was shot. Skittles put out a similar statement at that time:
“We are deeply saddened by the news of Trayvon Martin’s death and express our sincere condolences to his family and friends. We also respect their privacy and feel it inappropriate to get involved or comment further as we would never wish for our actions to be perceived as an attempt of commercial gain following this tragedy.”
There were some calls for skittles to become more involved with the movement, and donate money from the sales of skittles to the cause, however skittles declined to do so. This drew some criticism, but as the recent case shows, they were not shaken from the minimalist path, which seems to have served them well.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2016/09/22/skittles-gave-the-perfect-response-to-donald-trump-jr/
https://twitter.com/MarsGlobal/status/778099719922933760/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
http://www.ibtimes.com/trayvon-martin-case-skittles-arizona-iced-tea-speak-out-about-commercial-gain-death-florida-teen