Advertisements play a vital role in the sales process by enabling companies to present new products and convince customers to make purchases, ultimately boosting profits. Nonetheless, generating an attention-grabbing concept is a difficult endeavor as every corporation aims to accomplish this goal.
Advertising can sometimes have a detrimental effect on consumer behavior if it is too persuasive, causing customers to impulsively buy unnecessary products and waste money. Interestingly, Skittles’ company chose to release a Mother’s Day advertisement on May 14th instead of promoting a new product or flavor.
The skittles’ commercial starts with a close-up of an elderly woman pouring a handful of different colored skittles into her hand. The camera then pulls back to show her upper body, and she makes eye contact with the camera while eating some skittles, slightly trembling. A deep voice from off-screen declares, “Lemon,” and the woman nods in agreement, responding with “Uh-huh.” The scene transitions to a man sitting comfortably next to the woman.
It is clear that he is the son of the woman. As the old woman tosses another skittle into her mouth, the man declares the flavor, “Orange.” The woman responds with an agreement, “Uh-huh.” Disturbingly, as the camera zooms out to show both characters, their intestines are visible, sprawled over their legs. The woman continues to devour the skittles without interruption until the man confesses, “I enjoy eating skittles whenever you eat skittles.”
As he turns, he maintains a smile towards the woman who responds by saying: “I love it when you eat skittles with me.” They exchange peaceful looks and share a laugh. As the man returns his attention front, he breathes out a sigh of relief and expresses: “I miss my dad.” The scene then transitions to an enlarged image of Skittles with a rainbow background and the slogan at the bottom reads: “Cut the rainbow, taste the rainbow.” Subsequently, the scene returns to the living room where the man and woman quietly sit on the sofa with a dog sitting between them. The woman cheerfully exclaims: “Happy Mother’s day!”
After watching this commercial, it appears that the Skittles company did not directly ask the audience to consume their product. Instead, they chose to create a connection with all customers by releasing a new commercial for the upcoming Mother’s Day, a traditional celebration. This tactic indirectly influences consumers’ buying habits and preferences. Although this commercial does not advertise a new Skittles product, the company is announcing that they are honoring Mother’s Day, just like everyone else does.
This advertising approach, referred to as pathos, uses a powerful portrayal of a mother-son relationship to evoke emotional responses in consumers. By tapping into the universal love for mothers, this commercial aims to increase customer satisfaction and encourage product purchases. Consumers may also draw additional conclusions from the ad, such as the idea that serving Skittles at Mother’s Day celebrations can enhance the festive atmosphere or that sharing the commercial with loved ones can create enjoyable moments, similar to what is depicted in the video.
In the opening scene of the commercial, the audience is presented with a close-up shot of an elderly woman’s face. Her forehead is adorned with deep wrinkle lines, and she gazes directly at the viewer.
The woman captivates the audience with her glassy stare, leaving them intrigued about the unfolding events. Their attention is then drawn to a man’s face as the shot transitions. The young man confidently declares “Lemon,” which initially confuses the audience, making them question if he is referring to the flavor of what the woman has just encountered. How could he possibly be aware of it? Surprisingly, as the scene expands to show both characters’ bodies, it becomes clear that their intestines are interconnected.
Both an informative response to the audience’s query and a remarkable moment showcasing the fact that the old lady had a connection to her son through their intestines is depicted in this outcome. The question arises regarding how this connection came about. Conversely, although it may appear illogical for a real intestine to be externally displayed and attached to two human bodies, it is actually quite reasonable as a newborn baby is naturally connected to their mother through the umbilical cord. Skittles did not simply create the idea of a shared intestine for taste purposes, but rather they used natural laws to illustrate the close bond between children and their mothers.
Additionally, there was an easily overlooked moment in the advertisement where the attention-grabbing slogan is displayed: “Cut the rainbow, taste the rainbow.” Initially, this sentence may seem confusing, but upon reflection, its meaning is as straightforward as “to try those colorful skittles.” The intention of utilizing the metaphor of “cut the rainbow,” which represents the multi-colored skittles, was to persuade consumers that consuming skittles is equivalent to experiencing the taste of a rainbow. This message sparked imagination and further captivated the audience’s curiosity regarding this product.
Without a doubt, the new skittles’ commercial successfully taps into customers’ memory, establishing an association between skittles and the consumers. This association subsequently influences their purchasing decisions. The commercial features a unique chain reaction that links the intestines of a mother and son through their navels. This visual representation effectively communicates that they are sharing the taste of skittles.
The advertisement for candies featuring an intestine may not be suitable as it does not appeal to the senses of humans who consume snacks. This lack of enticing imagery makes the promotion ineffective in selling the product. However, the advertisement does successfully generate interest in the Skittles company, which can create a positive impression of their products. When consumers feel enthusiastic about a brand or corporation, they are more likely to develop an affinity for the products they produce due to the significant role played by initial impressions in attracting loyal customers.
To improve the effectiveness of this advertisement, it may be better to show a mother and baby together with a connected umbilical cord. Since babies can’t speak, they could be shown eating the candies while mothers describe the flavors. This approach would make the scene less disturbing for customers. However, if the company intentionally chose adult and elderly women for this commercial, it could be seen as an attempt to challenge traditional views of motherhood, which could also be seen as a viable strategy to attract attention from the audience.
