Skittles, Comedy Central team up for some online time-wasters

Skittles wants you to "play the rainbow." The Wrigley candy has teamed up with Comedy Central to launch a gaming arcade on ComedyCentral.com. One is a "Snood-like puzzle" called Skittles Pop in which you shoot similar-colored Skittles into a cloud of candies to make them "pop." (Line them up incorrectly, or have poor aiming skills, and the sky of Skittles slowly builds up to suffocate you.) The arcade consists of six "fun games for bored people," including "Important Things with Demetri Martin" and "Michael & Michael Have Issues." There will also be an "addictive soccer game" launching soon, Comedy Central tells us. Said Rebecca Keszkowski, vp of digital integrated marketing at MTV Networks' Entertainment Group: "We developed this concept to connect [the] humor of Comedy Central digital with Skittles' sensibilities. We wanted to create an interactive experience for fans to virtually taste the rainbow of Skittles and engage with [its] brand and brand message."

—Posted by Elaine Wong

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Skittles of our lives

Mars' Skittles brand continues its foray into absurdism with a new spot from TBWA\Chiat\Day, New York, that portrays the evils of eating Skittles out of unlikely objects. Thinking it’s no big deal, the hungry snacker in this ad disregards his friend’s warning and steals some Skittles candy from his giant hourglass. Seems harmless enough, right? Except this seems to have a reverse Benjamin Button effect, making the teen age rapidly. “I mean, look at me, man. You’re speeding up time. How many did you eat?” he says, while pieces of hair fall from his hat. “Like two?” his friend replies, bewildered. Within seconds, the teenager with the jeans and hoodie jacket transforms into an old, frustrated senior citizen. Lesson No. 2: Life is too short. “Taste the rainbow.” (Or else others will.)

—Posted by Elaine Wong

Guzzle down the alcoholic rainbow with Skittles-flavored vodka

For those who haven't been paying attention, the marketing people at Skittles are really making an effort to break away from the wholesome, kid-centered positioning typically associated with candy products. First, there were those odd ads with the deadpan, almost mordant humor. Then, last week, the brand rolled out an "un-site" that substitutes Wikipedia, Twitter and other sites for Skittles home page (an effort that some say is too close to ad agency Modernista!'s Web site for comfort). Now, without help from Mars brand's marketing department, Skittles is the center of a Mentos/Diet Coke/geyser-style Web phenomenon. Consumers are apparently using the candy to color and flavor vodka. Just pop a few Skittles (of the same color, preferably) into a bottle of vodka, and voila! Instant color and flavor. Have a closer look at the finished product here. Taste the rainbow!

—Posted by Todd Wasserman