Our Commercial Culture: Skittles gets weird

Advertising is an expression of the culture in which it exists. It is a reflection of ourselves through the lens of very intelligent people whose job it is to know more about our inner psychology than any of us want to admit. Turns out that psychology degree was not a...

By Ben Dayton

March 22, 2011

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Advertising is an expression of the culture in which it exists. It is a reflection of ourselves through the lens of very intelligent people whose job it is to know more about our inner psychology than any of us want to admit. Turns out that psychology degree was not a waste of time after all. This week, Skittles is our guide as we plum the depths of our collective unconscious to visit the strange and disturbing realm of the flying blender.

If you've paid any attention to Skittles commercials at all, you know that they tend to get weird, and fast. Actually, right away. There's something about all those colors that just goes well with the absurd. This new spot is no exception.

The off-white lighting and suburban-home environment circa 1974 complement this smooth operator's epic 'stache and player-ass old-guy sweater, all of which makes for the type of otherworldly quirkiness that Skittles is for some reason known for. Are premium-grade Skittles really hallucinogenic dream drugs and they've been holding out on us this whole time? The slogan, "Taste the Rainbow," would seem to suggest an affirmative.

Is there any other explanation for the fantastically bizarre imagination-land that contains the immense and oftentimes indecipherable Skittles mythology? The blender archetype needs to be set free, yet it returns with vengeance, exploding through your sliding glass door and annoying the shit out of you until you can gain the presence of mind not to be bothered by its incessant racket. There is a lesson to be learned here. Dig deep.

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