Skittles says sorry for ditching lime flavor in the first place

Skittles is embarking on an “apology tour” to make amends to fans for ditching its original lime flavor in 2013. The Mars Wrigley candy brand announced in September that the lime flavor, introduced with the brand in 1979, would return, replacing green apple. Other flavors include orange, lemon, grape and strawberry, in both regular and sour varieties. To promote the return, Skittles will have a billboard in Times Square and live-stream an apology on Twitch a beginning March 29. A teaser for the apology, which features an actor delivering an impassioned plea for forgiveness on behalf of the brand, was shared on social media this week. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SKITTLES (@skittles) As part of the marketing push, Nascar’s Kyle Busch will be racing his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Skittles branding March 25-27 at the NASCAR Cup Series events at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Busch’s racecars have carried the branding of Skittles’ sibling brand, M&Ms, for 15 years. The snack maker, however, has indicated it would be ending its partnership with the team after the 2022 season. More from Ad Age April 5: Retail and e-commerce leaders explore latest marketing trends How Lululemon is marketing its first running shoe What's next for media retail networks amid explosive growth Mars Wrigley executives said last fall that the decision to return lime to the Skittles lineup was a response to more than 130,000 mentions on social media of fans discussing lime Skittles. “It’s no secret that lime has been a hot topic for Skittles fans since we replaced them with green apple back in 2013. Green Apple has had a good run, but the fans have spoken and it’s time for lime to return to the rainbow," Fernando Rodrigues, senior brand manager for Mars Wrigley, said in a statement. The switch back to lime will be “permanent,” the brand added. Creative agency DDB Worldwide worked on the campaign with Mars Wrigley.

Skittles says sorry for ditching lime flavor in the first place

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