Dive Brief:

• Skittles is gearing up for Pride Month in June with a host of new activations, including a partnership with social media platform Meetup for the the Skittles LGBTQ+ Directory and the release of themed limited-edition packaging, according to a press release.
• Additionally, the Mars brand is helping to support five local LGBTQ+ community groups across cities like New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Las Vegas.
• For the fifth year, the brand is also partnering with GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization. The first 500 GLAAD donors who make a gift of $75 or more will receive a pouch featuring the limited-edition package design filled with Skittles. The brand will match donations up to $25,000.

Dive Insight:

Skittles is once again leaning into Pride Month marketing, with its efforts split into three parts: a social media platform partnership, limited-edition packaging and a charitable initiative. The effort arrives as a broad array of brands find themselves walking a tightrope when it comes to messaging around DEI initiatives, fearing backlash from a small but vocal percentage of consumers during a divisive moment in American culture. Corporations engaged in Pride month marketing have also been accused of “rainbow-washing,” or engaging with the community purely for profit. As a result of the fraught landscape, some marketers like Target have pulled back on their Pride Month-related efforts this year. 

Skittles is looking to help to foster a sense of community for its latest tie-in with Pride Month while also looking to extend its outreach to the LGBTQ+ community beyond a single month. With this in mind, Skittles partnered with Meetup to create the Skittles LGBTQ+ Directory. The interface is intended to help consumers find groups, events and resources to ensure a sense of community all year long. Additionally, the Mars brand will sponsor five LGBTQ+ communities across the country: The Queer Big Apple Corps, Reeling Film Festival, Urban Bird Collective, Bay Area Derby and Las Vegas Gaymers.

The limited-edition Skittles Pride packaging features symbols of community and friendship as well as a rainbow, which the brand has often featured in its marketing and which is also a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community.

"We know the LGBTQ+ community is one that is comprised of strong, dynamic individuals with a wide array of interests and passions," said Gabrielle Wesley, CMO, Mars Wrigley North America in a press release. "Our Skittles Pride pack and community celebrations are intended to inspire moments of everyday happiness by celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in a way that lets all unique colors shine."

Last year, Skittles embedded its Pride Month packaging with QR codes that accessed content from LGBTQ+ storytellers. In previous years, the brand removed the colors from its candy wrappers as a symbolic way to make room for the community.