Dive Brief:

• Skittles’s 60-second Super Bowl LII ad won’t actually air during the game this year, according to an Adweek report. Instead, the brand will screen the ad for one teenage fan, and the public will be able to live stream his reaction on the Skittles Facebook page. 
• To announce the campaign, Skittles created a video for social media channels like Facebook and Twitter of a fake TV news broadcast, where the news anchor explains the concept to a young man, who questions the ad’s exclusivity approach, while eating a package of Skittles. 
• Marcos Menendez of Canoga Park, CA, is the fan who gets exclusive access to the Skittles Super Bowl ad, which the brand has no plans to release to the public even after the game. Skittles will identify the celebrity featured in the ad and release four teaser spots ahead of the game. 

Dive Insight:

“What you cannot see is more interesting than what you can see.” That level of exclusivity is a powerful marketing concept, and how Skittles described the strategy behind this year’s Super Bowl ad in the Facebook announcement video. Execs at Mars, makers of Skittles, say this year’s campaign will give the brand the “most exclusive ad in Super Bowl history.”

With TV ad spots costing around $5 million this year, marketers are willing to embrace any strategy that can help with ROI. Some are foregoing TV spots altogether, instead focusing on social media campaigns surrounding the big game. Mars said last month that it is bringing its M&M's brand back to the Super Bowl in a 30-second spot following a three-year hiatus, during which time the company promoted Snickers and Skittles at the big game instead. 

Consumers and social media users appreciate access to exclusive content and are willing to give their attention and money to brands that offer them something unique. Even though the Skittles campaign isn’t actually providing access to an ad, the multiple teasers and live streaming elements will help the brand create buzz and cross-channel conversations.

Many Super Bowl advertisers are being more tight-lipped about their ads this year after catching flack last year for revealing them early, according to an ABC News report. Building momentum and giving Super Bowl viewers the first look at the ads offers a level of exclusivity that could help brands get the biggest bang for their buck. 

Last year, Skittles ran an in-game ad featuring a young man tossing the candies into a girl’s window and repeating her name, Katie, over and over. The candy brand was one of a handful of brands that generated significant buzz from Super Bowl ads long after the game, but didn’t see much of an increase in purchase consideration, according to data YouGov BrandIndex in Ad Age.