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Fun Stuff => CHATTER => Topic started by: Ozymandias on 01 Mar 2009, 22:32

Title: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Ozymandias on 01 Mar 2009, 22:32
Skittles.com - Interweb the Rainbow (http://www.skittles.com)

Possibly the most brilliant manipulation of Web 2.0 I've ever seen. You can't even say it's stupid without promoting it.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: thepugs on 01 Mar 2009, 22:36
It would be really great if everyone in the world didn't already know what Skittles are.

Now it just serves to allow people to throw vulgarities on the front page of a major web site.

Still, clever.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Ozymandias on 01 Mar 2009, 22:40
It's not about knowing they exist.

It's about getting them at the forefront of your mind. If you think about Skittles...well, think about Skittles! Aren't they pretty delicious?

I could go for a bag of Skittles.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: KvP on 01 Mar 2009, 22:44
Most candy advertisement does not seem overly concerned with the normal rules of advertisement. They don't need to be. Candy sells itself.

So you get things like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy52yueBX_s&feature=PlayList&p=210B2675E1630F69&playnext=1&index=5) and this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUJ4uorYPoY). One gets the distinct impression that candy company contracts make advertising firms feel as though they're a kid in some kind of a store. They just go with whatever weird ideas they can get away with. They probably knew 4chan would jump on their twitter site instantaneously and spam it with racial epithets. It doesn't really matter to them.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: est on 02 Mar 2009, 01:11
I dunno man, there are a couple porn tweets with "skittles and ..." on the front page.  Could backfire against them.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Spluff on 02 Mar 2009, 01:39
The thing is, it doesn't even matter what is posted. It's been raided by 4chan which will, if anything, drive up the success of the advertisement - because all it needs to succeed is have people thinking about skittles. As KvP said, once the product has been established to the public, candy sells itself.

People are posting about skittles on twitter to get their name up onto the website - making them think about skittles.
People are seeing other peoples posts on twitter about skittles, without realizing why - still making them think about skittles.
People are going to the skittles website to see the alleged vulgarity being posted (4chan raids, porn adverts, etc.) when they normally wouldn't - once again, skittles on the mind.
People may read about it in the paper ("Skittles home page links to graphic pornography; conservative middle age women slightly irritated") - even more people thinking about skittles.
Heck, there are people like us discussing the ingenuity of the advertising plan - yep, you guessed it, making us think about skittles.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Jace on 02 Mar 2009, 01:43
Those bastards.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: pwhodges on 02 Mar 2009, 03:12
Doesn't work in my Opera browser.  And I don't know what Skittles are either...
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: actreal on 02 Mar 2009, 04:11
Doesn't work in my Opera browser.  And I don't know what Skittles are either...

I'd explain it, but to do so I'd have to think about Skittles.  :-P

Oh shit.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: redglasscurls on 02 Mar 2009, 04:28
This is just making me think about that awful rawrXskittles bullshit a while back
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: MrBlu on 02 Mar 2009, 16:11
Tell me more.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: KvP on 02 Mar 2009, 16:24
From what little I know of that debacle, rawrXskittles was a bad poster of legendary repute. Not unlike Mikeyliz (http://www.echoingthesound.org/ets_archives/viewtopic.php?t=2512)!

(I'm just going to keep finding reasons to post that link until everyone everywhere reads through that thread)
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Gurkburk on 02 Mar 2009, 16:33
Wasn't she the one with the fake mustache? She wasn't all bad.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Joseph on 02 Mar 2009, 17:04
I don't recall a fake mustache.

She was a somewhat missguided youth.  She meant well.

She also believed in werewolves.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Lines on 02 Mar 2009, 17:08
Now I want some Skittles.

Also, I love the dude's face in this picture:

(http://www.adweek.com/adweek/photos/stylus/72980-SKIT_large.jpg)
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Joseph on 02 Mar 2009, 17:36
Seriously folks, remember werewolves (http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,11515.0.html)?  Was that the best thread ever or what?
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 02 Mar 2009, 17:48
it was pretty silly, if that's what you mean.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: MrBlu on 02 Mar 2009, 18:09
Seriously folks, remember werewolves (http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,11515.0.html)?  Was that the best thread ever or what?
Sounds like a really annoying Twitard.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Cartilage Head on 02 Mar 2009, 21:23
 I have never understood the obsession with Skittles. Give me some Starburst or Lifesavers any day.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Inlander on 02 Mar 2009, 21:24
Oh good, you lot can take all the shitty pseudo-fruit flavoured rubbish and I'll take the chocolate.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Cartilage Head on 02 Mar 2009, 21:30
 Yeah I would probably rather eat a chocolate orange/key lime/raspberry than any of those honestly.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Spluff on 02 Mar 2009, 21:34
I think your taste buds may be broken.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: MrBlu on 02 Mar 2009, 22:43
Thinking of Skittles and Starburst in one second and thinking of chocolate in the second puts a funny taste in my mouth.
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Reed on 03 Mar 2009, 19:35
does anyone remember this starburst gem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qo69Pu9fWc)?
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: J-cob9000 on 14 Mar 2009, 09:03
boy
you should be knowin
i'll get your juices goin
Title: Re: When PR and Social Networking Collide
Post by: Zanzan on 15 Mar 2009, 19:47
mmmmmm skittles vodka.