SKITTLES Enters Surreal Territory to Push 'Soft' Gummies

SKITTLES is making softness feel a little too real.

The Mars-owned candy brand is launching "SKITTLES Gummies" with a campaign that makes a simple product benefit something a wee bit unsettling.

Created with TBWA\Chiat\Day and directed by Carl Sundemo, the work uses exaggerated, dreamlike scenes to push the idea of “soft” into strange territory.

Much like SKITTLES' previous surrealist efforts, this one is a deliberate move to stand out among candies with softness as their default claim.

"To make ourselves stand out in a saturated gummy market, we pushed past ‘softness’ and into the realm of the uncomfortably soft," group creative directors Katie Bero and Brian Culp shared.

This became the hook.

SKITTLES opted out of showing fruit flavors or chewy textures and focused on the physical sensation of softness, even if it makes you pause.

While seemingly random, each scenario is intentional.

"Visually absurd without the world around them acknowledging that anything about this is off," the creatives explained.

The approach stays true to SKITTLES' irreverent brand voice, where logic often takes a backseat to surprise its audience.

A straightforward message about texture would have cut it, but it wouldn’t have been as memorable.

And in a category growing as quickly as gummies, memorability can make or break a brand.

How Absurdity Pushes Skittles' Soft Agenda

Three hero films show three completely different scenarios that feel both inviting and uncomfortable.

The first one sees two friends enjoying SKITTLES Gummies inside a kangaroo pouch, with an emphasis on the softness of both the candy and being in there. 

A second spot sees a balloon dog scraping itself across a living room carpet, again, emphasizing the softness of the moment. 

Despite the bizarre situation, a mother continues to enjoy her SKITTLES Gummies as if what she was witnessing was totally normal.

The last spot sees a man getting massaged by life-sized, floating jellyfish, caressing him while putting Gummies into his mouth. 

To add to the surrealism, every element seen on screen was physically built and performed, from the kangaroo suit to the jellyfish tentacles.

The spots roll out across linear TV, CTV, online video, and social platforms, targeting Gen Z audiences drawn to surreal humor and unexpected visuals. 

The campaign builds on SKITTLES’ recent momentum, including an OOH stunt that makes passers-by look twice, and a Super Bowl stunt featuring Elijah Wood.

Overall, it's a show of the brand's consistent commitment to pushing creative boundaries.

SKITTLES’ Push Into Uncomfortable Softness

SKITTLES is using discomfort to drive distinction in crowded product categories, and there's a reason why exactly this works:

• Stand out by going extreme. In categories like candy, exaggeration helps make simple product claims more memorable.
• Video drives decisions. Strong visual execution matters because 82% of people say video influences their purchase decisions, making tangible, striking content more persuasive
• Discomfort drives attention if you do it well. Humor that feels slightly off can hold attention longer and reinforce consistent brand storytelling systems.

Mars, SKITTLES’ parent company, reported $55 billion in annual revenue in 2024.

It's further proof of the brand’s role as a leader in its category. 

Our Take: Does Weirdness Make It Stick?

It's admirable when a brand gets a little reckless with its own logic.

This campaign in particular makes you feel it in a way that’s slightly off, almost invasive.

But it's hard to forget a jellyfish massage or a human pouch because your brain doesn’t quite know where to place it. You've also probably never seen anything like it.

Most brands in this space play it safe with flavor shots and glossy visuals.

SKITTLES goes the other way and makes softness uncomfortable, which is exactly why it's impactful and effective.

For brands breaking into their respective categories, take notes.

Not on the weirdness itself, but on the conviction behind it.

In other news, SKITTLES recently grabbed attention again with its deliberately flawed "Irritate the Rainbow" outdoor campaign.

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