The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2019
Skittles skipped the Super Bowl ad and staged a Broadway musical instead
Rather than buy a 30-second spot, Skittles put a live musical on stage during the game and earned 2.5B impressions.
Skittles (Mars)
the move
Skittles faced the Super Bowl, where a 30-second slot was the single most expensive (and crowded) advertising moment of the year.
Instead of buying airtime, it staged a one-off live musical, 'Broadway the Rainbow', that ran in New York at the same time as the game, with tickets sold to the public.
The show sold out and, without airing a single Super Bowl ad, generated a record-breaking 2.5 billion earned impressions for the brand, beating many of the ads that did run on TV.
why it works
- By exiting the auction it stopped competing on money and competed on being the only thing people had to talk about.
- A live, ticketed event is scarce and sharable, so it drew press and social coverage rather than a single broadcast airing.
- It inverted the 'biggest ad platform' logic: the show ran against the game, so viewers who skipped ads still encountered it via chatter.
- The musical was a form (weird, meta, live) that generated discussion the way a 30-second joke could not.
what transfers
If your rivals are all bidding for the same expensive stage, buy a different stage that people will describe out loud.
what came after
Broadway the Rainbow brought home 23 prizes including 12 Lions, four Gold, and 11 shortlists at Cannes Lions 2019, and is cited as the case that convinced brands you can win the Super Bowl by not showing up.
references
- Taking Pride in Our Cannes Lions Accomplishments
- This brand made the most innovative Super Bowl ad that was never aired
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.