Some corporations still haven’t learned their lesson. Bud Light suffered significant losses when it partnered with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney to appeal to the “woke” community. This company is still reeling and does not seem to be recovering anytime soon. Another company has also been under scrutiny because it engaged in similar marketing tactics.
Skittles was able to avoid right-wing boycotts by partnering with the LGBTQ community for marketing their products. Now, however, they have been targeted:
Conservatives have tried to boycott Skittles after they released pro-LGBTQ+ packaging with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
The new packaging is predominantly black and white, with the candy brand’s traditional bright colors reserved for a band of rainbow running across it. Additionally, it features illustrations of various young people, as well as phrases like “Black Trans Lives Matter” and “Joy Is Resistance.”
Skittles is partnering with GLAAD for the fourth consecutive year, one of the nation’s most prominent proLGBTQ+ media monitor groups. However, this campaign has run afoul of an online conservative subset that opposes pro-LGBTQ+ messaging, and especially pro-transgender messaging, from brands and companies. While such messaging has been prevalent for years, it has recently received increased backlash due to conservatives’ renewed opposition
Some people called for a boycott of the brand because of the issue.
“Joy is Resistance”
“Black TransLives Matter”
Really @Skittles? https://t.co/PlAiqFXCft
— Tiffany Justice (@4TiffanyJustice) August 13, 2023
Yes…There is a DRAG QUEEN on a skittles package.
Unless they are trying to get your kids to turn into LGBTQ/BLM activists…what’s the point of this?
They’re coming after your children. pic.twitter.com/671dPp85xt
— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) August 12, 2023
Read that label carefully – “Black TransLives Matter” is the middle of a cartoon playground full of kids on the package. This is marketing aimed at children.
Skittles are produced and marketed by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, Inc
It isn’t “just” the brand that is at… pic.twitter.com/WzabczO47B— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) August 12, 2023
SKITTLES GONE WOKE😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/B86fuNPOde
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) August 12, 2023
Read that label carefully – “Black TransLives Matter” is the middle of a cartoon playground full of kids on the package. This is marketing aimed at children.
Skittles are produced and marketed by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, Inc
It isn’t “just” the brand that is at… pic.twitter.com/WzabczO47B— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) August 12, 2023
In May Skittles released a press release to announce its “limited edition Pride packs 2023” as a preview of its new program.
The packs will swap the brand’s signature rainbow for original designs by artists within the LGBTQ+ community. $1 from each pack sold (up to $100,000) will go to GLAAD in support of the organization’s ongoing efforts to work through media to support and increase visibility for the LGBTQ+ community. More details on the full 2023 Pride program will be shared ahead of June, which will include several exciting partnerships and collaborations to support and uplift the LGBTQ+ community.
According to the program, $1 from every Skittles pack sold will be donated to GLAAD in order to increase the visibility of the LGBTQ+ Community. ”
Would the Mars company that owns Skittles suffer the same fate as Anheuser-Busch? The company was forced to sell some of its brands in order to cover its losses. Since the Bud Light/Mulvaney backlash, the beer company has suffered a loss of $390 million. This could mean some tough times for Skittles.
Skittles may not be as in danger as Bud Light in this case.
Even though the right has pushed back, Skittles’ decision to continue to nod to the woke group despite the pushback highlights the changing dynamics in corporate America’s relationship with its customers.
