Ah, that blush of first love. Holding hands under the bleachers; a nervous slow-dance at the school formal; passing notes in class; and so on. That's the version of teen relationships often preferred by the advertising industry, because it's meant to communicate fuzzy feelings and nostalgia. But Skittles takes that concept and swerves in a less romantic direction for its big game ad. The 2017 Skittles Super Bowl commercial is a hilarious take on teen dating where a boy's crush is more interested in "tasting the rainbow" than having a Romeo and Juliet balcony moment.
The Super Bowl isn't on until Feb. 5, but Skittles joined many other companies in debuting its new commercial early online. The Skittles Super Bowl spot runs 30 seconds, and that's more than enough time to get the joke across.
The setting is a suburban street at night. A young man tosses Skittle after Skittle at a young woman's window, hoping to get her attention. It's not working. Katie is already awake and unmoved by the romantic overture happening outside her window. The candy doesn't go to waste, at least. Inside her bedroom, the girl, her family, a cat burglar, a cop, and a groundhog (presumably from their backyard) take turns catching those chewy little nuggets of fruity sugar with their mouths. Check out the whole commercial below:
The irony of the spot is funny; you're obviously expecting a different reaction from the girl being pursued than her quietly eating the tools her suitor is using to alert her to his presence. But I'd like to make the case that this Skittles commercial is also low-key subversive. Instead of a love-sick girl waiting at her window for attention and approval from a male peer, you have an indifferent young woman who figures, "hey, if he's throwing them, I'm catching them."
I can't help but feel a little sorry for the guy; he must be really into this girl to sacrifice a whole bag of Skittles to win her heart. Next time, he can try one of those candy bouquets you can buy on Amazon. There's no point in buying real flowers for a sweet-tooth like that.
The best Super Bowl commercials are clever and to-the-point. Some spots utilize big celebrities; some feature contests. This Skittles ad is made up entirely of unknowns, but by making humorous commentary on young love, it still has the potential to be one of the memorable commercials to make its television debut during Sunday's game.
