Skittles launches ‘apology tour’ to make amends for taking away beloved lime flavor
In 2013, Skittles replaced its lime flavor with green apple. Many, many people were outraged. Now the brand has launched an ‘apology tour’ to let those people know that their grievances did not fall on deaf ears.
Skittles is embarking on an ‘apology tour’
Skittles wants the world to know that it’s sorry – very sorry – for ever depriving its fans of the beloved lime flavor. The brand has launched an ‘apology tour,’ which includes an activation on video game streaming service Twitch and a partnership with Nascar driver Kyle Busch.
The lime flavor, which was a part of the original Skittles product since its release in 1979, was discontinued by the brand in 2013 and replaced by green apple. Afterwards, 130,880 disgruntled, lime-loving fans took to social media to voice their outrage at the brand. The indignation was so severe that Skittles had to reconsider their jettisoning of the lime flavor; in September of 2021, the brand once again began to include lime Skittles in its original product packs.
“It’s no secret that lime has been a hot topic for Skittles fans since we replaced them with green apple back in 2013. Green apple has had a good run, but the fans have spoken and it’s time for lime to return to the rainbow,” Fernando Rodrigues, senior brand manager at Skittles’ parent company Mars Wrigley, said in a statement last year. “What better way to bring better moments to our loyal fans than with the return of the most-asked-about flavor? The joy of lime can’t be denied anymore. It is back – this time for good.”
Now the brand is embarking on a tongue-in-cheek ‘apology tour’ to placate the huge number of fans who aired their grievances on social media after lime’s disappearance in 2013. In a sneak peak of a new ‘Apologize the Rainbow’ ad that will be livestreamed on Twitch and TikTok on March 29, a sharply-dressed Skittles executive, notecards in hand, is pacing around a room, gesticulating aggressively, rehearsing what sounds like a very earnest apology: “We at Skittles apologize. I’m sorry. Skittles is sorry.”
The brand will also broadcast a campaign ad on the very big screen to New York City with a billboard in Times Square beginning on the 29th. The Skittles’ ‘Lime is back’ artwork will also adorn Nascar driver Kyle Busch’s vehicle from March 25-27 at the Nascar Cup Series race in Austin, Texas.