Today's Youth Advisory Board Post is the latest installment of YAB feature Our Side Of The Screen with Caroline Marques weighing in on the revamped Skittles' site that's had both marketers and customers talking. Remember, you can communicate directly with any member of the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com…or just leave a comment.

Our Side Of The Screen: Skittles' Site Corrals Social Buzz

Since everybody’s been talking about the new Skittles site, as a huge skittles fan, I decided to check it out. Luckily, at 16, I qualified (MARS spokesman, Ryan Bowling said he wouldn’t market to kids under 12, so when you go on the Skittles' site, you have to enter your birthday.)

From there you are transported to the Skittles new homepage on Wikipedia, just one of the social platforms incorporated the site. The others include Twitter which is listed under "Chatter," Facebook which is under "Friends" and YouTube which is under "Media." Basically, now when people express their opinions online about Skittles, whether they are good or bad, it will be broadcast by the brand in one central location. Obviously, people can also abuse that power – but after a few adjustments, Skittles seems to be okay with that. At least, people are talking.

The site has definitely caught the media's attention, but what does that mean for teens? I mean, it's still a candy site right? Usually branded sites aren't the number one destination for teens on the web. Personally, I couldn't for the life of me tell you what my favorite site about candy is, or what a lot of others look like. Teens like shopping online, but for clothes and music, not for candy that's available at the corner store. This is why the site's focus on what teens do love to do online — Facebook, YouTube and the like — is such a smart move. By putting the spotlight on Skittles-centric "chatter" it provides an incentive for teens to think and talk about the candy.

And once you do find yourself on the site, it's easy to get sucked into spending a good fifteen minutes exploring the familiar sites that have been given a Skittles twist. For instance, I skimmed the Wikipedia page and learned that Skittles were made in 1973 by Brits! I scanned people's tweets and found some boring and others interesting. I think teens will definitely be amused by the site. Although I'm not sure how they will keep the momentum going. Once the novelty does wear off, I'm not sure if the site will really change anyone's opinions about the candy itself.

Personally, I think Skittles would have stayed my favorite candy no matter what the site looked like. The only difference now is that when I see the commercials, I won't just be thinking "oooh, candy," I'll also think about the site. Which is probably exactly want they wanted. All in all, a sweet move by Skittles.

About Caroline
Caroline is a high school student in Geneva, Switzerland. While Caroline lists sports, music and travelling as her hobbies, she also very much enjoys writing and reading. After being a teen adviser for NickMag, she thought Ypulse would be the perfect opportunity for a new start. While trying to keep up with the trends (or setting some of her own), dance classes, working on long papers and trying to master three new languages, she rarely has time to write the novel she wishes she could finish, though she is certain one day she will. Writing is never far from her thoughts.

For more coverage of youth marketing, go to the Ypulse Youth Marketing Channel sponsored by Youth Marketing Connection.

Categorized under: Youth Advisory Board, Youth Marketing

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