Managing a brand’s online presence is hard. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again many more times. We hear about social media fails all the time and I’ve previously highlighted what it takes to be a mature social media manager. This week, Wrigley Americas is illustrating the right way to manage your brand online, especially in a crisis.
Let’s backtrack to Monday evening. Donald Trump Jr., son of the Republican presidential candidate tweeted the following:
To no one’s surprise, reaction to the tweet was fast and furious. Within hours, Skittles was trending around the globe.
Some of the best responses to Trump Jr.’s tweet
What if one orange Skittle starting telling all the Skittles to panic and kill a bunch of Skittles?
— Bill Dixon (@BillDixonish) September 20, 2016
I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of Skittles entering the US until our leaders can figure out what is going on.
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) September 20, 2016
Please explain this @DonaldJTrumpJr pic.twitter.com/hxG18VRbmO
— Sage Boggs (@sageboggs) September 20, 2016
When someone puts refugees and Skittles in the same sentence. pic.twitter.com/jGaJWG2mY4
— Animosity 🌐 (@WraithCEO) September 20, 2016
Some people wondered how Skittle’s PR and Communications team would handle the situation
When @Skittles‘ PR manager finds out WHY Skittles are trending… pic.twitter.com/2LvFSOniiS
— Michael Scally (@FizzVsTheWorld) September 20, 2016
Skittles PR team staring at Twitter rn pic.twitter.com/lCWaho0C6O
— Marcus Gilmer (@marcusgilmer) September 20, 2016
the PR person at @Skittles rn pic.twitter.com/J7gNbMNTSV
— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) September 20, 2016
The PR and social media team for Skittles be like pic.twitter.com/ZsfmGmtzw1
— Matt Turner (@MattTurner4L) September 20, 2016
(Skittles PR team checks Twitter tonight)
YES! YES! WE’RE TRENDING!
(clicks on Skittles to see top tweets)
OH SON OF A TRUMP! (smashes desk)— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 20, 2016
Skittles Response was Perfect
Many people (myself included) thought the team at Skittles would be at a loss over how best to deal with the unwanted association between their brand and the Trumps’ anti-refugee stance. Then, Denise Young, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Skittles’ parent Wrigley Americas, released the following statement:
“Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel it’s an appropriate analogy. We will respectfully refrain from further commentary as anything we say could be misinterpreted as marketing.”
The response from Wrigley Americas has been met with the Internet’s version of a round of applause
Classy response by @skittles. My advice would be this and it makes all the sense in the world not to engage outside of this. #skittles https://t.co/8UM15sFlbs
— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) September 20, 2016
Exciting opp for @Skittles. Great Twitter response COULD make them my exclusive candy provider for Halloween.
— Lara Cohen 💅🏼 (@Larakate) September 20, 2016
Brands that fup PR – hire whoever Wrigley has working for them b/c that Skittles response was pitch perfect. Brand AND socially responsible
— Leslie Mac (@LeslieMac) September 20, 2016
Who knew Skittles would turn out to be the humane voice in this election https://t.co/E2LQcsxxGA
— Elizabeth Renzetti (@lizrenzetti) September 20, 2016
I hope the Skittles social media & PR people have an unlimited supply of Skittles.
— (((Steph Haberman))) (@StephLauren) September 20, 2016
Why is the Skittles response so impressive?
The situation – having your brand associated with a politician and a hot-button issue – is really a worst case scenario. Trump Jr.’s tweet came out of nowhere and because of his last name, it drew immediate attention. Skittles (by way of their parent company) had to decide (quickly) how to respond.
I’ve worked with (and for) several brands. In this situation, some of them would have ignored the tweet, choosing silence over getting involved. Some brands still choose to believe that not engaging is the best option when it comes to online interaction, especially interaction during a crisis.
Other brands may have attempted to reply with humour, but we’ve seen how that can backfire. Denise Young from Wrigley Americas is either a seasoned PR professional or she has access to some great representation.
The response from Wrigley Americas was perfect. It acknowledged the situation and made it clear that they were not going to allow their brand to be used for the political commentary. The terse tone of the message also made it quite clear that they were done with the situation.
It only took four sentences for Skittles to distance their brand from Trump Jr.’s sensational tweet. It’s a lesson in brand management and PR that many other organizations can learn from.
Trump Jr. was not as impressed with Skittles as I was
Thanks for clearing that one up @Skittles! #SkittlesWelcome https://t.co/jPkbFiNtXi
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DenaldJTrumpJr) September 20, 2016
I can’t end this post without sharing one fun fact. The Skittles image that Trump Jr. used was taken by David Kittos, a former refugee. Trump Jr. neither asked for permission to use the photo nor did he acknowledge where he sourced it. He also neglected to offer Kittos any compensation for its use.
I guess not all Skittles in the bowl are bad.
Such an interesting topic. Great response from Wrigley. Love it!
Thanks for commenting, Allison. Hopefully other companies learn from Wrigley’s example.
Interesting and brilliant response by Wingley. I swear this campaign gets worst adn worst as we get closer to election.
As a Canadian, I can’t help but wonder if we need to start building a wall … :-p
Maybe. All I Ask is please keep me in mind should I need a sofa to crash on after elections. 🙁
Done and done. 🙂
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I work at a Marketing firm and my coworkers will enjoy. It is so ridiculous that he used a brand name to spread his family’s hate. I wish Skittles could sue him.
Glad you found it useful, Dia. I hope the photographer sues him for using his photo without permission. And then use the money won to refugee-related causes.
That would be amazing!
That is a tricky one, not sure what I would do… it worked for them…
It’s definitely a tricky situation. I think they handled it well given how quickly they responded.
I am so proud of the Skittles company and their classy response. This is a smart CEO.
They really did well! I imagine they’ll see a boost in sales during Halloween this year.
I had heard of the story in passing, but ignore political social media stuff. Skittles took the upper hand.
In this time, and with the fast paced election climate, anyone’s PR dept. needs a solid, actionable plan ready to launch.
Great point, Michelle. If you’re not on your toes, you’ll be left in the dust.
This was definitely something that needed to be said. I had a lot more respect for Skittles after this!
UGH! How awful. Skittles PR handled this very well. That is great. Whoever is managing this did was good job turning that around.
What I found most impressive was how fast they responded. They did a great job responding as they did, when they did.
I think this is a great opportunity for them. Skittles really handled this very well.
The perfect stance not to engage or get involved. Taking down a candy company during an election year seams silly.
This whole election has been pretty silly, hasn’t it? (Speaking as a Canadian).
great post. I love their response, but it could have gone the other way if they didn’t choose their words carefully. I think that’s why most choose not to get involved, out of fear
Yes! So many businesses get so caught up in the fear of something going wrong that they stay silent rather than risk making things worse.
Maybe the skittles out of the bowl are the ones we should look out for. I think skittles handled the whole thing very well.
I agree as well, Amanda. Whoever is leading their PR team is going to get a good Christmas bonus this year.
OOooo definitely something to think about! Everyone in media should have a plan of action just incase!
Yes, yes they should! Especially in times like this when things move so fast. If you’re not ready with a response, someone else will speak on your behalf.
I think acknowledging the situation was the right thing to do because otherwise it can be interpreted as agreeing or disagreeing in a situation they don’t want to comment on
What?! Seriously?! Oh, poor Skittles have to go through this. Salute to the company, great job for people behind skittles.
As a PR professional, this whole thing is delightful and I LOVE the tweets about the Skittles PR department!
Those tweets were the best!
It is something to think about, however, the math on that is even more interesting. However, the only ones winning out of this conversation are Skittles!
Awesome job by skittles. Very diplomatically handled. Seems like the clear winner, just in time for Halloween.
I would love to know what their sales are like this Halloween season!
I think was a classy response to the situation. I’ve seen some small businesses (specifically photographers) handling situations poorly and they blast it on social media. It just makes them look so bad. Definitely in these types of situations, it is better to think of a response and then act.
That’s it exactly, Whitney. When you’re representing a brand you have to really think about what your response will be.