Mars Wrigley has launched Skittles Giants — a larger-than-life, softer-centered version of its much-loved original fruit candies — with brand and packaging identity by Straight Forward Design. Skittles’ first-ever ‘giant’ sub brand needed to strike the right balance between differentiation from the core brand and celebrating this new product.

Skittles first came onto the market in 1979 and has a strong core range and is enjoyed by millions of people all over the world. This year Mars Wrigley has introduced Giants to its portfolio to give new consumers and loyal followers something different and enticing to chew on, while ensuring high levels of energy and excitement around this iconic brand.

"Working within the existing Skittles brand architecture and color palettes and hitting a sweet spot between the new and familiar are the keys to success," said Mike Foster, founder and creative director, Straight Forward Design. 

In order to achieve this, the familiar Skittles rainbow colorways are used in abundance. Images of the larger-scale candies dominate, the new ‘3 x Bigger!’ is headlined, and the Giant’s softer-centered texture is signposted to further entice, too.

Engaging social influencers was an important part of the launch strategy. To build excitement and gain traction, Straight Forward Design created a quirky influencer pack – a brightly branded box houses a series of Skittles-centric props to accentuate the big and small aspect of the Giants versus the original-sized product. Influencers can create fun scenes from tiny animal figurines and a miniscule magnifying glass, which will enable them to read the introductory card included in the box.