Skittles & The Weird pt. 2

Don't miss part 1 of this series.

• Skittles commercials often play upon the common expectations that are created when a boy and girl are put together on screen. It seems like TV writers think that we want every boy and girl to fall into a relationship with each other. In this commercial, a boy is approached by a girl inquiring about Skittles Bubble Gum. It is not uncommon to read into the request for gum as an invitation for the boy to show the girl some kindness, get to know her better, and perhaps enter a relationship.
• Just as nonchalantly as the boy informs the girl that his candy is indeed Skittles bubble gum, "Yup," he refuses her invitation; "Nope." The boy seems to be unaffected by the the girl's charms or the social pressure of sharing with others when they ask for something politely. And as a visual metaphor for the boy's aloof powers, he blows a bubble and floats away clearly weighed down by nothing.

• This one is simple. We've all found ourselves in a situation where we desire an item that's only available for some extreme price. Movie theaters, sport stadiums/arenas, the air port are notorious for "ripping people off" in this way. There's nothing wrong with raising one's prices. Our competitive market does a good job of keeping some things like candy reasonably cheap. But we love to pay for convenience. We love vending machines not just because they offer us a drink. We love them because they offer us a cold drink in an area where cold drinks aren't so easy to come by.
• So setting up shop on a cloud may seem like a ridiculous idea, but for the purposes of this Skittles commercial, it's an apt visual metaphor that reminds us of what it feels like to put a value/price on convenience. 

• This commercial features a visual metaphor for arrogance. From the details in the commercial, we can't be sure what the job this man is applying for entails. We don't know who the Skittles belong to or if they were offered during the interview. All we know is that this man is good for the job, but not good enough. Throughout the interview the man seems more occupied with eating Skittles using his beard that what's being said; "That's nice."
• When the woman tells the man that he needs more experience, he interrupts her by first feeding her a Skittle and then gently caressing her face all using his beard. This move isn't quite sexual harassment. It's just rude, in a weird way that only a Skittles commercial can pull off. The the man then proceeds to throw a Skittle in his mouth, which is a act of even more confidence/arrogance. This many thinks his beard skill is enough to get jobs and win over people, and he's not shy about it.

 More Skittles commercials coming soon.