A Super Bowl ad that won’t appear on your television is exactly what Skittles has planned for Super Bowl LX.
While most brands fight for attention during the most expensive ad slot of the year, Skittles has opted out entirely.
Instead of airing a commercial, the candy brand will stage a live, in-person performance at one fan’s home while the game plays out elsewhere.
Yes, that fan will be getting a Super Bowl ad delivered directly to their front door.
Skittles snubs Super Bowl commercial
On February 8, one lucky NFL customer will host a live Skittles “commercial” performed on their front lawn by Elijah Wood.
There will be a full production crew, staging, and branded set pieces. The difference is that the audience will be measured in single digits, not millions.
Skittles will not air a traditional Super Bowl ad this year. Instead, the moment will live on through social clips and online coverage after the game.
How NFL fans can host the Skittles ad
Eligible GoPuff customers can enter through January 21. Entrants must live in a single-family home with a front yard large enough to accommodate a live production.
The winner will be notified shortly before Super Bowl Sunday.
It is a deliberate ploy to surpass the already ridiculous level of ad curiosity come Super Bowl Sunday.
Elijah Wood plays reluctant Skittles creature
Wood says he plays “a magical creature that can be summoned by a horn to deliver Skittles.
“The tragedy of the character is that he gets ripped from his everyday life every time this teenager blows the horn, and he has no free will; he has no control over it,” Wood said.
“The sadness of the character is he’s just locked into this fate of having to deliver Skittles with this horn blast.”
The concept hooked him immediately.
“This idea of performing a live ad on someone’s lawn at some random place in the United States was just really thrilling and fun,” he said. “And also a little scary, we’ve got to deliver.”
Skittles has a long history of treating the Super Bowl as a place to break rules rather than follow them.
This year, the brand is pushing that idea further by stepping away from the broadcast entirely.
Who will Elijah Wood be cheering on?
Wood admits he is not a die-hard football fan, but Super Bowl Sunday still holds appeal.
“There’s an underdog generally, hopefully, and that’s when it gets interesting,” he said.
Clearly, he’s just here for the ads.
