Rapping Uncle Bridges the Gap Between Young and Old in Skittles CNY Campaign

DDB China Group has released an integrated campaign for Mars Wrigley China's Skittles to help relatives communicate more sincerely and enjoy a happy, harmonious Chinese New Year.

Over CNY Chinese people from around the country and abroad typically try and return home to reunite with their families. While young people look forward to these reunions, they're also worried about embarrassing questions from relatives.

Created by DDB Guangzhou, the campaign sets out to address this social phenomenon and encourage young people to speak frankly about their lives and loves to relatives and elders.

Featuring popular Chinese celebrity Yibo Wang, the online video captures an awkward CNY moment at a family reunion. Conversations often revolve around questions like, why don’t you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, when do you plan to have a child, or how much do you earn each month. Young people typically don’t like talking about their personal lives in such detail for fear of upsetting their elders, but they can’t avoid replying either. 

Shimin Ni, marketing director at Mars Wrigley China Fruity Confectionery CBU, said: “We found that the older generation don’t actually intend to invade young people’s privacy. They simply want to show their concern and interest."

Skittles saves the day, and a hip hop battle between Yibo Wang and his uncle ensues. Both parties speak out and share their thoughts to come to a mutual understanding between the two generations, and ease those embarrassing moments. Also featured in the video are four characters or famous IPs from Tencent's Daily Crush, China's equivalent of Candy Crush.  

The campaign is supported by a social media video courtesy of Yibo Wang. The video directs visitors to the Skittles e-commerce channel, and gives out his personal belongings to encourage engagement with the campaign. Skittles also invites people to share their CNY experiences or plans on social media. After buying Skittles, users can scan the QR code on the package and enjoy a game just for fun.

This marks Skittles' second CNY campaign around the theme of embarrassing moments.