Candymaker Wrigley responded quickly and appropriately to Donald Trump Jr.’s social media posting comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of Skittles candy with a few that “would kill you.” As social media backlash to the younger Trump’s comment intensified, Wrigley took the high road, showing its contempt without taking a political side by attacking – or even mentioning — Trump or his campaign.
“Skittles are candy. Refugees are people,” a spokeswoman said. “We don’t feel it’s an appropriate analogy.” She then went on to say, “We will respectfully refrain from further commentary as anything we say could be misrepresented as marketing.”
It was a textbook response in the form of a brief declarative statement framed by a memorable and apt analogy of Wrigley’s own. Wrigley comes across as indignant at what they perceive as abuse of their product’s brand. But they did it by placing their brand above the fray rather than diving into it. PR and crisis response at its best.