Why associate Skittles with pimples?

Skittles? Yum!

Fluffier, gummier Skittles? Probably yum!

Pimples? Definitely not yum!

This was Ad Nut's thought process upon hearing about a gummy version of Skittles being promoted in China, and then clicking on this video that promotes the product to Chinese consumers.

Why, Skittles, why? Seriously. Why?

Working with DDB, the brand has created not only the video, but also a branded game on Douyin (the China version of TikTok) under the hashtag #捏捏软糖脸#, which Google informs Ad Nut means "Pinch soft sugar face".

The augmented-reality game uses the player's face as the backdrop for a game that involves squeezing as many Skittle-pimples as they can within 15 seconds to win rewards. Of course, users also get to share a recording of their game play.

Ad Nut finds the entire thing revolting. But what does Ad Nut know? The game has been viewed more than 300 million times in a couple of weeks, with over 83,000 users joining in the squeezing-face challenge.

Perhaps the brand is aiming to appeal to the niche market of people who like to watch pimple-popping videos. To Ad Nut's disbelief, that's actually a distressingly large group of people: Sandra Lee has more than 7 million subscribers on YouTube. You humans are weirdos.

Ad Nut is now going to try to forget that any of this ever happened.

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.