The Bitter Taste of the Rainbow

Successful brands can cost millions of dollars to create, protect, and control. Despite those mammoth efforts, name brands can take on a life of their own. Take Skittles, the brand of candy Trayvon Martin bought shortly before being shot by George Zimmerman. Now, the candy is being used at protests and getting big play in the media, translating to a brand boost of sorts.

Kim Severson is Atlanta bureau chief for the New York Times – she wrote about how the death of Trayvon Martin has transformed Skittles from a candy into a national talking point and symbol of injustice.