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The Bitter Taste of the Rainbow

(Photo by p4nc0np4n via Flickr Creative Commons)

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 howthe death of Trayvon Martin has transformed Skittles from a candy into a national talking point and symbol of injustice.   

Virginia Prescott is the Gracie Award-winning host of Word of Mouth, Civics 101, The 10-Minute Writers Workshop podcasts, and the Writers on A New England Stage series on New Hampshire Public Radio. Prior to joining NHPR, she was editor, producer, and director for NPR programs On Point and Here & Now, and directed interactive media for New York Public Radio.
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