Skittles lives at the intersection of real and imaginary, but there’s nothing make-believe about its success over the past year. The candy put Wrigley in second place on strategy’s 2013 Creative Report Card and recorded its highest ever Canadian market share of 7.5%. “We have grown our market share from last year by half a share point, and in the candy business, that’s very significant,” says Dan Alvo, director of marketing, Wrigley Canada.

Alvo attributes the growth to the “Touch the Rainbow” and follow-up “Touch the Untouchable” campaigns that allowed candy-enthusiasts to interact with the brand, as well as retail distribution gains driven by the launch of new flavours. Ramped up in-store promotional activity also helped, he says. Other Wrigley’s candies like Starburst and Juicy Fruit are basking in Skittles’ halo, as the company markets the brands together.

“It’s a challenging thing to grow not one, but three brands in candy,” Alvo says. “[But] we have the right combination of activities such as advertising support, distribution and promotions around them.”