Skittles, Death Brings Both Profit Risk Http://Www.nytimes./2012/03/29//Skittles-sales-trayvon-martin-shooting.html

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For Skittles, Death Brings Both Profit and Risk

Skittles is one of the most profitable candy brands in the world, with a globe wide presence and popularity. Throughout the past recent months, it has registered dramatic increases in its sales levels, but this increase is not entirely positive for the firm.

In February 2012, Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenage boy, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a crime watch volunteer (The New York Times, 2012). Martin was unarmed and only carried a bag of Skittles and a bottle of frozen tea.

The initial investigation ruled in favor of Zimmerman and decided that no charges would be pressed. This pronouncement generated tumultuous reactions within the community and eventually led to the decision to conduct another investigation; the new investigation could convene a grand jury (The New York Times, 2012).

As the brand Trayvon was carrying with him when he was shot and killed, Skittles immediately became a symbol of the fight against stereotyping. People marched on the streets demanding justice to be served in the Martin case, and they carried with them the Skittle candies.

From the standpoint of the company, a particular position has yet to be taken, but the growing popularity of the brand is undeniable. Overall, Skittles has become one of the brands which are popular due to events and circumstances that did not depend on them. From a marketing standpoint, it can be said that the increase in the popularity of the brand was created by the candy's being "in the wrong place, at the wrong time" (Severson, 2012).

Wrigley and Mars have laid low and expected the crisis situation to pass, but this problem seems far from being entirely played out. Meanwhile, the sales of the company candy continue to increase, and social pressure mounts as the members in the society demand Wrigley to donate a million dollars to the fighting of social stereotypes, which, according to the Minority Coalition of America, is worse than bullying in schools.

In such a setting, the company is faced with a dilemma, due to the following alternative courses of action:

(1) Donating the money to the fight against social stereotyping

(2) Not making the donation and taking a distant approach of the matter.

Each of these alternatives is characterized by its own advantages, as well as shortages. In such a setting, before a recommendation and a decision are made, it is useful cu critically assess the alternatives through the lenses of the implications they would generate. In this order of ideas, the alternative of not donating the money would generate the following possible outcomes:

The sustained criticism of the company due to an increase in its sales as a result of the death of Trayvon Martin

The demise of the organizational reputation as it would not become involved in supporting the well-being of the community, and it would not really support the diversity principles it stands for.

In the opposite scenario, in which Wrigley would make the requested donation, the potential outcomes include the following:

The criticism of the company for not donating enough to the cause, especially in a context in which its recent increase in sales is due to the death of the young African-American

The possibility of social pressure existing in the extremely complex problem of social equity, equality and stereotyping.

In either direction, the company seems threatened by risks of demise in its reputation and criticism. In such a setting, the decision of which course of action to take depends on the alternative which would cause less harm and more good. In this scenario, the recommendation forwarded is that of making the donation to the Minority Coalition of America (MCA) in support of the documentary about racial profiling.

Following this course of action might generate shortages due to involvement in a social cause, which is highly sensitive and which is not aligned with the economic and financial scopes of the business operations. Nevertheless, the cause is a just and noble one, and the company's involvement in promoting it would be beneficial.

The current stand of Wrigley is not sustainable within the long-term, and it is already being criticized. The community believes that the company should take a stand and become involved, rather than simply cash in the additional sales pegged to the death of an innocent young man (Velez, 2012).

Still, it is necessary for the organization and the brand to remain equidistant in the creation and airing of the MCA documentary in order to avoid any accusations of capitalization on the death of Martin and the increasing popularity of the Skittles brand in the aftermath of the incident. Such accusations are highly likely to arise, but it is important for the organization to preserve its equidistant and objective position in order to be able to counter these accusations.

As it has been mentioned previously, the company finds itself in a challenging position and it would be faced with criticism regardless of the course of action it selects. Given this situation, it is recommended for Wrigley to choose the alternative that would present it with more benefits. While becoming involved is also the harder way, it is also the solution which preserves intact the values and principles of the company.

The organization intensely militates for a diverse workforce and diverse suppliers, which cooperate in a mutually beneficial manner, in which all criteria to decision making are business based.

"At Wrigley, Diversity and Inclusion is not a program - it is who we are and how we live. It is valued in the decisions we make on behalf of our company and inherent in our core values. By appreciating that each associate is unique and assuring that each associate feels connected to others in the organization, we are positioning our company for exceptional performance" (Website of Wrigley, 2012).