Mars Snacking Revamps Gum Portfolio With New Platform
CHICAGO — Mars Snacking is overhauling its line of chewing gum brands for the first time in more than 100 years through a new global brand platform called, "Chew You Good."
The platform repositions Orbit, Extra, Freedent and Yida as an essential everyday chewing companion compared to an occasional freshening fix. It boasts a disruptive poppy, quirky aesthetic aimed at captivating and recruiting the next generation of chewing champions — the 25-years-old and under demographic that is the most likely to chew of any age group, unlike ever before, according to Mars.
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"Chew You Good, three words that remind us that no matter where you are, or what you're doing, there's a simple way to take a bite sized me-moment with Orbit, Extra, Freedent, Yida gum. Because sometimes that's all you need," said Alyona Fedorchenko, vice president of Global Gum & Mints Portfolio, Mars Snacking. "And we are completely unapologetic in trying to support that endeavor, it's what consumers are telling us they want from our brand, and it's what we intend to deliver, one chew at a time, with the launch of this exciting new platform."
Created in partnership with Team Omnicom and Energy BBDO as lead agency, the Chew You Good platform breathes new life into the brand, placing the act of chewing right at its vibrant core, Mars said. Marking a strategic pivot, the purposeful reimagining of the entire brand journey also includes a fresh visual direction that the brand has dubbed a "Chewtopia," shot by acclaimed photographer, Hanina.
In addition, the candy and gum manufacturer is rolling out new ad copy to shepherd in the new era for the brand. The refreshed creative, a collection of five hero films titled "Mind Mouth," elevates the brand beyond the expected with a quirky twist on those universally relatable moments when our inner musings take center stage at the most inopportune moments, like when we are in a meeting, reading in a library or attending a lecture.
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"Gum has always been this thing we chew to be outwardly more confident or attractive to others. But it gets really interesting when you think about what gum can do for you inwardly, especially considering the totally bonkers world we're living in," said Josh Gross, chief creative officer at Energy BBDO.
In addition to the film assets, Chew You Good will include a collection of brand activations in local markets, streaming radio assets and an AR Snapchat lens, as well as a large suite of social content deployed across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
The platform will be backed by a bumper multimillion-dollar media spend in the first half of the year and comes as Mars reveals that its gum portfolio has returned to pre-pandemic sales levels.
The campaign will launch in the United Kingdom, Poland, Spain and CEAB across out-of-home, TV and digital before being scaled across the rest of Europe, Australia, America and the Middle East throughout 2024. It is slated to run in 70-plus markets, including the deployment of hundreds of assets over the course of the next year.
Mars Snacking is a part of McLean, Va.-based Mars Inc. With almost $47 billion in annual sales, the company produces well-known brands, including Ben's Original, Cesar, Cocoavia, Dove, Extra, KIND, M&M'S, Snickers, Pedigree, Royal Canin and Whiskas.
Mars is also creating a better world for pets through its global network of pet hospitals and diagnostic services, including AniCura, Banfield, Bluepearl Linnaeus and VCA.