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New Ad Campaign Wants You to Chew Gum, Not Surf the Internet

Posted 09/25/08 at 11:12:53 AM |  by Paul Lilly

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As part of a new ad campaign called "Make face time," Dentyne, the No. 2 gum maker in the U.S. (Wrigley is No. 1, in case you were wondering), is making a plea for you young hipsters to "power down, log off, unplug" and chew some gum instead. The ads, which have already appeared in several major cities for the past month, are gearing up to go nationwide, kicked off with a web campaign this week followed by TV ads next week.

According to market research company Mintel, Dentyne Ice sales have fallen 9 percent from 2005 to 2007, with Dentyne Fire tumbling 26 percent in the same time period. The new campaign will seek to reintroduce the Dentyne Ice line and reverse the sliding sales figures by targeting young people who would rather play with their internets than each other.

"Everyone loves technology and everyone uses it," said Josette Barenholtz, the marketing director for Dentyne. "What's meaningful is being reminded that being face to face can't be substituted."

Launching a web campaign would seem to contradict the very message Dentyne is trying to send (you know, the one that says get offline and, um, chew some gum), and so the company has created a 3-minute website (Protip: Be sure and check out how Dentyne feels about smileys). A timer sits in the upper right corner letting you know how much time you have until the site shuts down, because "when people are surfing the web, they're missing the best part of life - being together."

Can't wait to see your comments on this one.

Image Credit: The New York Times

COMMENTS:
9
TAGS: 
Internet, commercial, dentyne, gum
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COMMENTS
avatarWrong approch

Submitted by johnny3144 on Thu, 2008-09-25 13:44

i think they are using the wrong approch...

all they really have to do is to develope a mic that can pick up the smell of your breath, and send it to the other side by chemically reproducing it through a special speake or something.

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avatarHey Johnny, the recruiter

Submitted by sirphunkee on Thu, 2008-09-25 14:36

Hey Johnny, the recruiter from Willy Wonka Studios called, they're done checking your references and want to know if you can start showing up to your new job at 8:00 tomorrow morning.

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avatarDentyne Ad Camaign

Submitted by Damage on Thu, 2008-09-25 11:50

"Launching a web campaign would seem to contradict the very message Dentyne is trying to send"...  Not contradicing at all!  They are targeting the very people they are trying to reach!

And, by the way, I agree with them.

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avatarInstead of getting a pinched nerve and a fat ass...

Submitted by Talcum X on Thu, 2008-09-25 11:15

 Get TMJ from us.

***********

Every morning is the dawn of a new error.

"In Ireland, there are more drunks per capita than people."  -  Peter Griffin

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avatarnew "Verb" ad campaign

Submitted by dmateja06 on Thu, 2008-09-25 11:11

this seems very similar to the VERB ad campaign...

instead of sitting in front of the comp and/or tv go chew some gum and maybe you'll hopefully go do something with urself instead of sit on the comp and/or tv all day.

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avatarDeath to Dentyne

Submitted by karnak on Thu, 2008-09-25 09:55

Death to Dentyne

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avatarThere's really nothing to

Submitted by nedwards on Thu, 2008-09-25 09:44

There's really nothing to stop us from, say, chewing gum while surfing the internet.

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avatarwell I fear that's the real

Submitted by sirphunkee on Thu, 2008-09-25 10:03

well I fear that's the real reason behind this ad campaign...they doubt our ability as a society to be able to handle both at once.  

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avatarhmm

Submitted by Pr0LifIC_onE on Thu, 2008-09-25 09:37

Chewing gum makes my jaw ache and gives me a headache...  It takes hours of surfing before I get a headache, so I guess I'll just keep surfing.  I don't have any gum anyway.
 
PrOLifIC_onE

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