Is Extra - yes, the chewing gum brand - becoming the champion of post-lockdown joy around the world? Addison Capper ponders...
Sometimes, when covering the advertising, you write things that don't really make sense, that appear downright random to outsiders of our industry. Here's an example: Extra, Mars-owned chewing gum brand, is becoming the bastion for post-lockdown joy in certain markets.
At the end of April the brand dropped 'For When It's Time', a 60-second orgy of public smooching. The spot, part of Extra's 'Get Your Ding Back' campaign, caught the entire LBB team off guard in the best possible way. Part of the same campaign, the brand has just launched an online game, created and developed by the talented folk at Psyop. Like a baby fawn, eyes blinking in the blinding sunlight, legs wobbling under the weight of the extra pounds you gained during lockdown, the game tasks you with finding your footing out in the big, bad, brand new world. You explore your home town in search of 'DING', which you earn by completing short and silly mini-games that present normal everyday tasks in a new light.
Extra and the folk at Psyop say that 'DING' is "your mojo, your spark, your inner confidence that allows you to shine in any situation". It all sounds very Austin Powers. We want some DING.
The game is part of this week's Work of the Week. Check out the full list below.
As Lockdown Lifts, This Game Teaches You How to Get Back Into the Real World