• Ad Age, Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:30 PM

Stride Gum gets a credit at the end of a popular video posted on the Web about a month ago that features thirty-something Matt Harding doing a rendition of what Midwesterners might call a "farmer's jig" -- pumping elbows, high knees and insistent bouncing -- in locations around the world. Stride supports the sponsorship by way of a "Dancing Matt" microsite attached to the brand's main page.

GoldNFish, a promotion agency, first spotted Harding in 2005 "when we were looking for a fun way to get the word out about Stride gum," says Emily Liu, senior brand manager for Stride. The result was a 2006 video that dovetailed with the brand's launch.

For the effort launched last month, Harding says he approached Stride with the idea of getting more people involved in video dances. It didn't hurt that his inbox was clogged with invitations from around the world. "We've received great feedback from our consumers -- they are thrilled that we've supported Matt," Liu says.

The new version ends with a Stride credit. The star never wears Stride gear and never even appears to be chewing gum.

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