• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, May 15, 2018

A new global campaign from Wrigley’s 5 Gum is a decided departure from the frivolous, flavor-focused advertising fare generally expected from gum brands.

The digital-only campaign, “No Regrets,” includes Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook advertising, as well as online video ads and influencer partnerships.

It each of the campaign’s five videos, a senior — two from the U.S., one from the U.K., one from Spain and one from China — relates a personal story of an opportunity or path that he or she regrets not having taken.

Martin (above) a U.K. photographer, waited until age 85 to come out as gay; Stanford, a passionate swimmer, chose not to join the high school swim team because of racial peer pressure; Guillermo regrets pursuing his career over the love of his life; Lin regrets never leaving her homeland; and Emily (below) regrets not sky diving when she had the chance.

To find the seniors, 5 Gum and creative agency Energy BBDO worked with five directors from around the world. After filming the seniors’ stories, the team shared them with teens and asked the teens to submit videos about how the stories would inspire them to take creative risks. The end of each “No Regrets” video captures a senior being moved by watching the teens’ videos.

Title messaging at the start of each video declares: “It’s not the things we do that we regret. It’s the things we didn’t do.”

While using rather sad stories from seniors to engage teens seems counterintuitive, the creative team says that teens very much relate. A recent survey by 5 Gum found 97% of teens — the same percentage as seniors — saying that at least one regret has shaped their lives thus far.

Previous 5 Gum campaigns have also been premised on encouraging teens to “live their best, authentic lives.”  

For example, the brand offered “Truth or Dare” packaging that teens could use to challenge one another to engage in activities such as declaring their truth loves.