• by Steve Ellwanger , June 29, 2020

This is the ad shown horizontally, which is of course not the right way to see it -- but we are not creating this story on a mobile device!

If your product is going long to reach young consumers, go vertical with your advertising.

That’s the gist of the “Best Enjoyed Vertically” campaign for the rope-stick iteration of Starburst candy, called Swirlers.

Starburst also says the campaign, created by DDB Chicago, is the world’s first vertical ad for its first vertically shaped confection.

If the campaign video were to be viewed horizontally, objects in it would be moving sideways, seemingly defying gravity. Only when seen vertically does it make sense.

“We were very intentional about creating the content to live in vertical spaces,” Starburst senior associate brand manager Ronald Harrison tells Marketing Daily.

“If you were to look at this content on your phone and turn it horizontal—the creative, the content, the way that gravity performs, the actual text that comes on the screen—it wouldn’t work right for you. You wouldn’t be able to understand it.”

Although the ad appears to be the product of computer-generated imagery, it was shot on a specially designed set with no special effects, as shown in this behind-the-scenes video.

“We actually built a set, turned the set on its side 90 degrees and shot it vertically. We hung the actors by wires, so they were strapped in with harnesses,” adds Harrison.

Starburst Swirlers combine two flavors in each stick, similar to last year’s introduction of Starburst Duos chewy squares.

“We over-index with young adults,” says Harrison. “We know that they love our candy -- but more importantly, we know that they love trying new candy in interesting formats and ways that provide new experiences.”

In addition to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, the campaign is running on Pandora streaming radio with special audio effects.