• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, August 15, 2007

Wrigley has unwrapped a new campaign for its 5 gum that takes the category to heights it hasn't known before.

Three 30-second TV spots, developed by a transatlantic team, Energy BBDO in Chicago and AMV BBDO in London, are designed to show "what it feels like to chew 5 gum." The spots, which were directed by Dante Ariola, who has done work for Nike, Gatorade and PlayStation2, are set against an industrial, futuristic backdrop with stimulating visuals and sounds.

5, so named for the number of senses, is sold in an envelope meant to attract teens and young adults, who make up about a third of the gum chewers. The product gives chewers a brief but intense oral sensation. The mint variety cools; the cinnamon warms.

Each spot--"Cobalt," "Flare" and "Rain"--is intended to "amplify the sensorial experience," says Brian Wright, director of marketing communications for the Chicago-based firm. "We are dialing up to stimulate the senses."

He calls the spots "big, bold and dramatic," and they are. In "Rain"--which is extended to 45 seconds for in-cinema placements--a young man is supine in a pool of bearing balls, the bass thumping loudly, the balls making the sound of ... rain. "Spearmint that tingles as you chew," says the voiceover. "New 5 gum. Stimulate your senses."

In each spot, the voiceover intones by way of introduction: "How it feels to chew 5 gum."

The TV and theater spots--which take advantage of cinema sound technology to draw audiences in--debut this week along with the launch of 5-gum.com, where the spots can also be seen.

The print campaign, beginning this month, will appear in major magazines targeted to teens and young adults such as ESPN, Rolling Stone, In Touch and Maxim. The spots will appear on broadcast and cable shows such as "The Simpsons," "Smallville," "Heroes" and "Friday Night Lights."

Coming out with such a bold, distinctive statement was important for Wrigley, Wright says, "because of the importance of the brand. This is the biggest innovation in stick gum in 25 years." The brand was introduced at the annual stockholders meeting in March.