Two and a Half Men star and stoner icon, Ashton Kutcher, appears in a new advertising campaign from CLM BBDO & Energy BBDO for Extra, the UK's most popular brand of chewing gum. The £15 million marketing campaign will run throughout 2015, focusing on the popular “Eat Drink Chew” message and highlighting the oral care benefits of the famously sugar-free gum with a tongue-in-cheek approach. Kutcher, who recently played Steve Jobs in a biopic of the Apple founder, follows in the footsteps of Antonio Banderas, who was the first ambassador for the brand and starred in his own similarly themed ad in 2013.
Kutcher follows in the footsteps of Antonio Banderas, who was the first ambassador for the brand
The campaign is headlined by a new TV ad (below) shot by director Matt Piedmont, and featuring Kutcher attempting to seduce a date he has managed to lure back to his flat, only to be accosted by a talking slice of pizza who refuses to leave him to his business. Kutcher then takes out a pack of Extra gum in an effort to exorcise the lingering food, which could potentially wreak havoc on both his teeth and his love life. The animated pizza finally concedes, and the night continues apace. It's a remarkably brief spot at only 20-seconds, but it gets the message across efficiently and with subtle humour from a man notoriously gifted in the art of cringe comedy.
The ad, and it's accompanying campaign, mark the beginning of a big year for Extra. The brand is currently worth £204 million, and the gum sector, which it currently almost monopolises, continues to grow in volume and sales. The Mars-owned brand is also set to benefit from the efficiency and effectiveness gains it should make from its recently consolidated media planning account with MediaCom, who handled media for the campaign in the UK. It aired for the first time in the UK last Thursday and has also been rolled out to 40 countries around the world, though not (surprisingly) the US.
Ashton Kutcher appears in a new advertising campaign from CLM BBDO & Energy BBDO for Wrigley's Extra chewing gum
Sue Cobbledick, marketing manager for Wrigley oral care, said that Kutcher has “A terrific sense of humour,” so is the perfect choice to help them “Deliver the oral care message in a fun, light-hearted way.” She adds that “Chewing sugar-free gum is the healthy oral care habit that not enough people know about; it is also an easy and enjoyable way to help clean your teeth after eating and drinking on the go, wherever you are – and it tastes great too.” Kutcher himself adds that he was a big fan of the gum prior to accepting the role and said when they approached him with the concept he “Thought it would be fun to mimic a real break up scenario because it’s something pretty much everyone can relate to.” He also feels the ad has a great message; “We can’t always brush our teeth after every meal and snack, but it’s easy to chew gum instead to get rid of the food that lingers a little too long.” The man has never spoken truer words (at least on camera).
