EXTRA! EXTRA!
Two people, a piece of gum, and an epic love.
Two people, a piece of gum, and an epic love.
Ladies, grab a tissue box. Gentlemen, take notes. This sappy, yet satisfying, two
minute Extra Gum ad has gone viral since its first airing on Oct. 7.
The advertisement was
shared by a few of my friends on Facebook a few days back. They were sharing it
with comments like, “Right in the feels!” and, “I demand a movie!”
So, out of curiosity, I clicked, watched, and to my
surprise, wiped away a tear or two.
It began by playing the soft, love melody, “I Can’t Help
Falling in Love With You” by Haley Reinhart. Two high school students, Sarah
and Juan, lock eyes from across the hallway, the girl drops her books,
cutie-patootie-guy comes over, and what does she hand him? A piece of gum.
The symbolism of this gum stays with us for the rest of the
story. From their first kiss, picnics, prom night, fights, and lone-distance there was always one thing that remained consistent with Sarah and Juan, a piece of Extra gum. Juan saves these gum wrappers, drawing doodles of their most cherished
moments on each individual one, and saves them for a special moment. A freaking
wedding proposal.
This romantic fellow, sets up a gallery of gum wrapper
doodles, and pops the question. He sets the ultimate bar for all proposals to
follow.
By using non-famous actresses, it helps the viewer feel
comparable to the ad, it’s more relatable. It takes us through the story of
these two love birds, letting join them as they fall in love.
Extra was trying something new and different, and the succeeded.
Everyone is obsessing over this gum-dorable couple. Sarah and Juan are a one
of a kind. There has never been an ad that I didn’t anticipate the skip button
to pop up at the bottom of my YouTube video.
Extra is targeting those in their mid-20s, and those in
relationships. It is all the hype right now to have an extravagant proposal and
post it on the Internet. I wouldn’t say
that this is targeting a specific gender, but it is definitely directed to
those of us out there who are suckers for a good love story.
As much as I would like to say that this as has no flaws, it
does. It’s cheesy, it’s sappy, and it’s stereotypical. For example, love at
first sight. This is such a romantic comedy move. The couple locks eyes, fall
in love, struggle with distance, and make it back together in the end. Stereotypical
and predictable.
While some people, like my Media and Society instructor, may think that this ad is "lame." In a way, I can agree, but I can't help but fall in love with Juan along with Sarah.
Society loves love. A while back there was a commercial from
Post It, where a man uses sticky notes to propose to his significant other. A
good love story, always wins. It may be excessively cheesy, but it's working for me.
This ad is memorable. It tugs on those heart strings, and
catches your attention. It connects with all ages. It may be targeting the
younger demographic, but it can catch the attention of any age range.
Social media has been raving over "The Story of Sarah and Juan." Huffington Post said, "There's just something about this gum commercial that is really sticking." They were as surprised as I am that in just two minutes, we can capture such a rush of emotions.
Now, just because Extra caught my attention with this advertisement, I don't think I'll be only buying Extra gum from now on. Mint is mint no matter what brand, to me at least. On the other hand, I am curious to what other advertising Extra has up their sleeve.
Perhaps it is the Haley Reinhart tune playing in the background, the chemistry of the characters, the witnessing of a real love, or a combination of them all. Whatever it is, "The Story of Sarah and Juan" shows us that love has the strength to move many. Love always wins.
Links:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/watch-the-extra-gum-ad-that-is-bringing-everyone-to-tears_561c1adfe4b028dd7ea4c49a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLpDiIVX0Wo
Social media has been raving over "The Story of Sarah and Juan." Huffington Post said, "There's just something about this gum commercial that is really sticking." They were as surprised as I am that in just two minutes, we can capture such a rush of emotions.
Now, just because Extra caught my attention with this advertisement, I don't think I'll be only buying Extra gum from now on. Mint is mint no matter what brand, to me at least. On the other hand, I am curious to what other advertising Extra has up their sleeve.
Perhaps it is the Haley Reinhart tune playing in the background, the chemistry of the characters, the witnessing of a real love, or a combination of them all. Whatever it is, "The Story of Sarah and Juan" shows us that love has the strength to move many. Love always wins.
Links:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/watch-the-extra-gum-ad-that-is-bringing-everyone-to-tears_561c1adfe4b028dd7ea4c49a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLpDiIVX0Wo
Hi Marina!! Okay, to start off I thought this post was super good and really pretty!! This commercial got me too! I remember doing homework and hearing this song and turning around to see what commercial it was! That's cool you chose to do this. I agree about the love thing on how yes society does love love. For example, movies such as the Notebook is so popular or even the Twilight series because they're mainly about love. Here's a link to a commercial that's related to love. Except this time, it's with animals. :) http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=super+bowl+puppy+love+ad&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=82AFC1CEFAC1D066A40782AFC1CEFAC1D066A407
ReplyDeleteYay for sappy love stories! My grandpa picked out my grandma when he was six... he STILL has a picture of her in his wallet from first grade when he clipped her photo out of the yearbook. And then there's my mom and dad that were high school sweethearts, so I've always been a hopeless romantic!
ReplyDeleteThis was such a fun post to read! The humor and the formatting really reflected the light, fluffy feel of the story. Telling the guys to take notes was totally relevant by the way... They could learn a thing or two! :)
Extra was so brilliant to create a little film that's more than just an ad. It's a story! It keeps us begging for more! Like your friends demanding a movie! Yes we see that it's selling gum, but it also selling a really fun idea.
I couldn't find the one I was looking for, but this is similar to the ad we talked about with the post-it love story:) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRxKUXJj1WU