For years 5 gum has used famous influencers to connect with young people and inspire them to try something new. But every year there’s a large group who doesn’t do anything. To activate this target, we turned to a different group of influencers with zero followers and no social clout - senior citizens – who were chosen not for what they’ve done, but for what they haven’t, and the regret they had as a result of their choice. Their stories of regret inspired teens and young adults around the world to embrace their fears and new experiences and make choices that ultimately changed their lives, turning our senior’s lifelong regrets into a powerful force for good.

Regrets to Fight Regrets was 5’s first digital-first campaign designed specifically to live in places and spaces where young people would be primed to listen and engage. Data was used to inform everything from regret themes, content placement for maximum impact, and even activation launch timing (leading up to a season when young people are primed for reinvention: summer.) Working together, PR and social were used to amplify 5’s five stories of regret and drive earned conversation at every turn.

We have built more than just meaning behind the 5 gum brand, we have inspired young people to make choices that impact their lives. From inspiring Ruby, the lone Muslim girl in her class to pursue her dream of becoming an Olympic fencer to inspiring Amy to travel from Britain to Iceland despite her wheelchair to inspiring Mark to come out to his online audience of 35,000 followers to inspiring Ruben to come out to his father - the power of our storytelling and social activation inspired by senior citizens’ lifelong regrets has prevented an estimated 1410 years of regret in just the first month…and counting.