We found that the smoking ban instantly created a social phenomenon and an aperture for Wrigley’s Extra chewing gum because hoards of people were gathering outside mall entrances to smoke. Our execution was simply to ride on the back of the smoking ban and position Extra as the ‘healthy alternative habit’.To highlight the ban the government introduced highly visible ‘No Smoking, By Law’ signs at all mall entrances and exits. We cunningly negotiated with the authorities to place similar sized replicas just below the official no-smoking signs showcasing an Extra pack in a green circle that read:‘Chewing Encouraged: Put Your Habits to Better Use’The stickers were placed in both English and Arabic all 86 entrances in Dubai Festival City and Ibn Batutta during the Dubai’s summer shopping festival – a peak time for mall visits.

With so many malls in and around Dubai and because we activated it during a peak shopping period the campaign reached over 10 million mall visitors in 3 months. This was a phenomenal 90% lower CPP than conventional mupis in the malls.

In terms of achieving the objectives of the campaign Wrigley’s Extra’s brand position was successfully reinforced and extended making it the brand advocate for the new No-Smoking-Culture in Dubai. We also managed to put a positive spin on what some describe as a disgusting habit!