Rockstars chewed it on stage. Models popped bubbles on magazine covers. Iconic scenes in film featured it chewed with swagger. But somewhere along the line, gum lost its mojo, its edgy vibe… and place in pop culture.

The brief was simple but ambitious – to accelerate 5 gum’s post-COVID recovery by making it the most adventurous, rebellious, and distinctive gum brand for life’s most thrilling moments.

Our goal was to bring that lost mojo back. To restore gum’s place in pop culture and increase awareness and relevance for 5 gum with a younger audience - ultimately recruiting the next generation of thrill seekers and gum chewers.

To authentically show up in pop culture, we wanted to leverage the equity of partners who truly embody the 5 brand – those who live life on their own terms and seek out new, thrilling experiences.

First, we reached out to rebel-rocker YUNGBLUD, with an odd request: Chew a piece of 5 gum before 15 of your adrenaline-filled shows. And give those pieces back to us.

And then, we turned to celeb-jeweler/influencer Greg Yüna, with an equally peculiar ask: Turn the resulting 15 pieces of chewed gum into lucite-encased collectibles, freezing those moments in time forever.  

The resulting line of necklaces – dubbed the “Masterpiece Collection” – would then be dropped on eBay for YUNGBLUD’s legions of Gen Z fans. With proceeds going to charity.

What started as an idea, quickly blossomed into a full tour sponsorship that extended into a 360 campaign, activation and brand experience.

Brands tend to show their product in its most photogenic form. And gum’s no different. Perfect bubbles, well-lit pack shots and neatly unwrapped gum sticks rule the landscape. But Gen Z prefers authentic to perfect.

So, to reclaim 5 gum’s edgy throne and get on Gen Z’s radar, we needed something raw. An experience with attitude.

To do it, we dovetailed into our target’s most ardent fascination: collector culture.  The popularity of special releases, limited runs and capsules have proven not just any collection will do. They want the one-of-a-kind, the rare, the 1 of 15 piece of history.

With a bold idea at the core and strategic celebrity and program partners, we were set up well to deliver our Masterpieces story to a wide variety of media verticals, thus diversifying the breadth and depth of our efforts and ultimately, our results.

Through our partnership, we developed a once-in-a-lifetime tour – 15 shows in 5 days, including never-been-done-before, back-to-back performances at three iconic venues along LA’s Sunset Strip. Chewing 5 gum before each performance, we captured the adrenaline rush YUNGBLUD felt before stepping onto stage.

Over the next 5 weeks, his chewed gum was carefully crafted into one-of-a-kind wearables by celebrity jeweler Greg Yüna. Cast in lucite and adorned with white gold and diamonds, we unveiled the Masterpiece Collection and our 360-supported campaign at YUNGBLUD’s Austin City Limits afterparty.

The Collection hit eBay and targeted content hit social. Across brand and partner-owned channels, we built buzz while simultaneously pitching media to drive widespread coverage. Starting at just $5 and generating over 1,000+ bids, our collection gave people something to chew on, raised funds for a music-based charity and gave a lucky few the chance to own a unique piece of music history.

• 5gum.com sales jumped 25% during our in-market window (confidential) and overall web traffic increase 1400%

• IRL sampling put the brand in the hands of 5,000+ Gen Z fans

• Campaign netted over 5.5 billion earned impressions, including coverage from top-tier cultural icons such as Rolling Stone, Billboard and NME

• Drove international attention with 1,000+ fans from 11 countries bidding on the Collection

• Talk-ability jumped 326%

• Social share of voice increased 200%

• Social engagement was up 169%

• Contributing to 5 Gum’s year-over-year sales increase of 17% (confidential)

Turning something long considered trash into treasure proved a highly effective centerpiece of our campaign. It struck a chord with our target, resonated with media to drive headlines worldwide, catapulted the brand into pop culture and, in turn, helped increase sales and overall category share.  And we did it all by putting the product front and center.