Stride Shift gum launched a Facebook application called “Change Your Flavor, Change Your Life” August 27 to create a dialogue with its customers. The chewing gum brand worked with JWT, its advertising agency of record, on the effort, which also includes consumer data collection.
“In today’s age of being able to speak so directly with a brand, on Facebook or Twitter for example, it gives us a chance to continue the dialogue with [customers],” said Gary Osifchin, marketing director for Stride and Dentyne gums.
Osifchin said the application creates a deeper fan experience beyond “liking” a brand’s page. He added that the brand hopes to “entertain both new and dedicated fans while driving awareness of our latest product, Stride Shift.”
The app lets consumers upload photos of themselves to be inserted in scenarios such as adventure kayaking, fortune telling, ostrich jockeying or being a rodeo clown. Consumers can also add a friend to the photos. The app then publishes a photo album featuring the consumers’ adventures.
Data collection is also a part of the initiative, and consumers who use the Facebook app can opt in to future brand promotions, said Osifchin.
Stride’s goals include building customer loyalty and engaging potential new customers, as well as organically spreading its message to its target audience. In this case, Stride Shift is trying to reach teens and young adults who are interested in “long-lasting gum,” said Osifchin.
“These are very independent, engaged young teens and adults who like the idea of a long-lasting gum because they are always doing so many things…they’re looking for something to distract them,” he says. “All of our gums — from a product and communications standpoint — offer that.”
To measure results, the brand will examine the number of participants that use the application and how they interact with Stride Shift’s content.
“Our target is savvy enough to adapt with new trends and experiences,” said Osifchin. “You have to be one step ahead to keep giving them one-of-a-kind digital experiences, and ultimately that means understanding their online behavior and preferences.”
