Ad of the Day: Extra Gum Wraps Up One of the Year's Sweetest Love Stories

It took an extra long time—more than two years—for Wrigley's Extra Gum to release a follow-up its massively popular "Origami" ad, which, you may recall, told the story of a father and daughter with silvery gum-wrapper swans playing a key role. Now, Energy BBDO and Rattling Stick director Pete Riski return with "The Story of Sarah & Juan." Their epic romance begins in high school and stretches through the tear-jerking trials and tribulations of college life and young adulthood. Thankfully, the minty freshness of Extra is on hand at all times. Once, again, wrappers are worked into the storyline—not as smoothly as in the earlier commercial, perhaps, but the schtick is still pretty sweet. And Haley Reinhart's cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" on the soundtrack is either emotionally evocative or utterly distracting, depending on your personal taste. So, why did the world have to wait so long for a sequel? "The 'Origami' spot resonated particularly well with audiences, so we let it live on," Energy BBDO executive creative director Andrés Ordoñéz tells Adweek. "It was still working well for the business, so we didn't want to take it off air too soon." Given the first ad's performance, was there—how shall I put this?—extra pressure on the team this time around? "No and yes," Ordoñéz says. " 'Give Extra, get extra' is a strong creative platform to tell compelling stories, so we were excited to do it again. On the other hand, 'Origami' was so well liked, we knew we had to create something just as special." Why go with romance? "[It] is not about a specific relationship," Ordoñéz says, "but about all moments of connection. This time we chose to focus on a love story. The chemistry between our lead actors was so good, people were tearing up on set during the first scene on day one. We knew we had a beautiful story to share." Just like "Origami," the new spot is designed to reduce viewers to blubbering bundles of Kleenex-covered protoplasm. While more conventional than its predecessor, "Sarah & Juan" packs a significant punch, straight to the heart. All in all, it was probably wise to stick with a winning formula. CREDITS Client: Wrigley Extra Spot: "Sarah & Juan" Agency: Energy BBDO Executive Creative Director: Andrés Ordoñéz Creative Director: Pedro Pérez Art Director: Andrés Ordoñéz, Josejuan Toledo, Jesús Díaz Copywriter: Andrés Ordoñéz, Pedro Pérez, Sofía González Executive Producer: John Pratt Music Producer: Daniel Kuypers Managing Director: Jeff Adkins Client Service Director: Lianne Sinclair Account Director: Erin Welsh Senior Account Executive: Brittany Peskind Assistant Account Executive: Katheryn Batista Group Planning Director: Elke Anderle Digital Strategy Director: Zach Graham Production Company: Rattling Stick Director: Pete Riski Executive Producer: Joe Biggins Producer: Tessa Mitchell Editorial Company: Cut + Run Editor: Eve Ashwell Assistant Editor: Brian Meagher Producer: Annabelle Dunbar-Whittkaker Executive Producer: Carr Schilling Visual Effects: The Mill Colorist: Luke Morrison Color Assist: Mikey Pehanich Design Lead: Matt Darnall Design Artist: Adrian Navarro 2D Lead: Randy McEntee 2D Artist: Michael Sarabia Head of Production: Andrew Sommerville Producer: Adam Battista Production Coordinator: Grace Tober Music: "Can't Help Falling in Love." Vocals: Haley Reinhart Piano: Casey Abrams Record Label: ole Media Management L.P. Audio: STIR Post Audio Post: Matt Holmes Audio Post Producer: Mindy Verson

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Extra Gum Wraps Up One of the Year's Sweetest Love Stories

A worthy sequel to 'Origami'

David Gianatasio

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David Gianatasio