The gum category has been struggling since 2008 and the pandemic only made it worse. With reduced impulse-buy opportunities and a decreased need for breath refreshment, brands were struggling to attract younger users. In particular, Gen Z has shown little interest in gum, creating an urgent need for a shake up to revive the industry.

To address the situation, Trident Vibes partnered with Sour Patch Kids to create a new product launch that offered a refreshing sour and sweet change from traditional flavors. We needed a campaign to raise awareness of the new product and get Gen Z excited to try it.

Chewing is one of the world’s most hated sounds. But with the right ear, it almost sounds like a high-hat and kickdrum. So, we partnered with Grammy nominated artist Chlöe to create “Chew The Beat,” the first ever song made to the beat of chewing gum. To launch the song, we partnered with her personal choreographer to create a TikTok dance for your mouth. With the help of influencers, such as @samramdell5, who is known for her massive mouth, we challenged fans to chew to the beat for the chance to win prizes.

For Gen Z, gum fades into the background in more ways than one. It’s something teens mindlessly chew on — if they even remember it exists. How could we place the spotlight on Trident Vibes x Sour Patch Kids as the gum that Gen Z will actively think of buying?

If there’s one thing that shakes up the world of Gen Z is when artists drop new collabs. And because Trident Vibes and Sour Patch Kids was born out of two brands coming together to drop this new product, it was only fitting to partner with the hottest names in Gen Z music to execute and amplify our campaign in their platforms.

“Chew The Beat” was a several month-long collaboration between Trident and Chlöe, The song was co-authored by Chlöe herself and recorded live in studio. The final track was mixed and produced by her own original producer. To stay authentic to Chlöe, we worked with her own choreographer to create a custom dance centering around chewing for a one-of-a-kind experience. The activation launched via a global TikTok challenge, engaging users from around the world to take part.

Our campaign set out to get Gen Z interested in gum again – and we succeeded by getting 120 million packs off the shelves and into Gen Z’s mouths. Our hashtag has gotten 9.5 billion impressions on TikTok, as people joined the challenge with their own chewing. The campaign also reached 155.5 million earned impressions as the news traveled.