“Soft chews” are the fastest-growing gum form in the category. In 2018 Extra was ready to launch their own soft chew -- Extra Refreshers -- but the brand faced two big challenges. First, the soft chew market was already a crowded space in which Ice Breakers controlled a major share. Second, consumers only knew Extra as a stick gum. We set out to gain our fair share of the soft chew market by telling a human, emotional story that resonated with consumers’ hearts instead of functional messaging appealing to their heads.

Instead of telling consumers how soft our soft chews were or how refreshingly flavorful each piece of gum was, we told a story about how sometimes the smallest gestures can be the most refreshing. Max and Bill is the story of an unexpected friendship that forms between two complete strangers, separated by generations, over the seemingly insignificant act of sharing a piece of gum.

Extra has built a lot of brand love through beautiful storytelling centered around meaningful human connections. With that in mind, we didn’t want to launch our new Extra Refreshers product by just telling people about the refreshing new benefit. Instead we needed to make people feel it, in only a way Extra could. We decided to filter “refreshing” through the lens of our Give extra, get Extra brand campaign, using the “pleasantly new or different” definition to guide how our meaningful connection story would unfold. The idea of an unexpectedly pleasant connection drove everything from the story, casting, location, and even the music we featured.

Extra’s heartwarming tale of unexpected friendship strikes an emotional chord with all that encounter it. The story of Max and Bill redefines friendship across generation and circumstance and, like Sarah and Juan before it, is sure to bring a tear to the eye. Starting in April 2019, the film tugged at heartstrings on TV, cinema, online, and with big name partners like Meredith. It launched with exclusive coverage from various media outlets and was one of the first brands to leverage the ‘YouTube Premiere’ event to generate buzz, discoverability, and excitement around the new film.

Since the film launched in late April 2019, we do not have any concrete results to share. However, we do expect Max and Bill to reach and touch the hearts of millions of people around the world, following in the footsteps of Extra’s previous film, The Story of Sarah and Juan.