BUBBLECLUB

TitleBUBBLECLUB
BrandCADBURY JAPAN
Product / ServiceBUBBLEGUM
CategoryD02. New Product Launch/Re-launch
EntrantADK Tokyo, JAPAN
Entrant Company:ADK Tokyo, JAPAN
DM/Advertising Agency:ADK Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Credits

Name Company Position
Tetsuya Furumura ADK Planning Director
Keisuke Futakuchi ADK Account Executive
Emi Tatewaki ADK Account Executive
Akifumi Imai ADK Account Executive
Shinsuke Sakuma ADK Communications Planner
Toyotomi Tanaka ADK Account Planner
Kazuyuki Igarashi Carrera Web Planner
Atsuo Nakajima Digital Garage Web Planner
Tetsuya Ido Aprex Event Producer
Shinnosuke Ogawa Aprex Event Assistant Producer
Takato Akahane Aprex Event Assistant Producer

The Brief

The objective of this promotion was to reincrease the share and the sales volume of Bubblicious in the chewing gum market in Japan by relaunching products. Currently the chewing gum market (in Japan) is dominated by sugarless gum. Despite being a global bubblegum brand that has a 30 years of history, the share of “Bubblicious”, a sugared gum, has continued decreasing to less than 1% in 2007.

Creative Execution

Under the given condition of the sugared gum being perceived as “bad-for-teeth”, it was extremely important to change its competitive context. Therefore, we decided to focus more on its “fun” aspect not yet focused in Japan. From a psychological point of view, target consumers of Bubblicious (mainly male teenagers) have a strong desire to compare their own ability and struggle for mastery with friends in order to be accepted among their peers and friends. To leverage this insight, we prepared a stage where teenagers could compete with each other using this new “edible tool”, and demonstrating actual bubblegum techniques.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We tried to change the bubblegum's competitive context by positioning Bubblicious as an “edible tool for play”. We formed a virtual organization (“BU-KATSU”, a Japanese style of club team where students devote themselves, for self-discipline, on sports, hobbies, etc) to pursue the techniques of blowing bubblegum. We named it "BA-BU" which can also be understood as the abbreviation of “Bubblicious” We continuously offered various activities for BA-BU such as developing 31 original techniques, appointing an official coach, issuing membership cards for 7,000 BA-BU applicants through BA-BU website, holding outdoor events at east & west Japan inviting bubblegum competitors.

Results

The idea of “BA-BU”, and its activities, instantly caught the attention of several TV stations and print media nationwide. In addition, YouTube Japan placed a bubbegum trick video on its top page as one of the recommended videos, generating tremendous traffic to BA-BU website. As a result of continuous PR exposure and a number of events held nationwide and website activities, Bubblicious acquired 7,000 club members, and received many positive responses from wholesalers, dramatically improving distribution. Sales volume, of its major flavor grape, increased by 54%, resulting in a 20% increase in total sales for the period versus 2007.