Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

This is a best practice example of how a brand can embed into the gaming culture in a truly authentic way. Gen Zs are big into chewing gum but given declining consideration from this group, how can a chewing gum brand foster a meaningful connection in a new and exciting way? Simple. By partnering with Twitch to launch #TeamCLUTCH, a dynamic squad made up of Australia’s favourite streamers. The campaign was not only successful in improving the brand’s health metrics, it also smashed the business goal and paved the way for a new, differentiated category entry point for 5 Gum.

Background

In Australia, Mars Wrigley’s 5 Gum brand was looking to reach Gen Zs as they are the biggest chewers of gum. But the brand found that they are increasingly hard to reach through traditional media channels. Marketing objective was to bridge the reach gap with <30-year-olds where penetration was declining across the category. Increase in brand penetration +5%. Increase in the following Category Entry Point (CEP) measures: - When playing electronic games: +5pts - When I need to concentrate: +12pts - To restore mental focus: +7.5pts The campaign objectives were to speak to gamers about the brand, its brand values, and benefits, while simultaneously creating authentic and meaningful connections with viewers during the clutch moments that 5 Gum wants to own in gaming.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Live streams will challenge streamers to make concentrated, quick decisions during gameplay, all while being entertaining to their audience in real-time. And this truly captures 5 Gum's ‘Life happens in 5’ spirit of adventure. Hence, we decided to assemble Team CLUTCH, an elite squad made up of Australia's favourite Twitch streamers. Each streamer was gifted a 5 Gum jersey, representing their love for video games, their communities and embodying the 5 Gum spirit, that life happens in 5 as they hit the LIVE button. The idea was to create a dynamic group of up-and-coming talents brought together by 5 Gum and their brand mission of living in the moment. By partnering with Twitch and its streamers, it allows 5 Gum to speak to the gaming community and own the clutch moments in gameplay in an authentic way—a way that brings out the brand meaning and showcases the brand benefits live.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

With declining traditional transaction zones particularly in grocery, as well as a rapid move towards self-serve and frictionless checkouts, there are reduced opportunities to drive impulse purchasing of chewing gums. Plus, Gen Zs are increasingly hard to reach through traditional media. 5 Gum needed to find a new way to connect with this group of audiences. The term "clutch" was originally used in sports commentary, describing a player that can keep their head cool and perform well during a tense moment in a game, where the outcome of the competition was at stake. A clutch moment in gaming is pulling off an impressive move, play, or manoeuvre in a video game - all of which are braggable moments in front of mates. Hence, the campaign strategy was to align the brand to 'clutch moments' in the most authentic and meaningful way on Twitch.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

We put together Team CLUTCH that was made up of Australian Twitch streamers /AussieAntics, /soleKEFS, /GeekGG, /PaladinAmber and /PlayitShady. Team Clutch came together for three live squad streams across July 1, July 14 and August 5, tackling popular games like Fortnite, while taking on bespoke challenges. This feature enables fans to watch all of the streamers on a team via one screen, and also enables switching between the different streamers so that viewers can experience different angles of the action. This was a truly integrated partnership that seamlessly integrated 5 Gum into the gaming environment: - Branded broadcast graphics and profile branding - Product integration in-stream - Epic branding within the actual streamer environment (neon signs, merchandise) - Social drivers building hype and revealing new #TeamClutch members - Full Twitch network media placements to build reach including homepage headliner and hero carousel placements driving scale.

List the results (30% of vote)

Through the activations, Team Clutch’s streams generated 481k minutes watched on the 5 Gum-sponsored stream, equivalent to a year’s worth of engagement. The three Team Clutch streams totalled 158k views, reaching 117k viewers, and generating 11k chat messages. At the time of the stream, Team Clutch was also the most-viewed stream in Australia, the #1 stream in total minutes watched, and the #1 highest reach in Australia. In a post-activation Brand Lift Survey conducted by Twitch Research Power Group, the campaign saw an uplift of +14% increase in gaming association, +9% increase in purchase intent and brand favourability. A Brand penetration survey was also conducted by MediaCom, achieved at the end of the year was 5% (vs objective of 4.2%). Most incredibly the following CEP measures (measured by EBI) were smashed: - When I need to concentrate: +6pt - To restore mental focus: +10pt - When playing electronic games: +15pt