Gen X is over-anxious. Teen life has always been full of worries; the uncomfortable world of today is adding to them. But BBDO Chicago and Mars Snacking have stepped in to help with a very simple daily solution – the mental reset of chewing gum (Orbit, Extra, Freedent, and Yida).   

The global campaign, Total Overthink of The Head, leads with an anthem commercial that reimagines Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 hit,Total Eclipse of the Heart, tapping into the growing trend of “borrowed nostalgia” among Gen Z consumers. It is built on the insight that younger people frequently experience small but relatable moments of overthinking, often amplified by digital life. The film uses humour and exaggerated scenarios to sing its way through anxiety triggers such as second-guessing personal choices and navigating social interactions (such as posts that don’t get Likes) and ends in a rousing and triumphant chorus that conquers them.

The campaign then targets Gen Z audiences through memes (meme figures, Galaxy Brain and Chill Dog, are also fitted into the hero commercial), short-form content, and multi-channel rollout across digital, social, and OOH, with emphasis on a TikTok rollout.

Total Overthink of The Head adds to the brand’s Chew Good platform, and was developed by BBDO Cihcago with help from adam&eve\TBWA. It taps into the current surging interest in mental wellness.

Extending the campaign are Chew Ratings, a simple scoring system for overthinking based on pieces of gum, and Channel Your Inner Goat, a TikTok-first experience, lets users submit worries that are then “fed” to goats in a live, interactive format.

Credits

Client: MARS WRIGLEY
Chief Brand Officer: Rankin Carroll
VP Brands & Content: Fabio Ruffet
Regional Senior Brand & Content Manager: Ellyse O’Connor

Creative Agency: BBDO CHICAGO
CEO: Jennifer Neumann
Chief Creative Officer: Josh Gross
Global Chief Client Experience Officer: Daale Carter 
Executive Creative Directors: Robin Laurens & Jonathan Fussell
Creative Directors: Zé Baldin, Gabriel Barrea, Eli Terry & Mike Costello
Associate Creative Directors: Peter McCormick & Caitlin Madlinger
Director of Creative Services: Erin Welsh
Business Director: Lucie Lavrard
Chief Strategy Officers: Larry Gies & Landi Day

Group Strategy Director: Elizabeth Brown
Senior Strategist: Livi Carlton
Executive Producer: Lily McNamara
Sr Producer: Stefeni Tormanen
Producer: Alexandria Aikens
Executive Music Producer: Courtney Jenkins
Business Affairs Manager: Vanessa Vasquez
Talent Manager: Karen Smith

Production Company: O POSITIVE
Director: Brian Billow
Executive Producers: Ralph Laucella & Marc Grill
Line Producer: Adriana Cebada Mora
DoP: Tobias Schliessler
Production Designer: Jamie Vickers

Editing: ARCADE
Editor: Jeff Ferruzzo
Colour & VFX: JAMM
Colourist: Paul Yacono
VFX Supervisor: Mike Wigart
Music & Sound Design: CAYA Music and Sound

Chew Ratings & Channel Your Inner Goat: adam&eve\TBWA
Creative Team: Judith Tulkens, Jessica Morris, Helen Balls, Sarah Schotte, Ben Stilitz, Colin Booth, Matt Gay, Ant Nelson, Mike Sutherland
Director: Judith Tulkens
Live Production Company: Vivid Broadcast
Production Company: Omnicom Production
Service Company: Storytailors
Editing company: Omnicom Production
Audio Post-production: No. 8