Excel gum is changing the way it combats bad breath, with a new campaign targeted at adults above the age of 18 that aims to help consumers deal with “Gumergencies.”

With media by MediaCom, creative by BBDO and experiential by GMR Marketing, the campaign from the Wrigley brand marks a departure from the past four years, which have seen Excel’s creative feature bad breath creatures, like donuts, onions, garlic and cups of coffee.

The campaign is kicking off with a national OOH buy and wild postings in urban markets like Toronto and Vancouver. The brand has also launched a new YouTube channel devoted specifically to the campaign, which currently hosts two 30-second spots, in addition to digital buys on Skype and sites like Eonline, MLB.com and AMCtv.com and mobile buys on Flickr and Soundhound.

The YouTube spots feature new brand character Randy Johnson, a not-so-friendly Excel Gumergency Hotline operator who tries to help callers through their Gumergencies.

In the coming weeks, Excel will partner with Global Television and air a series of 10-second spots during premieres of new and returning shows. It will also roll out an experiential campaign in Toronto and Vancouver, including a partnership with Toronto’s upcoming Nuit Blanche event, during which the brand have teams on-site to help people who may find themselves in Gumergencies.

Laura Amantea, marketing manager for Excel and Extra Professional, Wrigley Canada, tells MiC that this first Gumergency campaign marks the start of a big program for the Excel brand, which it is launching in response to softness in the gum category.

The campaign will be in market until the end of November, and Amantea says there will likely be more Gumergency-themed campaigns in the future.

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