Center Fresh plays 'Gum charades'

Center Fresh has extended its 'Zubaan Pe Rakhe Lagaam' proposition with a digital campaign titled 'Gum Charades'. Inspired by the popular game of dumb charades, the campaign looks at translating the experience of playing the game on the digital medium.

To popularise the concept of Gum Charades and drive traffic to the microsite, the brand has tied up with TV channels like 9XM, Channel V, Mtunes and Zoom for content integration and will also air radio spots on popular radio stations in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.

The ultimate objective of the campaign, according to Center Fresh, was to strengthen "the ZPL (Zubaan pe Lagaam) connect with Center Fresh" among youth in the digital medium.

"Gum Charades, inspired by a popular movie guessing game, fitted perfectly with the core brand proposition. From the consumer's point of view we have taken a game otherwise played in groups to the online medium while staying true to Center Fresh brand values," states the company.

Commenting on the campaign, Mandar Keskar, category head, gums, Perfetti Van Melle India, says, "Most digital initiatives today are adapted from television campaigns. With the growing relevance of digital as a medium especially amongst youth (our core TG), we realised that it's important to customise brand content for this medium rather than adapt it. Gum Charades is one such initiative in this direction. As far as the concept is concerned, it's rare to find a popular game with a natural brand fit; we have been quite lucky in this aspect."

With this two month campaign Center Fresh is also looking to increase brand saliency among youth in the digital medium.

Speaking about the brief given to the agency for the campaign, a spokesperson from the Center Fresh brand team says, "With the growing relevance of the digital medium we realised that it's important to customise brand content for this medium. With 137 million internet users in India, this medium provides a perfect opportunity for brands to interact and engage with the target audience. We wanted an interactive campaign which was platform agnostic while staying true to the core brand thought."

The campaign is being promoted on various media that include display advertising on popular sites like Yahoo, Hindustan times, YouTube, MSN, Bookmyshow and In.com. On social media, it is being promoted on the Center Fresh Facebook page and through the Twitter handle, @centerfreshin.

Besides TV channels and mobile platforms, Center Fresh is also airing spots on popular radio stations in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.

V Narayanan, general manager, Maxus Delhi, the media agency behind this idea, says, "We wanted an idea which was platform-agnostic for Center fresh. The concept of Gum Charades resonates seamlessly with the brand proposition, which consumers are willing to share across their social networks for its unique entertainment quotient."

In July 2013, Perfetti Van Melle India had signed on singer and actor Dhanush as the new face for its flagship chewing gum brand, Center Fresh. It was stated that Dhanush would feature in the new television commercial of the brand and in all mobile and internet communication, but surprisingly, the 'Gum Charades' campaign doesn't feature the star. However, a new TVC for the brand is currently under development and will be released during the later part of the year.