Mars is tapping into meme culture and borrowing nostalgia to reframe gum as a mental reset. Developed by BBDO Chicago, the latest work for OEFY, Mars Snacking’s gum portfolio that includes Orbit, Extra, Freedent, and Yida, reimagines Total Eclipse of the Heart as “Total Overthink of the Head.”
The idea is simple and very current. Younger audiences are stuck in a loop of everyday overthinking, from unread texts to questionable haircuts. Instead of treating those moments as stress, the campaign turns them into something bigger, louder, and more dramatic, like an ’80s power ballad.
The creative leans into internet language to get there. Memes, GIFs, and short-form scenarios drive the storytelling, with familiar formats like Galaxy Brain and Chill Dog helping to visualize those internal spirals in a way that feels native to the way younger audiences process emotion online. Watch below:
“It’s tough being young right now. There’s a lot to overthink,” said Josh Gross, chief creative officer at BBDO Chicago. “Chewing gum won’t solve everything, but it can help you reset in those everyday moments.”
It is all part of Mars Snacking’s broader “Chew Good” platform, which positions gum not just as a breath freshener, but as a small, accessible way to reset your mindset.
Beyond the hero film, the campaign expands into a wider ecosystem. “Chew Ratings” turns moments of overthinking into a visual scoring system based on pieces of gum. At the same time, “Channel Your Inner Goat” brings the idea to life on TikTok with interactive content featuring actual goats as the ultimate symbols of calm.
The work rolls out across video, social, out-of-home, and shopper channels, designed to meet audiences where they already are.
Because sometimes the best way to deal with overthinking is not to fight it.
It is to turn it into a song and chew through it.
CREDITS:
BRAND: OEFY
AGENCY: BBDO Chicago
- Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Neumann
- Chief Creative Officer Josh Gross
- Chief Client 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
- Creative Services Director Erin Welsh
- Business Director Lucie Lavrard
- Chief Strategy Officers Larry Gies, Landi Day
- Strategy Director Elizabeth Brown
- Strategist Livi Carlton
- Executive Producer Lily McNamara
- Producers Stefeni Tormanen, Mar Pérez-Olivares
PRODUCTION COMPANY: O Positive
- Director Brian Billow
- Executive Producers Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill
- Line Producer Adriana Cebada Mora
- Director of Photography Tobias Schliessler
- Production Designer Jamie Vickers
POST/ VFX: JAMM
- Colorist Paul Yacono
- Color Assistant Aldo Rosati
- Color Producer Emma Beren
- VFX Supervisor Mike Wigart
- Compositing Lead Patrick Dirks
- Compositing Patrick Ferguson, Brady Doyle, Sean Cox, Caitlin Roth
- 2D Animation Cecilia Fletcher
- Designers Jonathan Ficcadenti, Kasey Amato
- Matte Painting Nathan McKenna
- CG Lead Brian Burke
- CG Artists Ana Blanco, Goran Ognjanovic, Greg Mawicke, Ian Kent, Nico Sanghrajka, Shao Chen
EDIT: Carlos Riaza
- Editors Jeff Ferruzzo, Alexey Novikov
- Managing Director Sila Soyer
- Executive Producer Fanny Cruz
- Producer Andrew Cravotta
MUSIC/SOUND: Laura Hueso
- Executive Creative Director Ben Einziger
- Executive Producer Kiki Einziger
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