It was just yesterday, Monday, Sept. 15. I was out and about cruising campus in the freshest of rides: my 1998 Nissan Sentra. Two of my four automatic windows still function, so I had both of those rolled down. I was blasting the local rhythm and blues station from my radio, and the mellifluous voice of singer/entertainer Chris Brown and his hit single “Forever” was emanating powerfully from my speakers.
Two hours passed in a flash. I had sufficiently impressed enough ladies on campus, and it was time to retire for the evening.
I turned onto Blackjack Road and headed for my luxurious yet surprisingly quaint apartment at the Campus Trails. As I passed through our beloved roundabout, adjacent to the Shell gasoline station on the hill, I began to experience a strange and powerful urge unlike any I had ever felt before.
I felt a twinge from my past, from my subconscious. I suddenly felt empty inside, overtaken with a near-nihilistic disregard for all things. All things except one, I realized. I drove my 1998 Nissan Sentra directly into that Shell station right then and there. With my foot firmly planted on the accelerator, I plowed through that store until I reached the center.
I looked out, and I saw customers aghast in horror. I didn’t care. All I cared about was finding what I was looking for. And then I spotted it. I got out of my car, and I walked to the next aisle. In front of me, finally, was what I felt like I had been searching for my entire life. And what I did next was grab that 5-pack of Wrigley’s Doublemint gum. I opened it, and I popped myself a fresh stick.
Content with life, I went home and began to write this article. I wrote it up until this point, and right here, during this very sentence, I noticed that my tone began to change. It was during that last sentence that I had taken a break from writing to do an Internet search on Wrigley’s Doublemint, my new passion. And what did I find?
On Wikipedia, I found this: “It was announced by The Wall Street Journal that ‘Forever’ is actually an extended version of a commercial jingle for Doublemint gum, commissioned by an advertising company working for Wrigley.”
Oh, my gods. My heart sank, and the gum fell straight out of my open mouth. I had been duped. Here I was, thinking that I had finally self-actualized, and then I realize that I don’t even like Doublemint gum.
My impulsive need for it had been artificial, the result of an ad placement in my favorite song. The worst part is that “Forever” had already reached the top of various Billboard charts before Wrigley ever told the public.
But damn, is it catchy! Not only that, but the advertisement is so seamlessly integrated into the lyrics that the unsuspecting listener wouldn’t even notice. Take a look at the chorus, and you be the judge:
“It’s like I’ve waited my whole life for this one night / It’s gon’ be me, you, and the dance floor / ‘Cause we only got one night / Double your pleasure, double your fun.”
Awesome stuff, Chris Brown. You’re no sell-out, that’s for sure. You probably would have written those lyrics even if Wrigley hadn’t written them for you. Doubling your pleasure (not to mention your fun) fits perfectly in that context. Right, Chris?
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been saying for years that chewing gum’s biggest untapped market is the club scene. But is it really necessary to plant slogans subliminally into popular music? I have a degree in marketing, and even I wouldn’t stoop that low. It’s just not what music is all about, and it’s not what chewing gum is all about either. Both of these fine industries should be above deceiving their customers.
I hope this isn’t the start of a new trend. I just think that a line needs to be drawn at some point. Yes, I do understand the purpose of marketing, but I think the consumer deserves to know that their favorite song is actually a commercial for chewing gum.
My advice to Wrigley is, next time when you’re deciding whether to make your campaigns public or not, Just Do It. Okay?
Robert Scribner is a graduate student majoring in business administration. He can be contacted at [email protected].