Annoying lunch companions feature in Wrigley campaign

Client: Wrigley

Agency: BBDO Hong Kong

Market: Hong Kong

Campaign scope: Digital, social media

Background: The video first aired in late February and entered the top 10 Hong Kong videos on YouTube with over 200,000 views in the first two days, without media investment according to BBDO. To date, the video has 679,000 views on YouTube.

Press release quotes: 

Vivian Ho, marketing director, Wrigley Taiwan and Hong Kong: “This is our first attempt to push the digital platform for Extra. In the past, we mainly focused on traditional mediums, such as TV, for gaining high reach as it is important for our FMCG category. The positive comments on Facebook and YouTube give us motivation to engage more on a social level for future Extra campaigns.”

Kevin Lynch, executive creative director, BBDO South China: “The creative team had no trouble thinking up different annoying lunch companion traits. The rest of us in the office wondered where they got all the great material."

Campaign Asia-Pacific’s comments: The stereotypes featured in the four-minute video are relevant to the people of Hong Kong. Presented as a lighthearted and funny YouTube skit, the short scenes are well put together. The use and placement of Wrigley’s chewing gum feels natural and unforced because the humor holds true. Rather than serving up an ad, the video offers a nice bit of branded entertainment in Bomba's YouTube style.

Translation:

BBDO provided the folloowing translation/transcript of the dialogue:

Opening (00:00)
Master of Table Manners / God of Food:
“You know, to enjoy a good lunch, we need more than the taste and smell of food – the choice of our lunch companions is very important too. That’s the good old saying of ‘A good one is a companion, a bad one is an annoyance’, so beware of the following types, avoid them at all cost, and I’d guarantee you would eat like a king!”

Slow eater (00:15)
△A is eating slowly
B: hey hurry up, we need to hurry to office for work!
A: please wait ok? Relax!
△A still eating slowly, eating rice grain by grain
△B keep looking at his watch impatiently, C so angry and ready to punch on A)
△outside daylight is changing to sunset
△A finally done his dish
△B, C finally feel release and ready to go
A: oh, I still have lemon tea and this
△A eat a chewing gum

TEXTER (00:50)
△A,B and C are in lunch…
B: hey, your dish quite nice!
A: yeah I see it… (didn’t look at it at all because he is playing his phone)
C: the lemon tea here is famous, what do you think?
A: whatsapp-ed you a thumbs up already…
B: hey, any mobile game good recently?
A: um… (Impatient)
C: In fact… we should talk in lunch right?
A: you are right! (Still look at phone for 3 seconds) done! I have made a group in WhatsApp, let’s chat there!
△B and C are jaw drop, then e of them play phone together

Picky eater (01:17)
△A with unsatisfied face
A: I really think I can cook much better…
A: I don’t think they have a nice chef! Must be MK boy…( HK joke of useless teens)
△the food arrive, he put into mouth unwillingly
A: come on! It is disaster! I score it -1000 (suddenly hold a score card with -1000)
△cut shot to have another bite
A: MSG?? fail!
△cut shot to have another bite
A: this is totally wastage of world resource
△cut shot to have another bite
A: it taste just chicken in chicken, taste vegie in vegie, salty in salt, bad! (HK joke of saying bad food)
△cut shot to have a bite of Extra
A: this tiny piece taste much better than the dishes!
△a black oil painted face (HK joke of unsatisfied)

Cheapskate (01:47)
△everybody is ready to pay the bill
A: oh… suddenly I need to go toilet
△cut shot to another bill paying situation
△A put on his earphone and pretend having a phone call, go to the exit directly
△cut shot to another bill paying situation
A: Oh my god, why I just have a thousand note! That’s too inconvenience!
△cut shot to another bill paying situation
A: oh I forget to bring my wallet, can you borrow me $100?
B: I just have $40 to borrow you…
A: is fine, you owe me $60 then, you pay me this meal and pay me the rest $60 later, is fine.
△A take a chewing gum confidently and walk away
△B jaw drop

Food envier (02:10)
△friends are going to start lunch in a table, A is looking at his friends’ dishes
A: oh? You chicken leg looks nice!
△A take away B’s whole chicken leg
A: you don’t need that pork right? Don’t waste it
△A take away C’s pork
A: oh, you are the man, this is a nice dish for man!
△A take away D’s tou fu pork and pad on D’s shoulder
A: I know you don’t mind, bro!
A: I am now as full as having buffet, how come! Haha!
△rubbing his stomach
A: oh you have chewing gum? Give me
△take away friend’s chewing gum
△B, C, D are standing around A with weapon

Impolite (02:38)
△cut shot A spit on the floor
△cut shot A eat noisily with rice
△cut shot A eat noisily with noodle
△sneeze on his and his friend’s dish
△use finger as toothpick
A: lingering food on teeth is soooo trouble!
△cut shot A put his foot on table
A: this is life style you know?
△cut shot A is eating chewing gum and playing with it with finger
Ending
Master of Table Manners / God of Food:
“For sure you won’t unfriend someone over a course of meal, so the above types are understandably hard to avoid, but those lingering food that stuck in your teeth are surly avoidable. Easy! Just chew Extra!”
△SUPER in the middle of screen:
You can’t get rid of annoying lunch companion, but you can get rid of lingering food
△Extra logo

Selfier (02:59)
△a dish is delivered onto the table, and A stop all people from eating them…
A: let me take a photo first, ok?
△A keep taking photos, when other friends see A stop, start to eat…
A: hey, don’t eat them yet! Let’s wait all dishes and take a group photo ok?
△Friends just can stop again and feeling she is trouble
A: hey, can you take a photo…
B: (go to sit close to A) I am a bit shy about taking photo actually…
A: with the dish, not you…sorry… (hold the dish on hand)
△ A check the photo…
A: it doesn’t look good! I need Lighting!
△Lighting crew come out suddenly
A: it looks much nicer now!
△friend sitting opposite jaw drop…
A: Oh, why the dishes are cold! Hey manager I need to complaint!

Ending (03:33)
Master of Table Manners / God of Food:
“Honestly, it is impossible that for you to break up with your friend for a meal, and also you cannot avoid the mentioned lunch companions. But for the lingering food in your mouth after a meal, you can avoid it anytime, just to use a gum (Extra pack shot show up).
A: Hello, who are you? Are you sitting in the wrong table?
Master of Table Manners / God of Food: no, I came alone and couldn’t find any seat, so just sit here. I hope you don’t mind. I have some Extra gum, do you want some?