Wrigley's Orbit puts location at center of mobile campaign

By Lauren Johnson

July 23, 2012

Wrigley's Orbit brand is taking a unique approach to mobile advertising with a campaign geared at helping consumers find the nearest location.

The mobile ads use a consumer's ZIP code to locate nearby retailers. The Orbit ads recently appeared on the Associated Press' mobile Web site.

"Consumer-packaged-goods would spend marketing dollars on mobile advertising to drive consumer brand awareness. Coupling that goal with the ability to move consumers to actual purchases makes sense." said Marci Troutman, CEO of SiteMinis, Atlanta.

“With any new technology implementation, it takes time to gain traction. Within certain demographics, geo-location has some stickiness, but not on a large scale yet — but it will,” she said.

Ms. Troutman is not affiliated with Wrigley's. She commented based on her expertise on the subject.

Wrigley's did not respond to press inquiries.

Locate a store
The copy for the mobile ads features a picture of Orbit gum next to the company's tag line, "Eat, drink, chew."

The ads encourage users to find a nearby pack of gum by tapping on the banner.

Consumers are then redirected to Google Maps to find the nearest location. The ads are tied with a ZIP code that users can enter on the Associated Press' mobile site to receive local news.

Google Maps then highlights nearby Walgreens locations where consumers can buy Wrigley products.


Users can find nearby Wrigley products

For a consumer-packaged-goods product that is available at virtually every grocery or convenience store, the ads are an interesting twist on how retailers such as Walgreens can use location to drive in-store sales.

Although the Wrigley ads are simple, they are helpful at showing consumers exactly where they can buy products.

However, the ads could be more effective if there was an additional offer — such as a coupon or deal — that rewarded consumers for coming in-store.

Besides consumer-packaged-goods brands, this type of location-based advertising could be particularly interesting for other brands such as apparel retailers or restaurants that rely on driving ROI from in-store visits.

Stick on mobile
Wrigley is no newbie to mobile.

For instance, Orbit also recently used mobile video to help spread the word about a new, multichannel campaign (see story).

Additionally, last year the company rolled out a mobile bar code initiative as part of a back-to-school campaign that rewarded consumers who snapped the code with prizes and additional content (see story).

In the case of the location-based campaign, the ads help to not only drive traffic but also hammer in brand awareness for the Wrigley brand.

"Wrigley, which is owned by Mars, is all about brand relationship, and one of the characteristics of brand relationship is accessibility," Ms. Troutman said.

"Helping consumers know where to get a product is important, especially a product as consumable and inexpensive as gum," she said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York