Do tears really sell gum?

Finding an ad that brings viewers to tears is a very rare occurrence, and even when it does happen, it’s often an advertisement for an animal shelter with a sad Sarah McLachlan song playing in the background. Yet, in the past few weeks, a seemingly unemotional topic was the subject of a very popular advertisement -- gum. The ad, produced by and created to promote Extra, a popular gum company, appeared on TV last month and warranted a reaction that was less of a “hey, look, it’s yummy,” and instead a serious tear-jerker for everyone. But is it seriously even that big of a deal?It’s common knowledge that gum ads don’t often reveal anything new, or even call for any form of extended reaction because, unless they are selling genetic-enhancing gum, consumers know what they are going to get. Extra has been the exception, proving their superiority in creativity and heartfelt moments in previous ads back in 2013 with a story about a dad and his daughter. Similar subject matter was evident in the new advertisement, released in October with a new emotional story about a boy and a girl and their quest of love titled “The Story of Sarah and Juan.” Every memory shared over a stick of Extra gum initiates a new step in their relationship and the song “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley (covered by Haley Reinhart) playing in the background. Through fights, laughs, and shared memories, the whole ad leads up to the finale where Sarah enters a room with pictures hung around her. Each picture was a drawn memory on a gum wrapper, and as Sarah walks along the wall smiling at each one, she reaches the final gum wrapper with a drawn image of a boy proposing to a girl. She turns to see Juan behind her, on one knee and with a ring in his hand.Cue the sobs and arm the tissues, because anyone viewing would be at least emotionally affected at this point, right?Yet, it’s a gum commercial. Did seeing this make anyone want Extra gum instead of Stride? Do people think of Extra in a different light? Most people probably don’t even remember what gum company made the ad. I know that I don’t care for Extra any more, in fact, it seems to me like just another zany publicity stunt.If anything, it gave people something to talk about, considering how several major news groups (Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, etc.) wrote about it. It gained 3.3 million views within five days on YouTube, and many people on Samo campus have talked about it. Sure, it was a neat addition to the commercial portion of your lazy Sunday afternoon in front of the television; but tomorrow you’ll be dropping 89 cents on Mentos because they cost less.If only Extra actually were using things that would make their product stand out instead of making stereotypical romance stories with gum fetish twists. Like if they explained how their gum was longer-lasting, or more flavorful, or cheaper, or boosted stamina or something, then their audience may be persuaded. The only reason they wouldn’t do that would be if they didn’t have any outstanding qualities. The gum commercial doesn’t improve Extra’s product; it makes it seem like the company can’t come up with anything superior about them in compared to other brands.After watching this commercial, I am left feeling emotional and manipulated. All I want to do is climb into my bed, eat chocolate, and watch Netflix -- not chew a piece of gum.