In a strange confluence of Internet brands, off-beat humor and chewing gum, a five-minute long digital short for Orbit gum premiered last night at a launch party held at the IAC building.
The video is the first combined effort of Electus, a multimedia studio in partnership with IAC, and DumbDumb, a new advertising and production company led by comedians Will Arnett and Jason Bateman. It’s called “The Prom Date,” and is meant to humorously relay the power of Orbit to clean up “dirty” situations: in this case, a social studies teacher who plans to take the Bateman character’s daughter to prom.
The video is now on YouTube, presumably with the intention of using Mr. Bateman’s cultlike post-Arrested Development following to catapult it to viral status. Hocking chewing gum via HD YouTube videos with comedic star power is new marketing territory for these companies.
“Major brands recognize that the media landscape is changing quickly and that their success relies a great deal on their ability to expand well beyond traditional advertising,” said Drew Buckley, COO of Electus, in a news release.
