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Stride Gum Does it Right With “Where The Hell is Matt?”

Posted on | August 13, 2008 | No Comments

With my innate ability to see the next big thing after it is already the current big thing, I stumbled upon “Where The Hell is Matt?” last week after it has been a sensation with something like 20 million views for some time now.

I sat there grinning like an idiot for the entirety of the video. I couldn’t put my finger on what I had experienced, but I knew it made me feel good. I feel good when I indulge in all sorts of dark humor, but this was different, and not common for jilted o’ll me. It made me feel good about people strangely enough…

I waited for the punch line, perhaps where Matt actually gets punched, or a shameless product plug. Well, there was no sucker punch, and the product plug was not shameless at all. In fact, it was very tasteful; just a little black and white message indicating Stride Gum’s involvement.

Here’s what works about it for me:

Sponsorships are not new (insightful, I know). Coca-Cola, McDonalds’s, Xerox, Kodak, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, etc., sponsor the hell out of everything. Even Harley Davidson sponsors UFC with the tragic tag line, “The only motorcycle worthy of being inside the Octagon!” This is always done with the very clear goal to have their names and products associated with a big event, to reinforce presence of mind.

Stride did something different.  Subtlety.  Yes, some people knew about “Where The Hell is Matt?” already, but compared to a 30 second spot during “Lost”, it was a relative few so it was no sure shot. There was no certainty this video would go viral the way it has. Matt is not dancing with a pack of Stride gum in every shot.  Sure, Stride feature’s Matt on it’s website, but on Matt’s there is only a small logo at the bottom of the page for the brand.

When you watch the video, you’re not slapped in the face with the sponsorship, you’re just politely reminded of Stride’s involvement. And that smile that Matt’s foolish dancing put on your face? It’s left there when you’re thinking about a certain brand of chewing gum.

It brings to mind something David Meerman Scott said recently speaking to the guys from Marketing Over Coffee about smart marketers creating something interesting that doesn’t talk about your product.  Well, I think that’s just what these guys have done.

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Category: Product Sponsorship, Viral Marketing, uplifting
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