Got an Extra Minute? An Open Letter to the Manufacturer

Dear Makers of Extra Gum,

My husband and I both chew gum after meals during the day when we aren’t able to brush. We’ve been loyal purchasers of Extra for at least 20 years.

I appreciate the updated flat packaging, but I think you are missing some opportunities to add value to the product. If someone is taking the time to read it, chances are they have an “Extra” minute, so why not make it count? Here are some ideas for the flap:

1. Things to Do with an Extra Minute

Time saving tips

Simple stretches to ease tension or improve posture

Money saving tips

Nice things to do for others or yourself

Links to worthy charities for quick click and donate programs

Traffic safety tips (Got an Extra minute? Here’s how to adjust your rear-view mirrors properly. )

Any helpful, healthy or useful things to do with 60 Extra seconds

2. Tales of Extra Effort

Very short stories about ordinary people doing the Extra-ordinary

Unexpected discoveries that took an Extra minute

3. Extra Brain Builders

Word games, brain-teasers, puzzles, optical illusions

Inspirational quotes or sentences from great novels or writers

Short poems or pieces to memorize

Brain improvement exercises

Easy puzzles with links to an Extra website with more challenging puzzles, challenges, etc.. Solve a series of puzzles or riddles to collect points and win things, like a Nintendo DS with brain games, an Xbox Kinect, or a family game night set. Consumers could come back each time they get a new pack to get a fresh set of puzzles and earn more points.

Be useful, be smart, be interesting, make the most of that minute, and add value to the product. No matter which category, include a link to more of the same, plus the other two, on a website that engages and interests. Should you decide to include them in your marketing plan, even commercials could be used to give people a brain-teaser or party-trick skill challenge. I can imagine people saying, "Wait, wait, I need to watch this Extra commercial," so that they could pick up the next clue, or stand up and challenge their TV watching partner to a one-minute skill test before the next show starts.

These ideas are just starting points, and I’m sure you’ll think of many more. I think it would be neat to bring back the fun of opening a new pack of gum, kind of like Bazooka bubble gum. You always knew you were going to get a joke, and it was usually silly, but it piqued your interest to see what it would be, and you always shared it with someone else.

Best regards,

Tamara Landre