Brand: Dentyne Fire Mints
Execution: TV
Link: Click here (click on ‘Viewing Room’ and then ‘Drugstore Romance’ to view spot)
Target: Teens on the prowl
Reviewer: David
Rating: ****

Description:
A slightly nerdy looking guy and a very attractive woman approach side-by-side registers at a drugstore and reach for a pack of Dentyne Fire Mints at the same time. A voiceover says, “There’s a new way to heat things up. New Dentyne Fire Mints.” After making eye contact, the guy and girl begin to watch each other’s purchases as they are rung up. First, though, we see them each pop a Dentyne Fire Mint - nervously. The girl gets a scented candle, the guy buys heated massage oil. The girl puts down bubble bath and the guy puts down whip cream. Then the girl puts down an instant camera. As the guy is contemplating this, the girl is suddenly overcome and dives in to kiss him. The voiceover says, “New Dentyne Fire Mints. Fifty naughty bits of cinnamon desire.” The spot ends with a product shot and the tagline, “Get Hot. Go Bold.”

What Works:
Thanks to Adam Finley at Adjab for covering this spot and bringing it to our attention (see his review here.) We last covered Dentyne in June when we reviewed a Dentyne Ice spot (click here to read this review.) We were less than impressed, feeling that Dentyne had wasted money producing a silly spot that was neither aspirational nor particularly entertaining. Nor did we feel that it would build the brand.

The new spot for Dentyne Fire Mints takes on another social situation with exaggeration. This time, however, the touch is much lighter and the result is a refreshing spot which lampoons our social insecurities while still making an appealing proposition for the brand. Dentyne does a good job of gradually building the tension in the spot. With each candle and bottle of hot oil, the tension between the two characters build. When the woman finally gives it, the resolution is funny without being insulting (as in the previous Dentyne Ice spot) or absurd (as with the Axe or Tag spots).

The brand message is clear - fresh breath with a hot twist. And the spot delivers on branding (we see the product packaging very early on and get the message reinforced with the voiceover) as well as entertainment value.

What Doesn’t:
Dentyne finessed four stars from us because this spot is so well executed, but we still have a significant concern in terms of the brand proposition. It is clear and it is understandable, but is it unique or ownable? Is Dentyne the first cinnamon mint or gum to be ‘hot’? We do not know but the proposition seems generic. Beyond snappy art direction, casting and copywriting we will need to see some clever brand positioning before we start making predictions about the brand’s future success.

Branding Bottom Line:
Dentyne gives us a smile - which is enough for now.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 23rd, 2006 at 1:36 pm and is filed under Dentyne. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.