Orbit Gum

Orbit gum. At first glance, this advertisement looks quite simple. Generic even. There is a woman standing there in the true style of a game show hostess who is presenting the winner with the grand prize. The prize, in this case the Orbit gum package, looks bright and shiny. The contrast in the dull colors of the woman’s clothing and the bright, vibrant colors of the product make it obvious that the gum is more exciting than the woman and should therefore be seen as the key focus of the advertisement. There is no spotlight on her.

The caption at the bottom of the advertisement, “If you like surprising reveals, check out the back cover.”, draws our focus back to the spearmint Orbit package. On the right hand side of the package we can see that the wrapper is starting to be ripped off. It is almost as if the gum is teasing us to tear the whole plastic wrapping off to see the whole product exposed. Essentially, the gum is seducing us. It looks so bright and shiny… and if we pull back that tab, will we see the surprise that the caption assures us is there?



Why yes. Yes, we do. The gum is liberated from its packaging. Hell, the woman is liberated too. Instead of being cloaked in black nylons, a scarf, a button up jacket, and a modest skirt, she is now in white see through lingerie. Her clothes are at her side. Apparently unwrapping the gum made her want to unwrap herself. She is somehow now the more noticeable focus of this gum advertisement. While the gum package is still patterned and attractive it is no longer the focus. The spotlight is gone. What I find most interesting about this advertisement is that the caption suggests that unwrapping gum is like undressing a woman. Hm. Let’s break this down. Gum: you put it in your mouth, soak up the flavor, and spit it out. Is Orbit likening their product to how women should be treated? Probably not. Nonetheless the message has been sent.

“Unwrap the new Orbit packs to reveal something surprising underneath.” NEW. Orbit gum wrapping has been made over. Therefore the product is, for all intents and purposes, completely different than the original creation. The woman and her transition from the former advertisement to the current one show how she herself has changed. She has undergone a makeover. She is still in a passive position but she is now unwrapped, revealed, and completely interchangeable with any other advertisement because her position is not unique to the product being advertised.

At the bottom of this advertisement we can see all the different kinds of Orbit gum packages. The fact that the woman is almost naked and that the gum packages are all different colors makes me feel like this advertisement could be parodied to advertise condoms. “Unwrapped? Fabulous?” Come on consumers, pick a color- any color. You will find “something surprising underneath.”