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When the MTV VMAs kicked off at Brooklyn Barclays Center on Sept. 12, it was a nod to the return to live music and live events. With its Fresh Start campaign, Extra Gum wanted to celebrate that re-emergence with Troye Sivan.

As part of the Extra campaign, Velocity, ViacomCBS branded content studio, put on special show from Sivan for fans at Terminal 5 in New York City a few nights before the VMAs. It was a way to connect with his fan base after a hiatus; Sivan hadn't performed live in more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Velocity also produced long form content that aired during the VMAs broadcast, featuring Sivan and his diverse, LGBTQ fans.

Troye is very outspoken in the LGBTQ community and knowing the stats around the LGBTQ community having an even harder time being isolated and disconnected from the things they love during the pandemic, this was the perfect bridge for Extra to tell the story that live music is back with a prominent LGBTQ artist, says Matthew Newcomb, SVP, integrated marketing, Velocity.

Extra's initial Fresh Start campaign launched in May when it seemed consumers would return to some sense of normalcy amidst the pandemic, however, as things rapidly evolved, so did its messaging.

What we really wanted to show was how we integrate the role of Extra and the role of gum into music and pop culture, said Leslie Waters, senior associate brand manager for the Extra brand team, MARS/Wrigley. What were constantly trying to do for Extra specifically is really push the boundaries. This year was a pivotal moment as fans and consumers were again re-emerging into society.

LINK:	https://www.viacomcbs.comViacomCBS and Extra Partner to Celebrate LGBT...
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