Jelena Jankovic and Wrigley's Set a Smiles Record

Are you looking for new ways to leverage athlete endorsers? Are you looking to create an innovative promotional campaign that effectively engages consumers?

Tennis star Jelena Jankovic teamed up with Wrigley's Orbitz chewing gum to create a unique promotion in an effort to earn a berth in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The promotion asked tennis fans around the globe to submit a picture of their trademark smile for a chance to win a trip for two (2) to the Pyramisa Blue Lagoon resort in Egypt. Consumers responded to the call-to-action by submitting 137,264 photos for the promotion (80,000 of which were collected by Orbitz' "Smiling Patrols" field ambassador teams). The promotional site featured thousands of submitted pictures, so consumers could check out their pictures and share them with friends. 

Between March 1st and September 20th, all of the photos that consumers submitted were gathered and placed into a giant mosiac of a smile, measuring 930 square meters, inside Belgrade Arena. The collaborative effort to create the world's largest smiles mosaic helped Wrigley, Jankovic, and her native country of Serbia earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. 

Check out some pictures of the final mosaic below (pulled from the promotional website):

Beginning in March, Orbitz used a television commercial starring Jankovic to entice consumers to take part in the promotion. Jankovic, known for her trademark smile, was chosen as an Orbitz brand ambassador in Spring 2009. Check out her Orbitz advert (and behind-the-scenes footage) below: