Do you chew gum? The odds are that you probably used to chew gum, but have fallen out of the habit. One reason for the sales decline – Covid-19 lockdowns hit our snacking sales and impulse buys at stores. Gum is one of those products that people tend to pick up at check-out at the last minute. Closed stores equals no sales.
According to research firm Euromonitor, the pandemic hit gum sales hard – global gum sales fell from $19.5 billion in 2019, to $16.1 billion in 2020, and are still low at $19.7 billion. But a new $50 million ad campaign from Mars Wrigley hopes to increase gum sales with a new approach. The campaign will run in 70 countries, with a heavy investment in Europe.
Previously, chewing gums were positioned along the lines of fresh breath and long-lasting taste. But now Mars is taking a new approach – that gum can help with mental wellness by quieting the ‘mouth in your mind’. In other words – a stress reliever. Indeed, some research has shown that chewing gum can help with focus and stress. But will linking gum to wellness work?
Ask me when I’m done chewing.
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Poll students about their gum-chewing habits.
- List all the gum brands on the board that students can recall.
- Why has chewing gum fallen out of favor?
- Where is chewing gum in the product life cycle?
- Show new ads: https://www.youtube.com/@ExtraOfficialUK
- What are student opinions about the ad?
- View Mars Wrigley website: https://esp.mars.com/en/made-by-mars/mars-wrigley?language_content_entity=en
- Review key aspects of developing a product positioning map, including determining the axis labels for positioning.
- Divide students into teams and have each team develop a positioning map for chewing gum. How can gum be re-positioned?
Source: Deighton, K. (12 June 2024). Gum sales peaked in 2011. Can Mars Wrigley get people chewing again? Wall Street Journal; Mahdawi, A. (14 March 2024). Stressed out? Get chewing. The Guardian.
