I've been sick for the past couple of days and I've spent a lot of time in supermarkets buying soup, where, upon reaching the checkout, I discovered the true horror of the chewing gum brand saturation that our nation has succumbed to! I guess it's been a gradual affair, from the launch of sugar free, to whitening ones, to the more avant garde dual flavour and mints-that-are-gum-really, but I only really noticed it recently, as I was confronted by a barrage of Trident Splash this and Extra Ice that and general product extension hell.
There must be some rationale behind this and there must be a market for it. Or is there? Chewing gum and the fresh breath ideal must be something that has become increasingly popular, particularly amongst youth audiences to warrant this product overload.
When I was a kid, there was Extra, Double Mint and Juicy Fruit and that was about it, and that really wasn't even that long ago! Whatever happened to Double Mint, in fact, what happened to 'stick' chewing gum? I'm quite a fan of the stick variety, but what happened to it? Is it because we're living in a green age and the sticks use so much packaging? But what about Trident Splash? They're wrapped up in loads of packaging!
The small ones just get lost in the bottom of your bag! I can see the trend towards miniaturisation happening all over the shop, maybe that's what they're appealing to, like skirts, Gaviscon and tampons...
Back to basics I say. I can't understand the appeal of dual-flavour gum, mint chocolate chip even - the lines between breath freshening chewing gum and fun and flavoursome bubble gum are being seriously blurred to the point of brand meltdown. Which chewing gum should stay and which should go? Surely there's not a market for ALL of these brands and all of their extensions?!
I think there is. As long as demand is there. Just like sport shoes. 50 years ago people played all sports in same trainers now we ve got a special pair for each sport.
People tend to like expresing themselves through things. "Maybe I want to have my breath smell like chocolate-mint-fruit at the same time - so everyone knows i am different". Then again, everyone have different tastes.
www.commoncraft.com/socialmedia this video gives an example how a town which had one manufactorer of ice creams was making only two types of icecream and how things changed.
Then again it depends on the fashion .. if chewing gum becomes todays "self-expression" thing then we might even have whole stores just with chewing gum, although this extream would be unlikely.
Maybe it's because I'm not in that 'world'. I never buy chewing gum and therefore don't see it as a sense of lifestyle expression. If it is - the Hollyoaks Extra idents are a good example of youthful targeting and lifestyle appeal - then it makes sense for there to be brands to suit, yet I just wonder that it's more about creating these choices rather than serving them
Louise Kennedy
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Member since: 03 Jun 2008
Last login: 07 Jan 2009
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