Featured in The Guardian
Chewing gum sales have long been in decline, forcing brands to take a fresh approach to drive new growth. We were interviewed by The Guardian to provide our expert take on why gum is being repositioned as healthy, and if we think consumers are going to be lured in by functional claims.
The pandemic drastically accelerated gum’s decline, with sales dropping by nearly a third in the US in 2020, according to the market research firm Circana. Social distancing and the lack of interaction over those pandemic years no doubt reduced demand, as did occasions for impulse purchase. However, even post-pandemic chewing gum sales have been slow to return.
Local councils might not be so disappointed in chewing gum’s decline: the article reports that councils in Britain spend £60m each year cleaning an estimated 2m pieces of gum from pavement, and whilst each stick of gum costs an average of 3p to produce, it costs 10p to be scraped off the ground.
There’s historically been a certain amount of social stigma attached to chewing gum, but Wrigleys hit the big time when its chewing gum was included in US military rations because it was claimed to reduce stress and stave off hunger. The chewy snack is returning to its ‘do good’ origins then, as Mars’ 2024 ‘Chew Good’ campaign touts chewing gum as a moment of ‘me time’ to destress in a chaotic world, whilst challenger brands like Nuud and Milliways have sustainability at their core:
“Linking gum with wellness worked in the 1910s, but is it going to work now? Alex Hayes at the food consultancy Harris and Hayes is cautiously optimistic. “The global wellness market is estimated to be worth more than $1.5tn, so it’s no surprise that Mars wants a piece of the pie,” Hayes says. “We’ve seen the success of categories such as tea repositioning their products via functional claims and messaging – teas for good sleep, mental clarity, stress relief, etc. So it comes as no surprise that Mars is risking the same approach.”
However, Harris notes, customers are increasingly worried about processed foods and are eager to move away from artificial ingredients. The jury’s out on just how effective repositioning chewable plastic as a health supplement is going to be. Consumers might find the idea hard to swallow.”
Read the full article here.
Other recent interviews featuring Harris and Hayes as food and drink trend experts include CBS, Time Out and The British Baker. If you would like to request our expert opinion for mainstream news channels or ongoing insights work, please get in touch.
