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As Hershey unveils its biggest innovation to its Ice Breakers gum brand in five years, its CEO isn't shy about the company's prospects for the new product: “We expect it to be pretty big.”
Products called Flavor Shifters change flavor as the consumer chews. From wildberry to cool mint or from wintergreen to cool mint.
In a category that has relied heavily on new flavors and packaging as a primary source of innovation to attract consumers, the Flavor Shifter launched this month tries something new.
“We’re targeting people who are bored with chewing gum and snacking. How do we give them energy? How do we give them excitement?” Dan Monshine, Hershey’s vice president of U.S. snack, grocery and protein snack marketing, said in an interview.
Hershey described the taste Shifter “big” Bet on the Ice Breakers brand, which has been growing 9% annually since 2020.. Mohnshine said the innovation “pushes the boundaries” of gum beyond what’s known as a single-taste experience.
“We're targeting people who are bored with their gum and snack routine. How can we give them energy? How can we give them excitement?”
Dan Monshine
Vice President of Marketing, Hershey's U.S. Confectionery, Grocery and Protein Snacks
Gum sales have been in a slump during the pandemic, as homebound consumers no longer need to freshen their breath when they're at work, on dates, or with friends and family.
Sales fell 22% in 2020, to $2.5 billion, according to data analytics firm Circana. In-store impulse buying has also declined due to lockdowns, which account for half of gum sales, Rankin Carroll, Mars Wrigley’s chief brand officer, told the Wall Street Journal in June.
But as more people return to the office and resume socializing, gum has rebounded, surpassing its pre-COVID total, with sales up about 15% in 2022 and 2023 and up 7% to $3.4 billion for the 52 weeks ended June 16 this year. kyung The data has appeared.
Despite its rise, gum has been losing popularity for years since its peak a decade ago. According to Statista, 178 million Americans said they chewed gum in 2011. This year alone, 157 million more are expected to chew gum.
“Nobody is going to be interested in traditional gum,” said Tim Rodan, brand manager for Ford Gum, which makes a chewing gum called Big League Chew.
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Courtesy of Mars.com
Hello fruit stripes, hello caffeinated gum
The decline in demand for gum has caused several companies to stop selling gum altogether.
After years of struggling to grow brands like Bubblicious and Trident, Mondelēz International sold its U.S., Canadian and European businesses for $1.4 billion in October 2023 to focus on its thriving chocolate and biscuit businesses. Ferrara also quietly discontinued production of Fruit Stripe and Super Bubble gum in 2022.
“This is not a decision we make lightly, and we consider many factors before making this decision, including consumer preferences, buying patterns and overall brand trends,” Ferrara spokesman Brian Kamen said at the time.
For companies that survived, like Mars Wrigley, there was an opportunity.
Mars Wrigley, the world's leading gum manufacturer, owns more than a dozen brands, including Hubba Bubba, Extra, Big Red and Orbit.
Mike Gilroy, vice president of trade development and sponsorships for Mars Wrigley, said the New Jersey company recently launched Hubba Bubba gum, which incorporates the flavor of the popular hard-shell candy Skittles. With Skittles so popular among Gen Z consumers, Mars Wrigley capitalized on that notoriety by incorporating the original flavor into gum to give people a reason to try Hubba Bubba, some of whom may not have chewed it in years.
“As the clear leader in the gum market, it is important for us to not only innovate within the gum category to attract new users, but also to play a leadership role in the health of the category,” Gilroy said.
Dan McCarthy, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Maryland, said gum will need to embrace other value propositions, such as caffeine or improved teeth and gum health, to achieve meaningful growth.
Based in Florida Max Brand In 2021, the founder launched Performance Enhancement Gum because he was driving home one evening and wanted a boost of energy. Carrying a cup of coffee around wasn’t the most convenient, especially when you’re out and about. It also didn’t give you the freshest breath.
each piece Max The gum contains as much caffeine as 1 1/4 cups of coffee, and also contains 1 gram of sugar, which helps offset the gum's notorious bitter taste.
“One of the challenges is delivering a punch while also presenting it in a way that tastes good to the chewer, because no one wants to chew bitter gum and have bitter breath,” said Maria Cuesta, marketing director. what?.
McCarthy said adding properties like caffeine to gum is risky for big companies, which are reluctant to spend money on new products that might not catch on with consumers. Instead, the truly new innovations in gum will likely come from smaller startups.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a lot of innovation coming out of the outside world and then getting snatched up by the Wrigley’s of the world,” he added. The big gum makers will “selectively acquire brands that they see as gaining traction.”
In recent years, few gum brands have been as innovative as Simply.
Carsten Chien, the New York company’s vice president of sales and growth, said Simply avoids synthetic plastics, which are mostly used as a base for gum, in favor of tree sap (chicle). It also avoids artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners like aspartame, and uses organic raw sugar instead. Most gums have six or fewer ingredients.
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Christopher Dohring/Food Dive
Simply also stands out with its flavor palette, designed to attract new users to the category. While it offers flavors like mint, which are common in gum, it also offers more unique flavors, including grapefruit, maple, fennel and ginger. Ch'ien said these attributes have helped Simply generate high double-digit growth, making it the best-selling natural gum brand in the United States.
Still, Simply's success was not that easy. simultaneous.
Unlike most gums that use bright colors, Simply is a dull tan color. It also has a different shape, looking like a small piece of log. It took months to convince retailers and consumers that despite its strange color and shape, these attributes should not be a barrier to carrying or purchasing the product.
Today, the 10-year-old brand is sold in 13,000 stores including Walmart, Publix, Whole Foods and Target.
“We have proven that consumers are willing to be more open-minded about gum,” Ch’ien said.
Changes for Today's Consumer
Even old gum brands have realized that they need to be more open-minded to survive.
Big League Chew has a strong following among older consumers who grew up eating chewy bubble gum, but until recently it has struggled to find a place among the future core audience of children and teens, contributing to a period of stagnant sales.
In 2022, Ford Gum, the maker, distributor, and marketer of Big League Chew, realized that the brand wasn’t resonating with its target consumer. It overhauled its beloved childhood product to make it more appealing to today’s shoppers while retaining the nostalgic connection to parents and grandparents.
“Our priority is to revive the (34-year-old) brand,” Lawdan said. “It has a pretty good reputation, people know about it, but what we’re very focused on is making sure that a new generation of kids grow up with it, just like their parents did.”
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Licensed by Ford Gum.
To do this, Ford partnered with elite college athletes, then 13- and 14-year-old baseball players. Ford expanded its social media presence, going beyond just highlighting the gum to show athletes having fun with the brand.
Big League Chew is transitioning from a product that can be enjoyed only during baseball season to one that can be enjoyed all year round, with limited-time products like Peppermint.
Ford also overhauled its popular packaging, which has remained unchanged for nearly two decades. The pouches now feature new caricatures of players that the company says better reflect today's consumers.
The change has worked. Sales are growing by double digits year over year, and Big League Chew has added distribution in stores including: Lowe's and Food Lion. Executives said there is more growth opportunity in convenience stores, and the brand has yet to make inroads into big-box chains like Walmart and Target.
“The goal is to create something that kids want to chew on, not just something new, but something that creates that FOMO factor where they’re like, ‘Oh no, I’m not going to a baseball game without Big League Chew in my bag,’” Lawdan said. “If you compare Big League Chew to other gum brands, it’s really unique.”
