Last year, Wrigley, which, traditionally, has enjoyed almost total dominance in the UK chewing gum market, found itself facing stiff competition after Cadbury launched its Trident brand.
Wrigley executives tried to play down the potential effect on their business, claiming that they welcomed the competition and hoped it would reinvigorate the gum market and increase consumer interest in the sector.
To a certain extent it has; Nielsen figures for the 12 months to October 2007 show that the sector has grown by 8.8% year on year. Undoubtedly, some of this is a result of the July introduction of the smoking ban in England and Wales, as smokers seek to stem their cravings. But while the overall news is positive, there are winners and losers. Trident falls into the former category, having reported value sales of 拢23.7m in the 10 months since its debut - despite its 拢10m launch campaign being dogged by racism claims.
Conversely, Airwaves shed more than 拢3m from its value in the 12 months to last October, equating to a drop of 9.2%.
The positioning for the brand, which launched in the UK in 1997, has been based on its claims that it helps people breathe more easily. This is reflected in its flavours, including Menthol and Eucalyptus, Cherry Menthol and the latest addition Black Mint. It has also pushed an 'extreme' positioning with links to the British Superbike Championship, and the Claygate Offshore Powerboat team.
While this positioning has returned healthy sales for Airwaves, its functional appeal appears to be on the wane as consumers are seduced by warmer messages of a love of chewing and the fruity flavours offered by Trident.
Wrigley's attempt to stretch Airwaves' positioning to energy, with Airwaves Active, a guarana gum, flopped, and the variant was axed last year, so the brand finds itself in a challenging place in terms of NPD.
At the end of last year, in an attempt to grow the brand, Wrigley revamped Airwaves' packaging and added a 'flavour bead' in the gum centre to provide long-lasting flavour. But will this be enough to return to growth?
We asked Warwick Cairns, head of strategy at Brandhouse, previously a strategic planner on the Wrigley account at Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, and Mel Cruikshank, the managing director of LIDA, which has worked for Nestle.
DIAGNOSIS 1 - WARWICK CAIRNS HEAD OF STRATEGY, BRANDHOUSE
As a product, Airwaves is the epitome of the strategy Wrigley has been following in recent years. From being confectionery, competing with Cola Spangles and Curly-Wurlys, gum has become a dental-hygiene aid for cleaner teeth and fresher breath, competing with the toothbrush. It even has Procter & Gamble-style problem-solution advertising.
Recent years have brought the launch of Orbit Professional with 'microgranules' and Extra Thin Ice (breath-freshening strips). But vapour-releasing, mentholated Airwaves, which tastes, and works, very much like cough-sweets, is about as functional as it gets.
Wrigley must be wondering about the wisdom of this strategy, with recent developments. Not only has Cadbury's Trident gained share with an old-school story of 'tasty and fun', and Thin Ice been delisted, but Airwaves' sales have fallen.
Airwaves is a functional product. It offers, according to Wrigley's website, 'the "kick" to breathe easy again'. But it needs to offer a reason to chew gum, rather than, say, use Vick's Sinex Nasal Spray.
REMEDY
- Rediscover and re-emphasise the reasons why chewing is enjoyable.
- Take a leaf out of Lucozade's book - move from a positioning of eliminating negatives to embracing positives.
- Look at the flavours and formats of Airwaves. If the key equity is a powerful, invigorating flavour, there are many more enjoyable ways of delivering it.
- Build emotional engagement with what is, at present, a very functional brand.
DIAGNOSIS 2 - MEL CRUIKSHANK MANAGING DIRECTOR, LIDA
Cringeworthy launch ads aside, Trident has shaken up this stagnating category and taken on the establishment; in the world of chewing gum, that establishment meant one brand: Wrigley. It was comfortable being number one and it may have become complacent; a challenge was long overdue.
Wrigley's last major innovation was the original launch of Airwaves, which managed to carve out a new role for chewing gum and tapped into a fresh audience. But, thanks in part to the big spenders at Trident and its emphasis on new product development and advertising, sales of Airwaves are beginning to slide.
Where Trident focuses on the pleasure of mastication itself, Airwaves has always been about a different reason to chew gum: making it easier to breathe, rather than freshening breath, creating a pleasant taste, helping you to give up smoking or even lose weight. More recently, it has attempted to adapt to the market, adopting fresh variants and longer-lasting flavours, but its core positioning remains its key differential.
REMEDY
- Re-emphasise Airwaves' space in this market; making it easier to breathe. Both NPD and promotions need to focus on this.
- Build deeper relationships with consumers, through mobile or lightweight eCRM, it could offer additional brand-supporting benefits and foster loyalty.
- Highlight the health benefits - no-sugar variants outsell sugared by six to one, and Airwaves is sugar-free. Consider tying with a celebrity or TV show to boost cut-through.