［No.33］　

　　　　　　　 I love Chewing Gum    9/16/2014    

 　Young men's aversion to chewing gum is increasing and in fact, the demand for gum as a whole is going down. The amount of retail sales has sunk below the previous year for nine consecutive years till 2013. Compared with the peak of 188,100 million yen in 2004, it has decreased to 2/3 that amount. Each confectionery has an increasing sense of crisis. They are tackling not only the sale of new products, but also activities to refamiliarize people with gum. However, unexpected results of an investigation came out that state that the cause of diminution is the smartphone (highly efficient mobile phone). To raise demand, companies need to devise a new unusual countermove different from any former strategy.

　“As for signboard goods, or staple goods, which can be called the starting point of the gum of our company, we put a lot of energy into development, and pursued the freshness and delicacy of mint.” Lotte, a major gum company which has 50% of market share at home, introduced a new green gum in late April " (estimated retail price before tax: 96 yen). In the campaign, sales were strengthened due to a reformed strategy for the first time in 57 years. In the new product, they emphasized the scent of the mint, and the main targets were men and women in their 30’s to 50's. Not only stick gum, but sugarless tablet gum was added. Sales in comparison with the old goods have doubled confirming that the strategy of "having gone back to delicacy" is good. Mondelez Japan Ltd., which holds on estimated 30% of market share in Japan with brand such as "Trident", "Recaldent" and “Clorets”, reformed their stride prices ( open prices ) completely. According to the Japan Chewing Gum Association, sales seem to have fallen 7.9% because for 13 years demand plunged as the younger age groups who buy fruit goods decreased in number. Mondelez Japan added "Gum tends to be consumed by people who chew it while working on weekdays, and the reduction in the labor force was echoed."

　On the other hand, according to the original investigation by Lotte, the unexpected result came out that the rapidly increasing use of smartphone led to the decrease in the purchase of gum. The amount of purchases of the person who was enjoying gum on the train decreased just because of concentrating on the smartphone, a game, mail, etc. At the time of commuting and attending school - typical scenes in which younger ages chew gum – the influence of a smartphon is not small.

　Anyway, Mondelez said that the aversion to gum is a problem which advanced nations are confronting against the background of diversification of taste.            (The Fuji Sankei Business Eyes, Sep. 5)

　I got to know gum by Wrigley after the war, and I’ve loved the taste of gum since then. They say it’s good for cerebral movement and also prevents bad breath, etc., so I love gum.