The article is reprinted from Whole Foods Online (ID: foodweek), written by Li Qinglin.
A few days ago, I ordered a takeaway, and the merchant gave a piece of bubble gum in a friendly way, and suddenly found that I hadn't eaten this thing for a long time.
I remember the last time I ate bubble gum was in junior high school, and then I rarely ate bubble gum again with chewing gum.
Maybe you will ask if there is a difference between bubble gum and chewing gum? Of course, in addition to the different processes, the main difference is in the different functions. In popular business terms, these are two products that cater to different segments.
Bubble gum was introduced, and mouth entertainment was born
When I was a child, in the commissary at the mouth of the village, bubble gum was always placed in the most prominent position, which was a hard currency with the same name as Mai Lisu and the originator of children's social currency.
Bubble gum, as the name suggests, is the sugar that blows bubbles, and through technical means, our mouths can also blow out large and round bubbles, that is, they can please themselves and show off.
Whoever blows the big bubble is the most beautiful boy in the village.
You see at that time, the brand knew how to grasp the needs of consumers.
In most people's minds, Bubble has only three brands: Big, Bibab and other brands.
So much so that today in the street snack shop, if you see these two brands of bubble gum, there will still be people who can't help but pay for a piece, but now they can only hide at home to find bubble memories, after all, if you want to blow bubbles on the street and brush your mobile phone, others think you are taking a small video.
In the marketing circle, the great and bibab can be described as god-like legends.
Almost all of our marketing methods today are played by them.
Cool packaging is the essence of the bubble gum brand, in that era, the snack itself is less, the bubble gum colorful packaging has become the object of many children's collection, and even some people buy a lot of pieces at a time to think of a variety of colors of packaging to come to one.
The small sticker in Bibabu's bubble gum planted a tattoo seed in the psychology of childhood children, so that the teenagers who came from that era had a heart that loved tattoos. And this wave of operations of Bibab can be said to have opened a precedent for blind box marketing.
Of course, the big bubble gum is not to be outdone, in the big volume after the upgrade iteration, loaded into the novel and interesting toys, although the price has risen, but the temptation has also increased exponentially, so that the big roll has become the leading brand of the bubble gum category, and in order to make the big bubble gum more durable, in 1999 the big bubble gum IP "big superman" was born, and the anthropomorphic brand image was more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Of course, in terms of IP creation, it is better than Baba, designing a variety of forms for the product, its funny and cute Bibab Elf, in addition to stickers, but also put into the bubble gum with the Bibab Elf as the protagonist of the series of comics, creating the earliest content marketing.
Of course, the essence of bubble gum is still blowing bubbles, which itself is a product with fission properties, whoever blows the bubbles at that time is the focus of everyone's attention, and the action of blowing bubbles also exercises the tongue of that generation, so that a group of young people with social are cultivated.
In the era of relative lack of spiritual and cultural life, bubble gum has undoubtedly ignited the flame of self-satisfaction in the hearts of consumers, and more importantly, this thing is not expensive, and it belongs to a new consumer brand that everyone can afford.
As teenagers grow up, bubble gum has also become synonymous with the good memories of childhood, and when children become adults, new needs must be met.
From pleasing oneself to pleasing him, the era of chewing gum has come
When the sticker boy can really get a tattoo, when the jade flower who collects small comics really likes the comics, bubble gum has quietly disappeared into the mainstream channels, or it has always existed, but we have changed.
When the Green Arrow commercial appeared in the TV prime file, we also ushered in a new era. In fact, Green Arrow can enter the Chinese market and bubble gum, but because of the lack of bubbles can blow bubbles is difficult to catch children, but when these children grow up, they can't resist the temptation of chewing gum.
Because it's so understanding.
If bubble gum is an emotional product that delights himself and obtains happiness by blowing bubbles, then chewing gum is an emotional product that delights him, and he obtains a closer sense of distance by fresh breathing, and the painting style is too aesthetic.
At this point, the gum was labeled with a hook-up artifact.
In 2013, Green Arrow (China) invited the idol of the time, Mayday, to endorse and launched the "Make a Friend" video advertisement. Just these five words made the green arrow blow a green whirlwind among the young students.
The green of that year represents pride.
This direct advertisement also allowed Green Arrow to reach sales of 5.5 billion yuan in 2013, accounting for 91% of the market share.
At this point, chewing gum has become a hook-up artifact, and the marketing method of taking the emotional route has also become a tried-and-true path for chewing gum brands.
In addition to the green arrow "fresh breath, you and I are closer", there is also Yida who opens the young people's hook-up skills, from "your Yida" to "to chew two grains together", which not only injects courage into the young people's conversation, but also accelerates the consumption speed of the product and shortens the repurchase cycle.
It's really understanding.
Later, when the young and ignorant teenagers entered the society to accept the beating of reality, Yida's advertising style also changed, and in 2018, Yida launched a series of advertising films, the main core wanted to express "laughing strong".
Whether you are being beaten by society, or have fear in your heart, or are suffering from social death, you can rely on one Yida to resolve it. Here Yida is no longer chewing gum, but a meta-universe that makes us strong inside.
This man's heart understands frighteningly.
And the appearance of Xuanmai is the highlight moment of chewing gum.
If the strip packaging of green arrow makes it easier for consumers to carry, then Xuanmai's portable box allows us to share more, reducing the weight of a single gram and increasing the amount of chewing gum, which is a new change in Xuanmai packaging, and chewy is stronger, the taste is more durable, and xuanmai will use the advertising slogan of "can't stop at all" to the extreme.
In terms of packaging style, Xuanmai is a fashion technology business style, neither the cuteness of bubble gum, nor the freshness of green arrows, nor the freshness of Yida, but mainly dark colors, rich in scientific and technological packaging design, coupled with the endorsement of traffic stars.
It feels like you don't care!
The purpose of Xuanmai is very simple, that is, to catch young people and help them better "dress".
This is where chewing gum is sold, it is simply selling the secret of off-order.
From Green Arrow to Yida to Xuanmai, not only the three brands are the condensation of our growth process, but it is undeniable that the role played by chewing gum is more adult, and chewing gum is more like a gift for adults than bubble gum full of innocence.
Chewing gum beaten by reality
Bubble gum has long been reduced to the treasure of the town of retro snack shops, and its fame is still there, but few people are interested. And chewing gum is even more miserable, not only being beaten by reality, but also beating miserably.
Although manufacturers have introduced more flavors, and even launched sugar-free, xylitol and other formulas, consumers just don't buy it. Except for smokers, drinkers, and hot-headed people eating, or after-dinner clearing scenes, few people chew gum while saying, "Make a friend." ”
And it is the progressive society that beats up the gum.
Social distancing is key to the decline of chewing gum.
Nowadays, through WeChat, we can chat thousands of miles away, coupled with beauty technology, even if you don't brush your teeth for half a month, the screen is still a beautiful girl with white teeth.
And meeting is also eating and brushing mobile phones, we no longer have the feeling of close communication, so that the chewing gum that pleases him has lost its meaning. After all, people are lazy now, preferring to lie flat and brush videos rather than chew gum.
When we lose our humanity, it's hard for brands to catch us.
Chewing gum did not lose to itself, but to the times.
Returning to self-satisfaction is the future of chewing gum
Today's young people just need to please themselves, so many new consumer brands have seized the opportunity. Yueji became another new era after the bubble gum era.
Although chewing gum cannot please consumers by blowing bubbles, it can innovate from new dimensions, such as adding functional, sleep-aiding chewing gum, and improving immunity chewing gum, such as chewing gum that cleans the mouth. Or start with fun, such as the launch of jumping gum or strange flavored chewing gum, through the taste stimulation to meet the consumer's sense of stimulation experience.
In fact, the essence of consumers eating chewing gum is not to eat gum, but to transfer the anxiety of reality and consume boring time through the movement of the mouth, but now the reality is not only anxious and terrible, time is not only boring and boring, because there are more and more products that consume our fragmented time.
It seems to be busy, but there is very little left behind.
In addition, the number of alternatives to chewing gum has gradually increased, in addition to mouthwash, tableting candy is also the reason for the decline of chewing gum. Also able to freshen the breath, tablet candy appears around young people in a friendlier posture, no longer worried about chewing and nowhere to spit out, with more flavors, and even many chewing gum brands have also launched clear candy.
Probably this is the reason why Xuanmai can no longer stop, Green Arrow can no longer make friends, and Yida and the two chew together are tasteless.
Article is reprinted from Whole Foods Online (ID:foodweek)
Author: Li Qinglin
What brand of gum are you eating now?