Brand Health Check: Wrigley's Airwaves

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 £23.7m in
the 10 months since its debut - despite its £10m launch campaign
being dogged by racism claims.

Conversely, Airwaves shed more than £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.