Mentos Leaves the Flavor Choice UP2U

In May, Mentos launched UP2U Gum – two different flavors of gum in a single pack, giving consumers the choice of which flavor to chew at any given time. And if two choices aren’t enough, UP2U has released four different assortments of the dual-flavor pack: Daylight Mint/Mintnight Mint, Sweet Mint/Bubble Fresh, Berry Watermelon/Fresh Mint, and Mandarin Strawberry/Spearmint. Whether it’s a sweet, fruity taste you’re after, or that minty, just-brushed feeling – UP2U lets you act on your impulses.

The concept of a 2-in-1 flavored candy product is not necessarily an original idea – both Nerds and Stride’s Shift Gum have offered their sweet-toothed consumers a variety-pack of flavors in the past. What gives UP2U Gum the innovation advantage is its emphasis on the role of the consumer – a decision-maker, stepping up to make his or her own choice.

Beyond securing television and print advertisements, the Martin Agency kick-started UP2U’s social media campaign with the placement of several billboards in Chicago, urging people to call (800) 304-UCHOOSE. Callers hear an automated voice that directs them through a series of survey questions. A series of simple questions (“What is your favorite color?”) progress to increasingly stranger decisions. Prompts like “Where do you think grandpa is hiding?” and “What would be a good name for a mongoose farm?” engage the caller in making some bizarre choices.

After all the questions have been answered, callers receive this response: “Thank you, friend, for your choices and the hard work you put into choosing all of them. After analyzing your responses, it appears that Mentos UP2U gum is the perfect gum for you. Please buy some and visit us at facebook.com/up2u.”

From there, UP2U keeps the ball rolling on their social media campaign with online promotional deals. For 10 days through June 22^nd, UP2U Facebook followers can log onto the product’s fan page, where every day at noon EST, the first 1,000 people to sign in receive a free pack of Mentos UP2U Gum.  This is the first layer of a large-scale social media sampling campaign/contest, which Mentos will gradually build on over the next couple of months.

Keeping in sync with the rising consumer trend of personalization and consumer participation, Mentos UP2U Gum serves up an interesting launch in the ever competitive gum category. It will be interesting to see if UP2U’s social push gives it the teeth to compete with chewing favorites like Trident, Orbit, Stride and Extra.

Have you tried this gum? Let us know which flavor you like best.

Two Gums, Two Innovations, One Winner?

In August 2009, Trident introduced a new gum experience with the launch of Trident Layers. Six months later in February 2010, AMP Energy introduced an alternative to the morning cup of coffee, Amp Gum. Despite sharing a product category, the two gum brands differed in both their creations and marketing strategies. The new Trident Layers consists of three layers that form a gum sandwich. According to the Executive Vice President of Cadbury America, Lesya Lysyi, the new Trident Layers “…breaks the mold of current category paradigms of form and flavor.” On the other end of the spectrum, AMP Energy introduced AMP Energy Gum; a citrus “on-the-go” gum that packs the energy equivalent of an 8-ounce energy drink into just two small pieces.

Amp and Trident implemented two different marketing strategies. Trident Layers spent their $10MM budget with JWT New York, and launched a humorous campaign in traditional media, including a TV ad where the babysitter agrees to be compensated with Trident Layers Gum. Trident Layers also accompanied the New York Yankees in their winning parade, layering fans’ faces with paint mimicking the new layers. Finally, Trident leveraged social media by taking an ad in USA Today that displayed their positive reviews from consumers on Twitter.

Amp Energy Gum, on the other hand, maintained its marketing focus on high energy sports. Amp sponsored both snowboarding and NASCAR events and endorsed Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR driver. The Amp Web site is filled with behind the scenes video footage showing both consumers and athletes racing cars, snowboarding and having a good time. They also created several online communities like AmpUpthe88.com and AmpEnergyNation.com, where bands, students and sports fans interact. Amp’s advertising included radio, digital and gas station ads, as well as extensive grassroots and event sampling.

With timelines and marketing campaigns so divergent, it’s questionable whether Trident and AMP are even competing for the same consumers. While one is investing in broad marketing to a wide consumer base, the other is aligning with NASCAR fans and snowboarding enthusiasts. It’s certain that in today’s micro-niche-marketing environment, both can sustain sales with different customer segments, but it will be interesting to see if the novel idea of an ‘energy’ gum garners attention from a broader group than originally targeted (so far we’ve only seen Jolt gum and some lesser known brands marketing a product like this). A caffeine/energy boost at a moment’s notice certainly is an attractive sell. One thing goes without saying: if Amp succeeds beyond expectations, copycats are sure to follow.