Sweet strategy: A bigger slice of a bigger pie
As a gum category leader controlling 60% of the market, Wrigley had to carefully balance brand growth without cannibalizing its own portfolio.
Juicy Fruit was launching its first-ever product innovation, and the initial plan was to target tweens. This would cannibalize the lower-margin classic Juicy Fruit product (deemed acceptable), but avoid infringing on Winterfresh, Wrigley’s primary teen gum brand.
Our solution
Through a need-state analysis and consumer segmentation study, I immersed myself in the buying behaviors of teens and tweens across Wrigley’s portfolio. The research revealed:
Juicy Fruit was purchased solely for its sweetness, while Winterfresh was valued for breath-freshening—meaning they weren’t competing products.
Teens, not just tweens, represented a much larger opportunity—without the risk of excessive self-cannibalization.
A bolder, more provocative brand positioning could bring new relevance to Juicy Fruit and increase trial among all heavy gum chewers.
We convinced Wrigley to shift the product launch target from tweens to teens, avoiding cannibalization of the existing Juicy Fruit product and expanding the total addressable market.
The result
Juicy Fruit had the largest one-year sales increase in Wrigley history – from -8% in 2003 to +52% in 2004, aided by minimal competition between the new and classic Juicy Fruit product
The launch grew the gum category overall, taking share from non-gum competitors like Starburst and Skittles.
Winterfresh sales remained unaffected, proving the strategy successfully minimized internal competition.
The advertising campaign won multiple industry awards, re-establishing Juicy Fruit as a relevant teen brand.
When managing a large brand portfolio, growth strategies must be backed by real consumer insights—not just assumptions. By rethinking the customer journey and repositioning Juicy Fruit, I helped turn a risky launch into a category-expanding success.