Barriers to Chewing - Qualitative Research 9 July 2005 A Summary Report Of Two Focus Groups in UK For The Wrigley Company Limited

Barriers to Chewing - Qualitative Research

9 July 2005

A Summary Report Of Two Focus Groups in UK

For The Wrigley Company Limited

Barriers to Chewing Research UK 2

Overview of Contents Situation and Methodology 3 Key Learnings and Implications 5 Detailed Findings 9

Main Barriers to Chewing 10 Old Wives Tales 16 Dispelling the Myths 17 Reasons for Chewing Gum 18 When to Chew or not to Chew 23 What Kinds of People are Associated With Chewing 25 Reactions to the Four Benefit Platforms 26 New Ingredients 37 Need for Proof 38 Credible Spokespeople 39 Would the Benefits be Sufficient to Counter the Negatives 41 Disposal 42


Situation Wrigley is conducting research to feed into the

development of an international campaign to promote the benefits of chewing gum

Four key pillars to this campaign:Snacking without consequenceStress reliefCognitive benefits (alertness, concentration, memory) (UK and Ireland) Dental benefits (fresh breath, healthier

teeth) To date:

8 focus groups have been conducted with gum chewers in the US

4 in the UK3 in Ireland

To be followed by quantitative research In the UK, it was decided that there was a need to

supplement this research with some small scale qualitative research to investigate the perceived barriers to chewing among non-chewers and infrequent chewers of gum


Survey ObjectivesTo look in depth at the main perceived barriers

to chewing, including ‘old wives tales’, like:Gum makes your stomach rumbleGum makes you hungryGum stays in your stomach for a long time if you

swallow itGum causes cancerGum sticks your stomach together

The importance/strength of these barriersThe relative importance of some of the

potential benefits to chewing (the proposed platforms for BoC campaign) compared with the barriers to chewing

Ultimately whether the benefits would have an impact on propensity to chew gum among non-chewers and infrequent chewers


Methodology Two focus group discussions

in Harrow, North LondonOne focus group with 18

– 24 year oldsOne focus group with 24

– 34 year olds 10 participants in each All non-chewers (defined as

those who chew gum less than once every 6 months) and infrequent chewers (chew more than once every 6 months but less than once a week)

Profile of each focus group is shown opposite

18 - 24

25 - 34

Gender

Male 4 5

Female 6 5

Type of Chewer

Non-chewer 5 5

Infrequent chewer 5 5

Student 2 0

Smoker 4 2


Methodology (Cont) As in the Benefits of Chewing research, each of the four

benefit platforms was presented in the form of an article Unlike the Benefits of Chewing research, just one article

was shown for each platform, in this order:Focus group 1 (18-24 year olds):

Cognitive – ‘Times Education Supplement – The Link Between Gum and Learning’

Snacking Without Consequence – ‘Health & Fitness Magazine – Fighting Snack Attacks’

Stress – ‘Practical Parenting – Chew on This to get Through the day’

Dental – ‘Bella – Gum is Good for you’Focus Group 2 (25-34 year olds):

Stress – ‘Red Magazine – Stress Relief Tips to Relieve Tension’

Snacking Without Consquences – ‘Slimming Magazine – Diet Motivation Tips’

Cognitive – ‘Here’s Health Magazine – Beat the Brain Drain’Dental – ‘Bella – Gum is Good for you’


Methodology (Cont) Caveat: Focus groups offer great depth and

breadth of information regarding respondent feelings about topics. They help define WHAT consumers think and WHY they feel as they do. But focus groups are qualitative in nature. The results of such research are not projectable to larger populations.


Key Learnings and Implications The key barriers to chewing among non-chewers and infrequent

chewers are perceptions that chewing gum: makes you hungry - often based on personal experience is in some way unhealthy for you - connected to swallowing it,

promotion of stomach acids, chemicals in the gum is unprofessional, antisocial and/or something that one simply ‘grows

out of’ is difficult to dispose of and/or not as good as actually eating something

In the majority of cases, one or more of these barriers is so important that they would need to be removed, or at least reduced, before any of the proposed benefits (were they to be supported by credible, independent evidence) would change behaviour

Particularly intractable, is the perception that ‘gum makes you hungry’ because it is often based on personal experience - which makes the benefit platform relating to ‘snacking without consequence’ the least attractive of the four benefit platforms tested.


Key Learnings and Implications - Cont The most attractive of the four benefit platforms tested was the

‘dental’ platform - because it is something most already buy into - indeed breath freshening was the main reason they cited for chewing gum.

The stress and cognitive benefits were generally not seen as quite so obvious and for many would need to be backed up by strong proof before they believed them. Even then, they would only have an effect on behaviour if this benefit was deemed important enough to the individual (in some cases it was, but in others it was not) and/or if they did not feel that there was a more effective solution. As many said, chewing gum was just one of many solutions and you choose which works best for you

That said, a small number of participants might be swayed to begin/increase their gum chewing on the basis of one or more of the four benefit platforms, given convincing evidence and, importantly, if some of their concerns were also addressed too - particularly if this advice was issued by the medical profession.


Detailed Findings


Main Barriers to Chewing These are summarised in the chart overleaf. The key barriers fall into the following main categories:

A perception that eating gum makes you hungry (or even, in some cases, thirsty) – usually based on personal experience

‘5 minutes of fresh breath and then you’re hungry again’18-24 year old‘I hate it. It makes me feel really hungry’25-34 year old

That it is in some way unhealthy for you – connected to swallowing it, promotion of stomach acids, chemicals in the gum

‘I worried about it for days after I swallowed it…..my mum used to say when I was younger, don’t swallow it’

18-24 year old‘It lasts for 7 years or something (in your stomach)…It’s what we

were always told’25-34 year old


INSERT CHART HERE


Main Barriers to Chewing - ContThat it is not the ‘done’ thing:

unprofessional - at work, particularly in a customer facing role

Antisocial - particularly if you chew with your mouth openSomething you grow out of - chewing gum is something that

is often, though not exclusively, associated with kids and teenagers

‘It’s unsociable – people chew disgustingly’18-24 year old‘Ladies do not chew chewing gum’18-24 year old‘Gives you silly jaw (ie look stupid)’25-34 year old

That it is difficult to dispose of - more on this later‘If you’re on a train or something, what do you do with it?’18-24 year old‘(In a meeting) If you’ve got a mint at least you can eat it.

If you have chewing gum you don’t feel like asking someone if you can throw it in the bin’

18-24 year old


Main Barriers to Chewing - ContAnd/or that they would rather eat something (‘real

food’), like:chocolate or crispsfruit - the healthy option and one that participants felt

nutritionists would be likely to advocate rather than gumMints - for the fresh breath and convenience that gum also

provides, without the disposal issue‘I think a nutritionist would be more likely to say eat raw

vegetables or whatever’18-24 year old‘If I’m hungry I would rather eat’25-34 year old


INSERT VIDEO CLIP A HERE


‘Old Wives Tales’Thus, a number of ‘old wives tales’ are definitely

alive and kicking, in particular:Gum makes you hungry - by sending a message to your

stomach that food is on the way. Related to this, there was also some mention of it making

your stomach rumbleGum stays in your stomach for a long time if you swallow

it - seven years was a figure mentioned in both groups. There was no mention of gum ‘sticking your stomach

together’ thoughWhile none mentioned the myth that ‘gum causes

cancer’, some were concerned about the chemicals in gum and the impact that these chemicals might have on health

Similarly, some also worried that gum increased the acids in your stomach, leading to stomach aches and (in the view of one respondent) might lead to ulcers


Dispelling the Myths While communications (supported by reliable

independent research – see later) could potentially correct some of the misconceptions regarding the healthiness of chewing gum (eg with regard to swallowing it, or its effect on the stomach/ulcers etc), the image of chewing gum as promoting hunger is more intractable as it is often based on personal experience

‘I quite like chewing gum but the only reason I don’t is because it makes me hungry’

25-34 year old‘My experience is that it makes me more hungry’18-24 year old


Reasons for Chewing Gum These are summarised in the chart overleaf.

By far the main perceived reason for chewing was to freshen breath:

after smokingafter drinkingafter a ‘good night out’before going out for the night/socialising

‘If I’ve been drinking it’s nice as it clears your mouth’25-34 year old‘It hides cigarette breath’25-34 year old

Linked to this, some of the younger participants also chew to give them confidence when going out – linked to having fresher breath

‘Confidence – it’s like when you stand with a drink in your hand you feel better’

18-24 year old‘I associate it with a good night out’18-24 year old


INSERT CHART HERE


Reasons for Chewing Gum - Cont The message that gum can help clean teeth also seems to

have got through to people, mainly through advertising they have seen, but also in a small number of cases, via their dentist

‘It creates saliva and it cleans your teeth’25-34 year old

‘Chewing gum – they now say it’s good for your teeth in the adverts’18-24 year old‘It must be quite healthy – my dentist says to chew gum instead of

sweets…I’d rather they (the participant’s children) chew gum than eat sweets all the time’

25-34 year old For others it is simply ‘something to do’, a habit - for instance,

when they are in the car, to relieve the boredom and/or keep them more alert when they are feeling tired

‘It’s something comforting to do…it’s a habit….the same way as making a cup of tea’

18-24 year old‘I do it occasionally – when I am tired when I am driving’25-34 year old


Reasons for Chewing Gum - Cont Despite this, chewing gum is not generally associated with

making you more alert It is also acknowledged that chewing gum can take your

mind off things Another attraction of gum is its cheapness - one of the

reasons it is felt to be popular with teenagers (though being ‘cool’ is felt to be the main reason for its use by teenagers)

It is also seen as handy to carry around with you – in your pocket or handbag. However, mints also have this benefit and do not have problems in terms of disposal, so are often chosen in preference to gum (for breath freshening)

Though some mention that a potential use is to stave off hunger, this is not something that participants use it for; quite the opposite, as mentioned earlier, they find it makes them hungry

Similarly, there were one or two mentions of gum helping to digest food – but this was not something participants themselves use it for


Reasons for Chewing Gum - Cont Using gum to relieve stress/relax again got one or two

mentions, but was not a use that participants themselves had experience of, or necessarily bought into – more on this later

‘My husband tells me it relaxes him when he is stressed at work. I can’t see it myself’

25-34 year old


When to Chew or Not to Chew Chewing gum was generally perceived to be

inappropriate in the following situations:at work; indeed in a couple of cases chewing gum

was positively banned in the work placethis was felt to apply particularly, though not

exclusively, to those in customer facing rolesit was absolutely not something you would do at a

job interview or important meeting‘It’s alright if you are socialising but it’s not very

professional is it?18-24 year old‘You’d be mad to chew gum for an interview. Only a

lunatic off the street would do that’18-24 year old

In a formal social situation, like a wedding


When to Chew or Not to Chew - Cont On a first date

‘I wouldn’t think twice about chewing in front of my boyfriend now, but the first time….’

18-24 year old

In other situations, the acceptability of chewing was felt to depend on how one chews – if discretely, then fine, if open-mouthed, lip-smacking, then it is not acceptable

‘Unless they were slapping it around their mouth…If they were just chewing gum, I probably wouldn’t notice it’

18-24 year old


What Kinds of People are Associated With Chewing If they associate chewing gum with a particular kind of person, this

person is almost invariably a teenager or school child (and more likely to be female) It was felt that chewing gum is something that you do as a teenager

(because it is seen as ‘cool’ by your peers) but also something that you grow out of

‘I imagine the girls from Essex’25-34 year old‘16 year old cocky girls standing there mouthing off’25-34 year old

Having said that, many of the participants argued that there was not necessarily one typical type of gum chewer and that anyone, potentially, could chew gum Though they would still be more likely to be younger than older Plus gum should not be given to young children in case they choke on it

However, the kind of gum they might chew may be different: Hubba Bubba for instance for children The more expensive brands, like Ice White Professional, for the

businessman


Reactions to the Four Benefit PlatformsDental Benefit Platform Given what we have already seen with regard to the reasons

why people chew gum, it is perhaps no surprise that the ‘Dental’ benefit platform was deemed to be both most credible as a benefit of chewing, and most important to participants generally - particularly with regard to freshening breath

This is because participants already bought into the idea of gum freshening their breath (and many also bought into the idea of gum promoting dental heath) before being shown the relevant article: many already use gum to freshen their breath, while the rest do

not question its breath freshening qualities (but may simply prefer mints for this task)

the advent of sugar free gum has also been accompanied by publicity surrounding the merits of chewing gum to generate saliva which attacks plaque

A couple in the older groups had actually been advised to use gum by their dentist


INSERT CHART HERE


Reactions to the Four Benefit PlatformsDental Benefit Platform- Cont To some, the dental health aspect of chewing gum was

something new, and would be something that could attract them to chewing

‘If it was proven to make your teeth whiter, then that would make me chew’

18-24 year old

Those who were anti-chewing on health grounds - chemicals, gum promoting dangerous acids in the stomach and/or staying in the stomach for years - would need to have these fears allayed before this, or any of the other benefits, could persuade them to chew

‘It’s like diet Coke is better than Coke but it’s still bad for your stomach’

25-34 year old


INSERT VIDEO CLIP B, IV HERE


Reactions to the Four Benefit PlatformsCognitive and Stress Benefit Platforms These two benefit platforms were similarly rated in both focus

groups - though the older participants tended to be a little more sceptical than the younger group about both aspects.

Opinions about both platforms also varied a lot more than was true of the dental benefit platform. Some just could not see that chewing gum could help in stressful

situations (indeed one participant believed the effect would be just the opposite)

Similarly, some could not see the link between chewing gum and improved concentration

Others would not do it even if it were true, because of other concerns

‘I’d much rather do all six of them than the chewing gum one because it makes me hungry’

25-34 year old‘I would chew during an exam and then my concerns (re health) about

gum would stop me chewing outside of that’18-24 year old


Reactions to the Four Benefit PlatformsCognitive and Stress Benefit Platforms - Cont

Those who could see these benefits might be true tended to be people who chewed gum for these reasons already or found the argument convincing - in particular, the rhythmic motion struck a chord here

‘It keeps you alert, I’m sure it does’25-34 year old‘If you’re stressed at work – I can see it in that way’25-34 year old

‘I could imagine that where it says it makes you more relaxed’18-24 year old

Others were open to the idea that chewing gum might relieve stress or aid concentration for others, as it could be one of many ‘tools’ that could help in this way, but it would not work for them. It was simply a matter of what works for some people does not necessarily work for everyone.

‘Different things calm people, it depends on the person’18-24 year old


Reactions to the Four Benefit PlatformsCognitive and Stress Benefit Platforms - Cont Proof, though, could convince others, if it were deemed an

important benefit to them personally:‘I’m the biggest critic and I would say yes, if it would improve my

concentration (as this was so important to him in his job)25-34 year old


INSERT VIDEO CLIPS B I AND III HERE


Reactions to the Four Benefit PlatformsSnacking Without Consequence Benefit Platforms This was the least well received of the four benefit platforms,

because people’s personal experience tells them that gum makes them hungry

‘You’re putting it into your mouth and teasing your stomach’25-34 year old‘I think it would cause you to over-eat’25-34 year old

Though some of those who commented that gum made them hungry could see that chewing gum could take your mind off your hunger for a short period of time (and we are talking a very short period of time), it would take a lot to convince them to chew gum for this reason

‘If it only works for a short period of time, why not eat earlier?25-34 year old

A potential hole in the argument, too, is that participants could not see a nutritionist advocating gum in this situation - surely they are more likely to advocate fresh fruit or raw vegetables like carrots?


Reactions to the Four Benefit PlatformsSnacking Without Consequence Benefit Platforms Others could see that gum might have the edge in some

situations over something like fresh fruit because it is more convenient to carry around with you - but even they were not swayed enough by the argument to consider chewing gum for this purpose

The importance attached to this benefit also varied, according to whether managing your weight was deemed to be high on participants’ agendas. It was a little greater in the older group than the younger group.

‘If they invented a chewing gum that suppressed your appetite then I would use it’

25-34 year old‘I can see why people might chew gum to ward off hunger….it’s

not a reason for me, but it might be for someone else’18-24 year old


INSERT VIDEO CLIP B 11 HERE


New Ingredients In general, saying that new ingredients have been added

to the gum to promote the above benefits was not something that appealed to participants - indeed it could have the opposite effect and make them more concerned about the harmful chemicals/additives in the gum

‘That would just make you think they’re putting stuff into chewing gum (and therefore worry)’

18-24 year old

Adding things like vitamins to the gum might have more appeal


Need for Proof There is clearly a need for any statement about the

potential benefits of chewing gum to be supported by robust, independent research

Without this, many would not find them credible At the very least, the argument would need a credible

spokeperson Put forward by Wrigley on its own, it would not hold water

‘Not a company like Colgate…..’18-24 year old‘I wouldn’t believe that (if it came from the company). They are

trying to sell their product’25-34 year old

Nor would something like the ‘Wrigley Research Institute’ help - this would simply be seen as Wrigley and therefore not independent

‘(Wrigley Dental Institute) You just made that up!’25-34 year old


Credible Spokespeople Credible spokespeople would be:

doctors‘It’s more credible if a well-renowned doctor had said it’25-34 year old

dentists‘It’s credible (the dental health message) that someone

professional is saying it (a dentist)’25-34 year old

medical associations people in relevant roles in the NHS NOT the government though, whose credibility has been

severely shaken over the past few years.‘No way, I wouldn’t believe anything they say (the Government)’25-34 year old


INSERT VIDEO CLIP D HERE


Would The Benefit Platforms Be Sufficient to Counter the Negatives? In a small minority of cases, yes (as long as sufficient proof

was given to convince them) because the benefit was important enough to them personally

However, in most cases, the benefit could only promote gum chewing if some of the potential barriers are removed.

For others, the potential benefit was just not deemed to be important enough, or chewing gum’s role unique enough, for them to change their behaviour


Disposal As we have seen, the problem of disposal is a key barrier

to chewing for some. In the main, this simply relates to the problem they personally

might face in disposing of their gum and the inconvenience this causes

However, seeing gum sticking to pavements and the soles of shoes reinforces some of those myths about its danger to health - if it sticks to the soles of my shoes, or if it stays on pavements so long, what is it going to do in my stomach if I swallow it? Some people have real fears about this.

‘It sticks to your hands so it will stick to the back of your throat’18-24 year old

Disposal has another important element, though, and that is with regard to litter. Though this is not something that directly impacts on people’s decision to chew or not to chew, it is an important irritation.


Disposal - Cont However, it is most likely to be blamed on the individuals

who dispose of their gum in this way than on the gum manufacturers themselves In this respect, the idea of a fine for spitting gum out onto the

pavement is more likely to be supported that the idea of a tax which everyone pays, regardless of whether they dispose of their gum responsibly or not

Most were aware of such fines existing - and equated them with similar fines for litter in general (gum being perceived as a form of litter)

A fine does, however, raise the questions of: will people be caught in the act? how will it be collected/enforced? will it be a sufficient deterrant?


Disposal - Cont Few had heard of the 1p tax being imposed in Liverpool. On

the whole people did not have a problem with it as the amount was seen as so small, even when they had issues with:

the justice of all gum chewers paying for the poor behaviour of a few

whether the money really would be used to clean up the gum (none questioned whether it would be sufficient to do so)

‘Road tax doesn’t go on the roads’25-34 year old‘1p tax on chewing gum – I’m going to put it on the floor’25-34 year old‘I couldn’t give a monkeys about 1p per packet. Even if

I bought 25 packs it would still just be 25p’18-24 year old


INSERT VIDEO CLIP C HERE

Documents

Barriers to Chewing - Qualitative Research 9 July 2005 A Summary Report Of Two Focus Groups in UK For The Wrigley Company Limited