Perfetti Van Melle, owner of two of the UK’s leading mint and gum brands Mentos and Smint, is on a mission to revitalise the refreshment category. Following sharp declines in sales across the board between from March, the confectionery giant has implemented several measures to ensure mints and gums remain top of shoppers’ agendas now that restrictions are lifting.
The decline of mint and gum sales is not just a Covid-19 issue, in the past five years the category has lost over £110 million in total, £70 million to gum and £41 million to mints]. But this has accelerated over the past months, with many of the traditional consumption occasions for mints and gum taken off the table due to lockdown restrictions. However, it’s important not to forget that many of the usual reasons for consuming mints and gum remain the same; both help concentration, regulate breathing, freshen the mouth and aid hydration. Committed to its mission, and with an array of new products to launch Perfetti Van Melle is not resting on its laurels.
Firstly, the confectioner has just introduced two new products; Mentos Xtra Strong Roll & MP and its delicious sugar-free PureFresh gum in a new single format, both designed to attract new shoppers. Mentos Xtra Strong is the first chewy mint in a strong peppermint flavour, and PureFresh, which is available in two traditional mint flavours as well as two fruity variants is a tasty and eye-catching new addition to the confectionery aisle. All perfect for refreshing your day.
Not only is Perfetti Van Melle shaking up its offerings, it is driving shoppers to re-consider the mint and gum category through two powerful new media campaigns. The first, Smint’s ‘Fresh behind the mask’ encourages young people to ensure their breath remains minty fresh behind face masks, whether they are travelling on public transport, visiting their local salon or just doing the weekly shop. The two-part campaign is estimated to reach millions over the coming months. The first wave saw Smint reach almost 5,000,000 via social media, and the creative will now roll out in-store too.
Meanwhile, Mentos, has just launched a new on-pack loyalty programme ‘Me & You’ where it will give away daily, monthly and grand prizes with Buyagift. Backed by a media campaign, the brand is encouraging people to share selfies of themselves enjoying the product via social media to win experiences for two including everything from spa days and aerobatic flying experiences.
To ensure retailers are primed to revitalise their own refreshment offering and capitalise on sales this summer, the Perfetti Van Melle team will be providing new, eye-catching POS including shelf wobblers, clip strip headers, parasite units, stickers and bus-stop signs. Contact general.uk@uk.pvmgrp.com if you are interested in receiving these materials.
Brand Manager for Mentos and Smint UK Sarah Elmer comments; “It’s understandable that Covid and lockdown have impacted the refreshment category and particularly mints and gum with many of the key usage moments not there. However, retailers shouldn’t lose hope as we’re passionate about injecting innovation into the category and investing in activity to drive rate of sale to ensure sales recover.”
“Along with restrictions lifting we’re busy creating new usage occasions for mints and gum such as working from home or out and about with face coverings. We’re really positive about the coming months and want our retail partners to know we’re devoting a lot of time and attention to mints and gum to ensure they see a turnaround in sales.”
Source: Perfetti Van Melle
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