• Brandweek, Friday, July 2, 2010 11 AM

In the fight against bad breath*, Dentyne comes armed with Pure, which claims to neutralize bad breath. On Saturday, the brand will be sampling the product at Walmart.

The launch is part of the brand's strategy to tap into the chewing gum category's No. 1 need -- delivering on fresh breath -- while attempting to jump-start a mature and slow-growing category. Sales of sugarless gum grew 7% from 2007-09; last year, the category tallied $1 billion in U.S. sales across the food, drug and mass channels, excluding Walmart, per market research firm Mintel.

The target consumer is different from other Dentyne products. Ice, for instance, is all about the level of "intensity" consumers desire when chewing gum for fresh breath. Whereas that product is aimed at gum chewers requiring a burst of freshness in "high-risk" situations, such as when zoning in for one's first kiss, Dentyne Pure aims to provide an extra dose of "confidence" in a wide range of social situations.

Editor's note: This story has been amended since it was posted.

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