Focus Group Report
Executive Summary

On The 25th of October 2005, the MPSJ Company conducted a focus group session in the Eugene Fairbanks building on the campus of Butler University. The purpose of this study was to determine the attributes and benefits consumers prefer concerning chewing gum. The group was moderated by Ciara Jones, Ashley Martin, Andrea Parrott and Nick Schellinger. There were 11 participants, nine females, two males, whose ages ranged from 18 to 22. Each participant completed a pre-survey, which can be found in Appendix A, on page [skldfjs] of this report.

The room was arranged according to the seating graphic in Appendix E, found on [page#]. Each participant was given a nametag and instructed on the basic purposes and rules of conduct of the focus group. The participants then introduced themselves and shared their funniest or most recent experience with gum in order to become more comfortable with their counterparts. They were then asked a series of questions by the moderators, and discussed four main topics concerning gum.

The first main topic concerned the taste of the gums. Six types of gum were sampled, from various brands and flavors. They were asked questions regarding shape of gum pieces, flavor, texture, and their purpose for chewing gum. Participants concluded that they preferred a soft, smooth textured stick of gum, with a moderately minty taste, such as spearmint. Graphics of the various types of gum used have been included in Appendix D, on page [osadfaj] of this report.

The second main topic concerned the package of the gum. Three types of packages were studied in this section, the traditional “5-stick” package, the “blister” package and the “envelope” package. Graphics of the three types of package used in this test are included in Appendix D, on page [] of this report. It was concluded by the participants that they preferred a package that was simple, discrete, portable and bore a color reflecting the flavor of gum inside.

The third main topic concerned the ways in which the price of a package of gum affected consumers’ purchase decisions. Participants were asked several questions regarding the number of pieces per package, price in respect to the quality of gum and reasons for buying gum. It was concluded that although the preferred price for a package of gum varied due to value and quantity of the gum, they would not buy a pack with a price higher than two dollars.

Finally, the fourth main topic for discussion concerned the effectiveness of gum advertising on the consumer. Participants were shown several gum commercial and asked several questions concerning their thoughts and opinions. Asdkfjaklsdfjfjlaskjdfkasjdkflj

Based upon the findings of our research group, it is recommended that…. More suggestions can be found in the Recommendations section on page [ddd] of this report.


Background and Opportunity

The MPSJ Company was hired by Wrigley’s, the makers of Extra chewing gum to conduct research concerning which attributes in gum consumers find most attractive. With many different flavors and packaging styles available, Wrigley’s desired to know how to better its product by meeting its consumers wants and needs. By focusing on breath freshening gum, MPSJ Company looked at what qualities make gum appealing to buyers.

When looking at 11 students aged 19-22, MPSJ Company found that all of the students used gum as a means of freshening breath and many also used gum chewing as a leisure activity. MPSJ Company conducted a focus group comprised of the 11 students to see which qualities of gum and its package played a part in their buying patterns. In the focus group four topics were used to determine the students’ ideal gum. The topics were taste, packaging, pricing and advertising.

Prior to the focus group, the moderators hypothesized that the students would enjoy a gum that provided fresh breath for an extended period of time, packaging that was convenient and hassle-free, a low cost and that advertising played a role in the type of gum they purchased.

Through the focus group, the MPSJ Company found that the target audience provided much quality information about how young adults use breath freshening gum. It helped moderators to gather information about which qualities in gum taste, packaging, pricing and advertising could be combined together to create an ideal gum for consumers.


Method


Conclusions: Taste

Participants were asked about their opinions regarding gum’s taste and texture. The taste trials revealed that consumers prefer a larger, softer piece of gum that provides fresh breath and is not overwhelmingly minty.

Consumers have expectations on a gum’s texture and ability to freshen breath, in general and for certain products/flavors. The taste trials sparked many thoughts on gum, however the topics of flavor and texture were the most repeated and had the most emphasis placed on them.

When it came to reasons for chewing gum, an overwhelming number of participants said they chewed gum to freshen their breath. When asked why they chew gum one participant stated, “For breath freshening because I eat lunch and then have to go to class and I can’t brush my teeth so I chew gum.”

For shape of gum in general consumers seek a stick of gum as the most ideal form. Trial C led one participant to say “ I feel like the size, I feel like I am getting jipped (small piece), like the other ones(sticks) look bigger and I’m like Yeah, I got a nice stick of gum!”

For the texture of gum in general, consumers prefer a softer, smooth stick of gum. After trying a coated piece of gum one participant said “ I don’t really like how the coating on it is really hard. I prefer a softer gum.” Another stated, “the shell was in my teeth, it was kind of gross, and I felt like I was chewing really loud like a cow.” Consumers strongly prefer sticks of gum to tablet forms and agreed that the stick forms had the best textures. Participants also stated they prefer their gum to remain smooth while chewing. Trial B was said to be “really thick. It was just too hard to chew.”

For flavors of gum consumers prefer mint over bubble gum. The amount of mint flavor is very important to consumers. When the amount of mint is very strong as it was in Trial E, comments such as, “ I don’t like this gum, it is too minty” and “it’s too intense for me, I don’t like it” were stated by participants.

Several participants stated that spearmint gum was their ideal gum with a flavor that is “the perfect amount of like being sweet and minty.” Consumers do not like gum the is overly sweet and sugary. Consumers believe that cinnamon and spearmint flavored gum is ideal when it comes to breath freshening.


Conclusions: Packaging

Participants were asked about their preferences regarding packaging design and durability. It was determined that the ideal gum package is simple, discreet, easily portable, and bears a color reflecting the flavor of its contents.

According to the participants, an ideal gum package is simple. For example, one participant commented, “I don’t like this kind (Sample A) because it not only has this silver wrapping, but a paper wrapping, so that is extra trash.”

Participants preferred packages with one hard outer covering containing individually wrapped sticks of gum. The consensus was that extra wrappings around the sticks provided unnecessary waste, “I don’t like carrying around a wrapper after I eat. I feel like I have trash in my pocket.

These extra wrappers also caused the gum package to be awkward and spill easily, “With this one (Sample A), when you try to pull [a piece of gum] out, the whole thing will come out so then you just lose the outer protective thing. Then you have just a lot of loose gum around.”

However, having the single wrapper encasing the gum was important. The participants did not like gum in the “blister” style packaging (Sample B), “It feels like I am taking a pill, and it’s not what I would think of as gum packaging.”

According to the participants, an ideal gum package also needs to be discreet. Sample B, in the “blister” packaging was determined to be too noisy, “If you are taking a test and it is quiet, this is going to be the loudest gum [wrapper].”

According to the participants, an ideal gum package needs to be easily portable. There were two schools of thought on what being “easily portable” meant to the participants. These varied by their means of carrying the gum, and their subsequent built-in storage devices.

Those who mostly carried gum in their pockets preferred Sample A’s “5-stick” style of packaging. These participants were primarily male. They preferred this style because “I don’t carry my purse all the time. You can just slide it in your pocket and just carry it wherever you need to go.”

These participants’ feelings can be summed up in the quote, “My jeans have a little pocket and that is fine with me.”

Those who primarily carried gum in their backpacks or purses preferred Sample C’s “envelope” style of packaging. These participants were primarily female. They preferred this style because of its efficiency in keeping the gum encased in the outer wrapper.

A common assertion was that “With the sticks of gum all of them will fall out of the package so then I’ll just have a bunch of loose pieces of gum just floating around in my backpack. And then it sticks to my binder because sometimes they open and smash. I don’t like that.”

This group of people also liked the slim design of the “envelope” package because of its compatibility with compartments already built into their purses or backpacks, “I like the [envelope] packages because you can put them in things, like I could put them in my wallet if I wanted to take it somewhere. You can’t take the huge pack of Wrigley’s or whatever it is and put it anywhere. It’s kind of bulky.”

According to participants, the color of an ideal gum package should match the flavor of gum wrapped inside. They associate each different flavor with a unique color. For example, one participant said, “The color of the package should match the flavor. Like if I am buying spearmint gum then I like my package to be green. If I buy bubble gum, I’d like my package to be pink.” Another participant emphasized this point, saying “Sometimes I may not even read what it says on the package, I just look at the color and am like ‘Oh, I’m sure that is cinnamon.’”

The ideal gum package would be simple, discreet, easily portable, and bears a color reflecting the flavor of its contents. Producers of gum should consider making a small, slim package, able to fit in the pocket of a pair of jeans, while still featuring the “envelope” design’s signature flap. This would allow consumers to place gum in their pockets without worrying about damage. Producers should also consider making several different colors of package, so that they could coordinate with many flavors of gum.


Conclusions: Price

During this part of the focus group, participants were asked to evaluate how the price of gum affects a purchase. Members of the target market connect the value and quantity of gum and its packaging to its price when purchasing gum, but think that a package of gum should not cost more than $2 because it is normally an extra purchase when buying other items.

When looking at how much gum should cost, members of the focus group showed that the quality of gum and its packaging reflects its cost. “Orbit is the most expensive gum I have ever bought. I like the flavor better and I like the packaging better,” one member said. When talking about gums like Double Bubble that are handed out at parades, the members looked at the quality of this gum when determining what they would pay for it. “It’s gross so I wouldn’t pay more than 25 cents,” a member said of Double Bubble. Another member added, “It doesn’t keep its flavor very long.” With regards to packing, the group also decided that nicer packaging is a legitimate reason for a higher price. One member said, “Like the stick gum is in a cheap cardboard laminated package so it is going to cost more for them (Orbit/Eclipse) to put it in a box.” “To an extent I think quality and packaging affects the price of gum,” a different member added.

The group also discussed its reasoning for buying gum and how that can play a part in how much they spend. “I don’t think about how much money I spend on gum. I just grab it. Price doesn’t matter at all, unless I only have a dollar and I want to get gum. Then I get whatever is cheapest,” one group member said. The group participants said that they rarely go to the store just to buy gum. It is an extra buy that they pick up when buying other products. Because of this reason, price does not matter much to them. “Usually when I am going to buy gum, I am buying other things so an extra $2 or so isn’t going to matter.” The group also discussed how they will buy more expensive gum if it is convenient for them. “If you go to a CVS or even a gas station, gum is more expensive than if you bought it at Wal-Mart so I kind of feel like I am getting ripped off,” one participant said. Another member added, “If I’m at CVS I am not going to make a special trip somewhere else just to buy gum. Now if I am going to CVS and Wal-Mart I will wait to buy gum at Wal-Mart. But if I am just going to CVS, I am not going to be pleased, but I will still buy it.”
Even though the group said they would pay higher prices if it is convenient, they think no package of gum should be more than $2. Gum should be inexpensive. Bulk packages of gum can be more expensive, but should not cost much. One group participant said, “I feel like I spend $1.79 for the 10 pack in bulk. But for that I am getting 50 pieces of gum. But with these (15 stick pack) that is too much money.” Another group member agreed with bulk packages being more expensive, but should not cost too much. “I would not spend over $2 for something like this (15 stick pack) and more than $2.50 for the 10 pack. It’s not a necessity of life. I don’t live or die buy gum.” For a single package of gum, the group found that it should not cost more than $1. “It’s like $1.19. I always thought a package of gum should be under $1,” one member said.