Monday, October 15, 2007

WORLD’S FIRST AYURVEDIC CHEWING GUM




Have you ever thought of chewing gum as a healthcare product? In the above picture you can see a green tea chewing gum! The trend of FMHG products is really on worldwide and now in India too!

Perfetii has committed a marketing coup in India. They have launched HAPPYDENT WHITE SPARKLING SMILE as an APPROVED PROPRIETARY AYURVEDIC MEDICINE. This product contains per dragee, Neem satva 0.7 mg, Meetha (baking soda) 4.2 mg, Pudina satva 3.22 mg, Pudina tailam 0.392 mg, Nilgiri tailam 0.392 mg; sugar base qs, gum base qs; and is classified as a functional gum.

Ayurveda seems to be a most versatile medicinal and healing science. Or probably there are a lot of flexibilities (loopholes?) in the scientific and regulatory framework of Ayurveda that helps in presenting various products as Ayurvedic. There are probably no allopathic chewing gums. Happydent is an unique first-of-its kind Ayurvedic healthcare chewing gum. Protex Happydent from Perfetii contains aspartame (sugar free chewing gum) and this too is an Ayurvedic chewing gum.

Benefits of chewing gum

Chewing gum offers various benefits. For instance this webpage says that chewing gums containing xylitol like Protex Happydent (sugar free) offer certain benefits that have been approved by dental associations -

Xylitol For Dental Health
Sugar free chewing gums and sweeteners containing Xylitol have already received approval from dental associations. It enhances all prevention methods for preventing dental caries or cavities. And even has the ability to reverse existing cavities. Chewing gum and sucking mints which contain Xylitol puts the Xylitol directly into contact with the teeth. It is best to use it 3 to 5 times a day for maximum benefit with 4 to 12 grams per day being a very effective dosage. Replace ordinary chewing gum and breath mints with Xylitol products as well as mouthwash. Tooth decay is caused by a combination of bacteria and sugar. Acids and other substances that occur on cell walls cause bacteria to build in our mouths. Xylitol prevents acids from forming in the mouth and reduces the growth of bacteria by as much as 90%. It also decreases the formation of plaque. Effects are not only long-lasting, but could possibly be permanent. Another great thing about this natural sweetener is children love it!
http://www.cwahm.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?p=30484&sid=75680bd9baff69c60090159bd02d1763

Wrigley’s, the world leaders in chewing gum, highlight the following benefits of chewing gum:

Not Just Delicious, But Healthy
Most everybody loves to chew gum, whether for the flavor or just for the simple pleasure of chewing. But did you know that chewing gum also:

Improves Concentration
At work, chewing gum helps us concentrate on the task at hand. Many truck drivers find that chewing gum helps them stay alert at the wheel.
Eases Tension
As early as 1939, scientific studies showed how chewing reduces muscular tension and helps people feel more at ease. Because it is so well-recognized for helping stay alert at the same time it eases tension, the U.S. Armed Forces have supplied chewing gum to its soldiers ever since World War I. It is still included in field and combat rations today.
Freshens Breath
Chewing gum, especially a mint-flavored gum like Wrigley's Spearmint or Doublemint, moistens and refreshes the mouth and throat and sweetens the breath. Provides a -
Low-calorie Snack
Chewing gum often satisfies the desire for a between-meals snack, yet each stick averages less than 10 calories. Helps Fight Tooth Decay After meals, it isn't always convenient to use a toothbrush. Chewing gum stimulates the production of saliva, which helps neutralize acids from foods that may cause tooth decay.

Read more at http://www.gumisgood.com/ this website comes from Wrigley.

Happydent White on You Tube

Happydent White has a good presence on blogs, agency web pages, and on You Tube.

Click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdesIbwOYAAThe ad film for Happydent White on You Tube is really funny and enjoyable

Happydent White and Perfetii are making news right from 2001: http://thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/2001/06/26/stories/14261804.htm

Their online marketing for strengthening word-of-mouth or word-of-web publicity is really great. Just click here: http://www.perfettivanmelle.in/happydent/ May be we pharma marketers should pick up a leaf on how to strengthen pharma product online presence and internet pharma marketing communication activity from the above link.
For a FMCG market player with a FMHG look the Perfetii website is a whole load of fun marketing. Click here: http://www.perfettivanmelle.in/index1.htm

Perfetii – a big gun or big gum (?) in India!

Perfetii a big name in the confectionary market has to its credit over Rs. 400 crores sales within a decade of its presence in India. Their expectation of 2007 sales is around Rs. 700 crores. http://www.businessworld.in/content/view/1828/1891/

Their brands like Big Babool, Centerfresh, Mentos, and Alpenliebe are household names in India now. http://www.icmr.icfai.org/casestudies/catalogue/marketing%20communications/CLMC016.htm

Perfetii is a big player in the FMCG confectionary market in India – and Perfetti brands are having a healthcare positioning along with fun and taste attributes. It is really unusual & somewhat hilarious to see an Ayurvedic chewing gum.

Contra thinking on chewing gum

Chewing gum habit can be dangerous. Here is an interesting report on the sugar free chewing gum http://www.laleva.org/eng/2007/06/chewing_gum_habit_poisons_woman.html

Chewing gum: fun product or healthcare product or both?

I guess chewing gum is OK as a fun product. A time pass product. I am not sure about its merits to be classified as an approved Ayurvedic proprietary medicine. Yes medicine! That is a debatable point. And now can all functional foods be classified as Ayurvedic products? That is another front for debating. In India there is a trend to sell FMCG products with a health hook – ie., as a product that helps health. Now, presenting Happydent White as an Ayurvedic functional gum really takes the cake. Is it trivializing the science of Ayurveda? That is for the Ayurvedic pundits to debate on. So in essence, Happydent White Sparkling Smile chewing gum is a functional healthcare fun product.

This is my 51st blogpost – do enjoy reading all of my other blogposts, by clicking on older posts when required.

6 comments:

Sunil S Chiplunkar said...

My couzin Srikar (anna) has given this great comment in his inimitable style:

In One Of The Hindi Movies,Unfortunately I am not able to recall the name of the Hindi Movie since it is quite a number of years since I saw this movie during my college days. There is this marketing representative for a commercial product. He tells his friend. "Saala Hamare Desh May Kuch Bhi Bikega. Bas Thodaa Dimaag Chaahiye Logon Ko Ullu Banaane Ke Liye". More and More Companies are going to bring more and more products pumping in those mega dollars. There are a few Ayurvedic Med Manufacturing Firms Like Alarsin which are going to stay despite the onslaught of these new firms since old timers know their value and they would always educate their kith and kin to use the med manufactured by such firms. Srikar

IN THE ABOVE COMMENT THERE IS A GREAT MARKETING INSIGHT: one of the important opinion builders for healthcare products are ELDERS in an Indian family(or old timers like Srikar anna says).

Sunil S Chiplunkar said...

AGNIHOTRI, VP Biovel, has a different take on this blogpost (in contrast to Srikar anna):

Hello Sunil,

I really dont know what to call u ? You are providing us with very valuable, timely information in Health industry. KUDOS to YOU.

Its good to see Worlds first Ayurvedic chewing gum. One thing is sure its great achievement for the pharmacist, they are the ones who have made this possible by presenting the herbals in the more widely acceptable dosage forms.

They have really kicked off the word " Herbals can be presented in different dosage forms as such in chemicals" - best example - Himalya product range, and even an liquid mosquito repellant"

The day is not far wherein we may have Boswella in Sustained release form and injections.

Sunil S Chiplunkar said...

HARRY SCORPIONS (Mr. Harwinder Singh, Gurgaon) has an interesting perspective on this blogpost:

yes its quite effective as neem is a best ayurvedic drug and has strong anti-bacterial property. Metro city children should chew gums like this. because they can't take crude neem as its too bitter

A VERY GOOD POINT - MR. HARRY SCORPION SINGHJI!! GOOD!!

Janardhan said...

Ancient Ayurvedic dosage forms didnt had a tooth paste, bu now we have a lot of them. Similarly, wats wrong in a Ayurveidc Chew gum? At least, some of the active medicinal ingredients of the herb may enter the blood circulation of the chewer through saliva.

Sunil S Chiplunkar said...

Nothing is wrong with an Ayurvedic chewing gum, it is about the technical and legal correctness of it. And what is the motive of having Ayurvedic classification?

Unknown said...

While all the marketing media coming to the unlimited world of internet marketing. So, Why not Dental marketing? To be updated with latest technical marketing, It must be dental internet marketing.

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