(an advertising supplement) Chupa Chups UK Ltd The Boatyard 105 Straight Road Old Windsor Windsor Berkshire SL4 2SE Tel: 01753 442100 Fax: 01753 442125 E-mail: mstangroom@chupachups.com Websites: www.chupachups.com www.smint.com Key personnel Managing Director Jessica Martin Marketing Manager Mark Stangroom Key brands Chupa Chups Smint Crazy Planet They've got it licked! What do kids, clubbers and Kojak have in common? Lollipops, of course. According to the leading novelty confectionery manufacturer, after ageing New York cops and schoolchildren, the new secondary market for the Chupa Chups brand is 16- to 35-year-old partygoers. "In the UK it is estimated that over 1.5 million young people go clubbing each week," says Marketing Manager Mark Stan-groom. "This hip and fun loving group are a perfect fit with the brand's image of cheekiness and irreverence." In other words, they're the perfect gob stopper for club goers. Yes, says Stangroom. "But they are also fondly remembered by the youth market from when they were younger." And the logo, designed by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali, soon to be seen on a range of kids clothing and lifestyle items, adds street cred. Traditionally seen as a kids' brand, Chupa Chups would appear to be particularly vulnerable to young consumers' changing buying habits. In fact, Chupa Chups sales in 2000 were 36% up on 1999. "Traditional age groups who consume large amounts of confectionery ­ kids and teenagers ­ are now spending their disposable income on other opportunities. In 2000, younger kids were saving for Pokémon cards and older kids and teenagers were spending money on phone cards at £5, £10 or even £20 a time. This money has to come from somewhere and confectionery suffered as a result," says Stangroom. He attributes Chupa Chups' success to a combination of core business concentration and the Pokémon licencing on lollipops. It was also aided by the strong performance of its other brands, including Smint, one of the key players in the strong mini mint' market, with constant-ly evolving new flavours and bespoke display solutions. Smint was introduced in the UK in 1996. The first sugar free mini product, it was positioned as the third generation mint', not only for its unique dispenser, strong flavour and stylish image, but also because of the Happy Tooth' logo endorsement. It was followed by a number of me-too products from the big confectionery manufacturers. "Smint has been very aggressive in driving the segment by innovating with a new flavour each year," says Stangroom. "The brand now offers a range of five flavours ­ mints and fruits with distinctive health benefits." Smint uses xylitol, one of the best sugar substitutes for a mint product. "There is often resistance to sugar free as it is sometimes seen as being boring in a market such as confectionery, which is traditionally dynamic and indulgent," says Stangroom. "Smint has managed to promote a sugar free product with an associated brand image that is cool, stylish and the essential accessory for the mouth." He believes that there is still plenty of scope within the confectionery market for new and exciting products. "This is especially true in the novelty confectionery market where, by its very nature, there is constant innovation. Chupa Chups is specialist at producing new products which are not only high quality and full of fun for kids, but which also interest them because they are relevant to their lifestyles ­ for example, the Chupa Chups Mobile Pop and Chupa Surprise, an innovative sugar confectionery surprise product, launched last year into the UK market which will continue to be built via collectible ranges." The sugar side of the gifting sector is, he believes, still very much underdeveloped. "Chupa Chups are seeking to grow this part of the business with the introduction of fun and exciting products," promises Stangroom. Meanwhile, its range of Gift Cards ex-tends the Chupa Chups brand personality to yet another sector, with fun card designs combined with a lollipop to produce an additional profit opportunity. Now, who loves ya, baby? {{Z SUPPLEMENTS }}