Gum sphere provides a design to chew on

Cadbury is "having a ball" with its one-of-a-kind, new chewing gum package. Cadbury France's Hollywood gum, also marketed in Spain under the Trident brand and in Northern Europe as Stimorol, has been introduced in a clever, new spherical, hinged dispenser pack containing 70 pieces of chewing gum instead of the 10 or 20 usually offered in conventional stick-packs and blister-packs.

"The idea of the new package is to create a new pattern of gum consumption," reports Fabien Guyot, packaging development manager at Cadbury Schweppes' EMEA S&T Gum and Mints Div. "Rather than carry the pack with them, people can leave one at home, in the office, or in the car, creating points in their daily routine at which they can enjoy the pleasure of chewing gum."

The plastic sphere is designed to tap into the fast-moving growth in the gum market, he says. "We chose the spherical form at an early stage," he says. "It made a sleeve [label] the obvious choice. The sleeve provides visible evidence to the customer that the product has not been tampered with in any way, and it is the ideal medium for providing full on-pack information."

Cadbury chose film sleeve labels from Sleever Intl. (www.sleever.com), which says it assisted with the project from the initial design to the choice of labeling film to the production and application of the sleeve. Guyot says he is particularly pleased with the level of cooperation achieved between the companies during the package/product's development. "We could take full advantage of their expertise, with constant feedback to make us aware of the technical possibilities and how to take full advantage of the Sleever system," he says.

Though carried over from flat drawings, the sleeve labels hug the ball-shaped gum dispenser without distortion or loss of detail, Guyot says. The new sleeve labels are Sleever's advanced SI-OPS-TF/060 film, which it says has maximum tear-resistance to ensure product safety.

"SI-OPS-TF/060 can take the micro perforations that we used to make sure the product can be opened easily while ensuring that it remains clean," he adds. "The film can be shrunk onto the pack using an ultraviolet system, rather than steam, which ensures that there is no chance whatsoever of any damage to the product during the packaging process."