Not too long ago, I remember paying $.25 for a 5-stick pack of Wrigley’s Doublemint.

Gum manufacturer’s eventually raised their prices to $.30 per pack, which I was totally cool with (rising price of sugar, printing, distribution, inflation, etc.).

But $3.49?  Really?

The cheapest pack you can find in the check-out lane at most grocery stores is $1.19, which by my calculations should get you about four packs of the good ol’ fashioned stuff. Today you’re lucky if you get ten “half sticks” in a pack for that price.

So What Happened?

Advertising agencies have become extremely good at targeting their buyers and building hypnotic brands around even the most mundane commodities (gum).

  • Flashy packaging.
  • “Exciting” new flavors.
  • Commercials of super-models whirling down frosty glaciers amidst exploding volcanic islands and plunging into icy cold pools.

They are all created to make you want need this gum, and they work.

The logo, the name of the brand, the name of the flavor (“Dragonfruit Freeze,” “Cobalt,” or “Inferno”), and the packaging are all carefully coordinated to make us feel a certain way.  To make us feel like we’re not just buying gum, but that we’re buying an experience, a lifestyle, a statement about who we are.

But in the end, it’s still just gum.  It still has the same basic ingredients and lasts the same amount of time when you chew it.

Gum Isn’t The Problem

The issue goes far beyond that. We’ve seen it happen with flat-screen LCD/plasma/LED TVs. We’ve seen it happen with shoes and bags and computers and cars and cell phones.

Have we, as consumers, become completely incapable of drawing boundaries? There comes a point when we have to ask ourselves, “Is this product really worth what I’m about to pay, or am I falling for the same old song and dance again?”

What was the last thing you purchased that you really wanted, but didn’t really need?  What made you make the purchase?