Doublemint
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Doublemint is a flavour of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company. It was launched in the United States in 1914, and has had variable market share since that time.
One of the most notable aspects of this brand is Wrigley's advertising campaign, begun in 1956, which utilized twins as spokespersons for the gum, as a play on the word "double" in the name. The original "Doublemint Twins" were Jayne and Joan Boyd of Hammond, Indiana, who appeared in advertisements for Doublemint until Joan became pregnant in 1963. The company however continued sporadically to promote the campaign; later "Doublemint Twins" included Patricia and Cyb Barnstable, Cynthia and Brittany Daniel, Heidi and Alissa Kramer, and Jean(ne Barbara) and Elizabeth Sagal(daughters of TV Director Boris Sagal, and sisters of Married...with Children's Katey Sagal). The Sagal twins enjoyed a brief run as the stars of a sitcom in 1984, entitled Double Trouble. Later twins projected more sex appeal in keeping with trends in American advertising; the Barnstable twins were later asked to pose for Playboy magazine due to their popularity as spokeswomen for the gum.
Jayne_and_Joan_Boyd_Doublemint.jpg
The original jingle was as follows:
Double your pleasure, double your fun,
With Doublemint, Doublemint, chewing gum!
The second line has been changed in recent times to "It's the statement of the great mint in Doublemint gum!"
In 2004 the European Union Court of Justice ultimately denied Wrigley's request for trademark status on the name "Doublemint"; The Court found that the mark DOUBLEMINT was "descriptive" of the product and in violation of trademark law.
The actual flavorings used in Doublemint gum are evidently a trade secret, but the company does say that the main flavor ingredient is peppermint.
External link
- http://www.wrigley.com
- SSRN Summary of ECJ Decision: http://ssrn.com/abstract=559702