ABSTRACT
The organization of chicle camps in the forests of Yucatán took
little account of trends in consumption back in the United States.
There chewing gum had become a fact of life and, as we have
seen, a vehicle for promoting sports, celebrity, and national
identity. The paraphernalia of mass society was being brought to
bear on its marketing and promotion: neon lighting, baseball
cards, vending machines, and celebrity endorsement. Before the
United States entered World War II, the principal issue for gum
manufacturers was how to market their product effectively, to the
maximum number of people. Chewing gum had previously been
viewed as a seasonal product: Sales picked up in the spring and
remained high until the fall. During the Depression years of the
1930s, the chewing gum manufacturers looked for opportunities
to use innovative marketing and promotion to brighten up the
bleakness of peoples’ everyday lives. In the subsequent decade, the
1940s, chewing gum was to occupy a new role, as an element in
the service ration. In addition, the promotion of bubble gum
opened up a new world full of exciting new marketing and sales
possibilities for the manufacturers.
