New National Survey Reveals the State of Fun in America

EAST HANOVER, N.J., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Apparently fun is not so easy to come by in the U.S. these days. According to the Trident Fun Index, a new national study conducted to measure the state of fun in America, it appears that the economy and limited personal time are taking a toll on the amount of fun we're experiencing as a nation. In fact, one in five people (19%) said they can't even remember the last time they had a good time! To make matters worse, fewer than eighteen percent (18%) of people take the opportunity to do something just for fun each day! To kick-start a new generation of fun-loving citizens, Trident is launching a campaign that demonstrates how even a little piece of gum can help liberate fun in everyday life.

"We found that people simply lack the time these days to have spontaneous fun," says Leslie Philipsen, senior brand manager, Trident. "When we heard that, we knew we had to do something as a brand to help people see that little things in life can go a long way. Trident is that little something that can liberate fun at any given moment."  

The Index also found that more than half of Americans (55%) strongly agree that their fun is limited by the amount of money they have, no surprise in a time when everyone is stretching each dollar as far as they can. But in these times people need to be more creative about sparking fun in their lives, like doing small things that don't cost a lot of money such as chewing a favorite flavor of Trident gum or listening to a good song (which nearly three in five survey respondents reported) or even something as simple as receiving a message from a friend (reported by 52% of respondents).

Trident Fun Audit

So who really does have the most fun?  While about a third of Americans (33%) say that a friend is the most fun person they know, 16% actually think THEY are the most fun person in their social circles.

Want to find out how you stack up? Trident is offering everyone the opportunity to measure his or her own personal fun "status." Starting today, Facebook fans of the brand can log on (www.facebook.com/tridentgum) and take the Fun Audit, a one-of-a-kind app that evaluates all aspects of your Facebook life (including how many times they post, upload pictures, "check in" to places, number of online friends, comments posted, etc.). Once the app makes it through your content, a Fun Score is assigned and can be shared and compared within your extended social networks. The Fun Audit kicks off on Tax Day (a day more than a third of Americans find to be the least fun day of the year) – redefining "audit" from something scary into a badge of honor.

For more information, to take the Fun Audit or see the new campaign, please visit www.tridentgum.com or www.facebook.com/tridentgum.

Additional Statistics Revealed by the Trident Fun Index Include

New York or Boston? – can either bring home the fun pennant?

It's no surprise that a majority of Americans have a lot of civic pride, sixty-five percent (65%) of those surveyed say they live in a fun city or town.  But, when it comes to hometown pride, there is no greater rivalry than Boston versus New York. Despite this longstanding battle, the Fun Index reveals that neither of them wins the title of most fun city in the country! Of those cities surveyed, that honor goes to a city in the south—Atlanta! The results are based on responses to questions designed to understand consumer attitudes and behaviors relating to fun. In descending order, the U.S. cities having the most fun are:

1. Atlanta
2. New York
3. Chicago
4. San Francisco
5. Dallas
6. Los Angeles
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Boston
9. Houston
10. Philadelphia

This Tax Day, hug your accountant

• 33% of Americans think that accountants are the most in need of more fun, more so than police officers (31%), followed by lawyers (27%) and even doctors (25%).

For more information, to take the Fun Audit or see the new campaign, please visit www.tridentgum.comor www.facebook.com/tridentgum.

About Trident® Sugar-Free Gum

Trident gum has long been a pioneer in providing oral health benefits to consumers. Trident was the first gum brand of its kind to undergo extensive long-term clinical testing in 1967 with studies showing that people who chewed Trident experienced significantly fewer cavities. Trident recently launched a new marketing campaign, the tone of which delivers against Trident's brand purpose of "liberating fun" and is designed to facilitate an emotional bond with consumers. A piece of Trident "sparks that fun" is at the core of the campaign's new messaging. Trident is that tiny spark that motivates you to say yes to life's fun experiences.

Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) is a global snacks powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. Proudly marketing delicious biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in approximately 170 countries, Kraft Foods had 2011 revenue of $54.4 billion. Twelve of the company's iconic brands – Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Tang and Trident – generate revenue of more than $1 billion annually. On Aug. 4, 2011, Kraft Foods announced plans to divide and create two independent public companies: a high-growth global snacks business and a high-margin North American grocery business. The transaction is expected to be completed before the end of 2012. A leader in innovation, marketing, health & wellness and sustainability, Kraft Foods is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index. Visit www.kraftfoodscompany.com and www.facebook.com/kraftfoodscorporate.

About the Survey Methodology

The Trident Fun Audit was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative American adults, ages 18+, and among 400 American adults in each of the top ten DMAs, between March 12 and March 30, 2012, using an email invitation and an online survey.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the nationally representative sample of adults 18+, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. For each individual DMA, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 4.9 percentage points.

SOURCE Kraft Foods Inc.