This report aims to outline an integrated marketing communication strategy for Kellogg's Special K. We found that there is a gap in the market that we feel Special K should be taking advantage of, in order to secure its leading position in the market. Our identified opportunity is to access the adult male market therefore increasing brand and product awareness within this segment. As a secondary objective, we aim to increase sales of the original Special K. To reach this goal, a yearlong strategy will be implemented in conjunction with the London 2012 Olympic Games. Media choices are the key factors in the implementation of this IMC campaign. Our recommendations would be, to use burst and drip strategies parallel to each other, with the use of both mass media and targeted social and press media. Experiential marketing drives will also be used in the form of free samples in press campaigns. Our campaign will be evaluated throughout and after the 12 month period, using feedback from social media as well as qualitative and quantitative studies.
This would be a huge investment on behalf of Kellogg's and Special K, however we feel that the opportunity should be utilized and this will result in the opening of a new market for the brand.
Kellogg's sales in 2009 were reported to have reached nearly $12.6 billion (Winkinvest - Kellogg Company 10-K, 2010). The company is reasonably the world's largest ready-to-eat cereal manufacturer in Britain, producing 1 billion kilos of cereal annually (Claudio Vignali, 2001). With sales in more than 180 countries, Kellogg's produces the world's most iconic and easily recognizable brands. Special K was introduced to the cereal market over 50 years ago by Kellogg. As a healthy alternative to Corn Flakes, it consists of toasted rice and wheat cereal flakes that are said to be low in calories which also appeals to those leading a healthier lifestyle. Today, the brand maintains a good position in the breakfast cereal market, particularly since its advertising campaign launched in 2003 with the tagline "Help Yourself", mainly targeted at the female market with the incentive of dropping a dress size (Aaron Baar, 2003). However, the market of breakfast cereals is in a maturity step, with many competitors and strong distribution channels. Thus, to keep its popularity, the brand must attract and reach more consumers in differing markets in order to maintain a high stake in the breakfast cereal market. A newly designed Special K Integrated Marketing Communications campaign has the potential to improve the brand influence on the cereal market
[...] Journal of Consumer Marketing pp. 31-37. Just-Food. (2008). Jordans launches cereal for men. Retrieved November from Just-Food: HYPERLINK "http://tinyurl.com/25hbcnn" http://tinyurl.com/25hbcnn K.A. Farrell & S.W. Frames. (1997). The value of olympic sponsorship: who is capturing the gold? Journal of Market Focused Management pp. 171- 182. Mary F. Smith. (2003). Kellogg on Marketing. European Journal of Marketing pp. 329-330. Men's Fitness. (2010). Men's Fitness Nutrition. Retrieved October from HYPERLINK "www.mensfitness.com/nutrition" www.mensfitness.com/nutrition Mysupermarket. (2010). Breakfast Cereals. Retrieved November from Mysupermarket: HYPERLINK "http://tinyurl.com/2eunrja" http://tinyurl.com/2eunrja Nutrition & Food [...]
[...] To reach these objectives, we recommend a yearlong integrated marketing campaign, mixing both traditional media and internet media. To strengthen the campaign and make it more impactful, we believe sponsoring the London 2012 Olympic Games is the perfect opportunity to gather our target audience around a sportive and festive international event. We hope this important investment would open Kellogg's to a new market that could lead to the development of new products to satisfy the specific needs of the male target in the future. [...]
[...] Our social media goals to achieve our IMC strategy will have many facets. It will act as a key driver in forming customer relationships for Special K with the male population. The Importance of gaining and maintaining relationships with customers is not lost on Vargo and Lusch (2004, p. who explain relationships importance: “marketing has moved from a goods- dominant view, in which tangible output and discrete transactions were central, to a service-dominant view, in which intangibility, exchange processes, and relationships are central”. [...]
[...] Values: People interested in health or wanting to lose weight provide the largest market Product Analysis With reference to the Marketing Mix currently the Special K range of cereals is positioned as high quality products, often charging a higher price than its competitors. For example, Mysupermarket (2010) shows a 750g box of Special K priced at compared to Nestle's Shreddies at only This however, is deemed acceptable due to Special K being a ‘premium' product. The packaging, although simple, clearly states the brand name and appeals to those targeted by the company. [...]
[...] Creative Strategy We identified the strategic opportunity for Kellogg's to reposition the original Special K towards health conscious active men aged between 25 and 55 through product and consumer benefits. Creative Brief: Men aged between 25 and 55 are more health conscious because of stressful lifestyles and they feel they should do something about it but they don't know how to go about it. The campaign should target both sportive men as early adopters and trend setters and a larger target audience of men who want to feel better about their shape but don't want to hear about a diet. [...]
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