Cheerios on 'Fast Track' at Kroger

Golden Valley, Minn. — General Mills has participated in Kroger’s annual “Fast Track to Savings” Daytona 500 campaign since the effort began in 2009, but the chance to sponsor a particularly beloved car led the manufacturer to ramp up its activity this year.The No. 3 car hadn’t appeared in NASCAR’s season-opening Sprint Cup Series race since the death of driver Dale Earnhardt in 2001. The car returned this year, and Mills partnered with Richard Childress Racing to sponsor driver Austin Dillon. The partners also sponsored Dillon in 2013, when he was driving the No. 33 car. “This year was a really special one for us with the excitement of the No. 3 car returning to the track and the fact that we had a relationship with a new driver,” says Roger Galloway, General Mills integrated shopper marketing manager. “We felt we had the story of the race this year.”General Mills built on the buzz surrounding the car’s return during the two-week Fast Track to Savings campaign, which activates Kroger’s status as exclusive retail sponsor of the Daytona 500. “Working in the shopper marketing world, the magic is when you can find something that’s really a priority that resonates well with the customer at Kroger that we can uniquely bring to the table as an organization,” Galloway says.Working with Kroger sales plan coordinator Brent Cox and senior director of grocery merchandising Greg Roller, the manufacturer provided a custom Cheerios box spotlighting the car’s history. The SKU was supported by standees depicting Dillon and pallet displays using a “Cheer the 3” message to merchandise Betty Crocker, Fiber One and exclusive SKUs of Hamburger Helper Bold. Curb Crowser, Minneapolis, and Menasha Packaging, Neenah, Wis., designed the displays, with Curb Crowser also handling the packaging. Many other General Mills products were also eligible for the campaign’s “buy 6, save $3” bulk-purchase incentive and associated sweepstakes, which both drew in dozens of other major manufacturers.“We know that Kroger shoppers know the Daytona event means big savings, and they plan to stock up during that event,” Galloway says. “There is just a tremendous amount of energy and emotion around the No. 3 car. We knew Kroger shoppers would be excited about the No. 3 and its legacy.”While General Mills has provided custom displays and packaging for “Fast Track” in years past, this campaign saw the first account-specific TV spot. Developed by Minneapolis-based Gasket Studios, the ad is told from the perspective of Dillon’s mother, which Galloway says emphasizes Cheerios’ focus on families. Billboards positioned around the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Kroger’s Cincinnati headquarters depicted Dillon, his car and the custom Cheerios box. Leader Enterprises, Roswell, Ga., designed the billboards.Dillon also made a personal appearance at a Kroger store in Mason, Ohio, with the event drawing shoppers from up to six hours away.Galloway says Fast Track has traditionally helped drive profitable volume growth for the manufacturer and retailer. “We will look at the activation holistically, what kind of result we got broadly,” he says. “It’s a really broad initiative.”

Cheerios on 'Fast Track' at Kroger

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

Related Images

Business Topic

Company

Market Segment