Kellogg Lets Consumers Have Their Say

Battle Creek, Mich. — In this instance, Kellogg Co. didn't mind if its cracker aficionados were a little cheesy. During February and March, the consumer packaged goods company let consumers choose the next flavor of Cheez-It through online, text message and, in some cases, in-person voting. "We wanted to celebrate the real voice of our consumers," says Aleta Chase, Cheez-It brand associate director. "They share our love of real cheese, and we knew they would be excited by the chance to choose the next flavor."The choices were Asiago, Colby or Romano. Consumers primarily voted on Cheez-It's Facebook page (which had its own "Choose the Cheese" tag). Rather than adopt a "one-person, one-vote" strategy, the company encouraged multiple votes by giving consumers the opportunity to perform various digital tasks, such as posting a picture of themselves posing with a Cheez-It box or playing one of several online games.The company promoted the campaign through on-package callouts, in-store displays, its website and social media. To ensure consumers weren't choosing in the dark, Kellogg offered samples of the flavors through the brand's Facebook page and through in-store events. "The program closely integrated digital and in-store efforts to surround Cheez-It fans," Chase says. "The goal was to reach our consumers and encourage them to participate online in the voting, allowing them to bond with the brand."New York-based Augme Technologies handled the mobile component. Consumers who texted a keyword to a promotional number were then directed to a mobile site to vote. Kellogg promoted this voting option on packaging and other in-store materials.Kellogg teamed with Target stores to offer shoppers a chance to not only sample the crackers but to vote in-store via an electronic voting booth, developed by Minneapolis-based Meyers. The brand recorded 70,000 votes during a one-day, five-hour event at 252 SuperTarget locations nationwide. "Cheez-It is a really strong brand among Target customers," says Mary Kahn, senior manager of shopper marketing for Kellogg. "We just wanted to bring another level of promotion for the Target guest and help establish Target as a Cheez-It destination."By the end of the promotion, nearly 28 million votes were cast. Kellogg made the winning flavor, Colby, available for purchase in late May. Meanwhile, Target voters favored Asiago, so Kellogg decided to produce a limited run of Asiago-flavored crackers for sale at Target and "other select retailers," Kahn says.

Kellogg Lets Consumers Have Their Say

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