Targeting the Tech-Savvy
Mondelez International encouraged Target shoppers to pair their morning coffee with a BelVita breakfast biscuit through an exclusive “Sip Spot” campaign.
From Dec. 31 through Feb. 24, consumers could visit BelvitaSipSpot.com/Target on their mobile phones (or scan a QR code from the desktop site) to access an experience developed by VML’s in-house innovation team.
Consumers then used their phones to scan the oval-shaped “sip spot” on any to-go coffee lid, which triggered an animation showing a BelVita cookie filling the hole and unlocked an offer for $1 off the brand’s product through the Target Circle app.
“Target is a great partner to Mondelez,” said Steve McGowan, the manufacturer’s head of shopper activation & strategic partnerships. “They are also a very good BelVita customer as their shoppers over-index on the consumption of the product. Target is a very tech-forward customer, and we thought this unique technology pairing would appeal to them and their shoppers.”
Banners on Roundel’s Bullseye Marketplace drove consumers directly to the Sip Spot microsite.
While Starbucks was not an official partner for the campaign, the effort aligned with Target’s goal to appeal to shoppers picking up a drink from the in-store Starbucks cafes along with their click-and-collect grocery orders.
The offer was also meant to drive incremental sales among the 30% of Target shoppers who get their online orders loaded into their cars but then park, actually walk into stores and browse for additional products.
“The program has been very well-received to date,” McGowan said. “The Target Roundel team really got excited about it, and initial read from our shoppers was that they really enjoyed the fun, gamified experience to save some money on BelVita by drinking their favorite morning beverage — coffee.”
Mondelez presented the idea for the program to Target in September 2023, and the mass merchant’s enthusiasm for the exclusive effort allowed them to execute in January, which is a high seasonal sales period for the brand. BelVita’s goal was to drive conversion and consumption by removing the barrier for trial while using the coffee pairing to reach a wider audience.
Sip Spot follows the success of the 2023 Oreo Codes campaign from Mondelez and VML, where consumers could scan bar codes on milk containers to trigger offers on Oreo cookies.
“We learned that shoppers are looking for experiences during what can be a normal or boring visit to the store, so we can transpose a simple task into something that is not so mundane, but rather entertaining with a value offer at the end of the experience,” McGowan said. “The value offer at the end is key as shoppers’ time is valuable, and they feel like they should get something (albeit a lower value coupon) in return for their time. We also learned that shoppers are far more adept at scanning QR codes, multitasking and putting natural pairs together than what we give them credit for.”
The banners on Roundel’s Bullseye Marketplace delivered the campaign’s highest ROAS. The effort was also supported with ads on Target.com and influencers chosen based on their affinity for Target, lifestyle and wellness content who enjoy posting about their morning routines.
“We have been tracking the ROI of our respective programs, customers and tactics over the past five years and we have seen a great overall ROI from the use of influencers in conjunction with digital media and an offer to shoppers,” McGowan said. “This multi-tactic approach has proven to drive the greatest incremental benefit to the business.”