Kashi "what's your crunch?" Campaign Book

WHAT’S YOUR CRUNCH?

media integrated for new territory

media integrated for new territory We make integrated campaigns designed to put the brands we work with back into the spotlight, reinvigorating their identity with a fresh spin while maintaining the key aspects that have made the brand what it is today.

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SITUATION ANALYSIS CAMPAIGN STRATEGY CREATIVE PLAN MEDIA PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

Cereal has the potential to connect with the values of the consumer.

SITUATION ANALYSIS Michael Metzler | Research Director

CLIENT BACKGROUND AND HISTORY Ultimately, recent hardships to the brand and its image forced Kellogg’s to relocate Kashi’s headquarters from California to Battle Creek, Michigan in March 2013, where employees were forced to choose between relocating to Michigan and leaving the company. As a result, many of the original employees left, and with them their knowledge and experience with the Kashi brand.3 Kashi was founded in 1984 by the husband/wife team of Philip and Gayle Tauber, who have been co-founders of various startups concentrating predominantly in health and wellness throughout the years.1 Originally based in La Jolla, California, Kashi is part of the breakfast food market with specializations in breakfast cereals, energy bars, crackers and frozen breakfast entrees. As a brand, Kashi is committed to creating a more balanced food system, and has announced that all of its products will be Non-GMO Project verified by summer 2016. The brand currently has over 25 Non-GMO Project verified cereals on shelves across the country.2 After finding its place in the market focusing on a nutritionally balanced breakfast and combining a variety of whole grains and seeds, the brand was acquired by the Kellogg Company in 2000 for $33 million on annual sales of around $25 million.

According to Kashi, progressive nutrition is their approach to food, meaning the inherent nutrition of food comes first when considering every ingredient while also being mindful of sustainable and ethical farming practices.

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INDUSTRY HISTORY AND RECENT TRENDS Others

Kellogg Company

General Mills Inc. Post Holdings Inc. PepsiCo Inc.

The cereal market has been traditionally dominated by a few companies since the twentieth century: Kellogg’s, General Mills, Post, and Quaker. Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, the idea of breakfast cereal evolved from porridge, to puffed rice, and now to the colorful and diverse selection we have today.

Mass distribution of breakfast cereal didn’t take off until the 1930s, when Kix became the first puffed cereal to go on the market. After World War II, cereal companies increasingly targeted children and incorporated added sugar as a major component of the production process. During this time, familiar mascots such as Tony the Tiger and the Rice Krispies Elves began emerging as well.4

bad news for us...

In recent years, the cereal industry has experienced a decline in revenue due in large part to the American economic recovery.

Since cereal is an inferior good, people typically purchase it during 6

poor economic times due to its relatively low cost. The increasing per capita disposable income and rising employment associated with the economic recovery is driving consumers to purchase more desirable, higher-end breakfast substitutes.

good news for us...

While the cereal industry may be struggling at the moment, the growing popularity of health and fitness products across all markets gives Kashi a window of opportunity.

According to Mintel’s consumer survey, healthy snacking is a verstrong market today. Based on data collected on 1,995 internet users aged 18+ who ate snacks, the top five attributes consumers wanted in snacks when asked about healthy snacking were: portable/easy to eat on-the go, healthy, filling, convenient to eat, and had a good flavor.5 According to this data, the challenge is to develop a product that satisfies taste, the snacking experience, and health standards.

Healthy eating is just one facet of the growing fitness market as well. The health and fitness industry is a $30 billion industry, and gym membership has grown rapidly in the past five years as consumers have become increasingly health conscious. In addition to this, new technologies such as the FitBit and work out programs such as CrossFit are emerging at rates faster than ever before, driving consumers to pursue healthier lifestyles. These all work synonymously with healthy eating. The thriving health and fitness market gives Kashi a niche advantage in the breakfast food market. 6

CONSUMER ANALYSIS Secondary Research

Simmons database provided Mint Media with a variety of insights into the average Kashi consumer.

Demographic | The Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and East Central regions of the United States yield high marks for the Kashi brand, pinpointing where Kashi’s most likely customers are residing.

While indices in the Western, Southern and Midwestern regions of the country yield much lower results and indicate where Kashi can look to improve sales.

Gender | Very little difference in the amount of men and women who consume Kashi. While the index is much higher for women ages 55-64. This opens the door to a potential market that Kashi may not have been looking at before.

Lifestyle | These consumers are active and social individuals, with indices ranking high across the board for an activity-filled day. Based on the data, it appears Kashi consumers are likely to exercise before reporting to their paid job in the mid-morning/early afternoon.

After work hours, indices for Kashi consumers rank high in the housework and gardening category. It appears the average Kashi consumer wakes up early to work out, goes to work, then returns home to maintain their household, keeping them on their feet and active throughout the day.

Values | Kashi consumers are likely to be college educated, have at least one child, exercise whenever they have the chance, describe themselves as “artsy,” and claim they will spend whatever they have to to make themselves look younger.

Kashi’s healthy and nutritional product can be marketed as an agent to achieve target consumers’ health and fitness goals to help them look and feel younger. Additionally, food can be used as a creative outlet that allows consumers to show their “artsy” side.

Cooking shows, such as Master Chef and Cake Boss, are becoming increasingly popular and show competitors making innovative dishes. Kashi cereal has the potential to correlate with many of the values of the brand’s target consumer.

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Primary Research As research indicates, the health and fitness market is growing, so Mint Media conducted a survey targeting this market to learn more about Kashi’s place in the competitive organic food market.

Preliminary data was collected from 100 respondents at various grocery stores throughout Madison, WI who were shopping in the organic and breakfast cereal sections.

The survey reaffirmed the idea that consumers are shying away from breakfast cereals as a breakfast option and opting for other alternatives. The most consumed breakfast items of those surveyed include Chobani greek yogurt/fruit and eggs. When asked to describe their experience with the Kashi products, the most recurring answer among respondents was it made them full and feel energized to start their day. This is a strong point for Kashi’s brand, as the product is accomplishing what a breakfast cereal should be doing.

Following preliminary data, Mint Media distributed a survey over Facebook to further measure brand perceptions and identify Kashi’s target market. The survey drew in over 200 responses across a variety of demographics and geographics, and revealed key insights to inform the present campaign. According to the data, Kashi has a competitive advantage in brand recognition. Respondents mostly associated words such as “healthy,” “green,” and “organic” with the brand’s logo. Additionally, older respondents tended to associate Kashi with cereal, while younger respondents tended to associate the brand with granola and other snack foods. Further findings are outlined in the campaign strategy.

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COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

A major theme of advertising amongst Kashi’s competitors is positioning their product as an agent to refuel after doing something active. Most advertisements of Kashi competitors portray models consuming the product after they have achieved some type of fitness goal, such as reaching the top of a cliff or finishing a race.

While this effectively associates their product with health and fitness, it leaves room for Kashi to take a unique position as a fueling agent to begin an activity--not recharge after.

Nature’s Path Nature’s Path has a strong sense of customer loyalty, maintaining its long-standing brand image through the utilization of the “path” aspect in their marketing efforts.

Bear Naked Bear Naked’s #OneUpIt campaign featured actors participating in human bowling on a ski slope which targeted athletic youngadults. In the commercial, people engage in the fun activity while snacking on the product, associating adventure and taking risks with the Bear Naked cereal. The ad targets young, athletic, and spontaneous consumers to promote getting outside and taking advantage of life. The ad does not mention nutrition al facts in the campaign, but promotes the brand through adventure and activity.

Fiber One Fiber One has a minimalistic logo with inconsistent branding across their products as color and words change between certain products. One area Fiber One excels in, however, is social media and its recent #SnackDrama campaign, which has been reported to make dieting easier and more fun. Doing a funny campaign is a direction Kashi has yet to explore but should be considered.

Nature Valley In 2015, Nature Valley implemented its Get Out There campaign, encouraging consumers to “get out there” and go outside with Nature Valley as the fuel necessary to do so. Nature Valley connects healthy diets with healthy living. Nature Valley incorporated social media into the campaign by creating the hashtag #GetOutThere to encourage fans and consumers to use social media to show how they are getting extra energy with the brand. Through this campaign, Nature Valley connected their product to actual nature, and promoted the idea that the two are intertwined.

BRAND ANALYSIS

From Kashi’s conception in 1984 until its acquisition by Kellogg’s in 2000, the company’s positioning and branding fit well with the market. Highlighting things like organic, healthy, wholesome, trustworthy and all natural, Kashi successfully branded itself as healthy and GMO-free, gaining a high amount of trust with consumers during its early years.

Several aspects of Kashi’s merchandising and marketing contribute to its successful branding as a wholesome provider of breakfast foods. The name “Kashi” comes from a combination of the words “kashruth,” meaning kosher, and “Kushi,” the last name of the couple who introduced a dietary regimen in America. The combination of these two names in Kashi contributes to the brand’s healthy/health-conscious image. Kashi also has a noticeable presence on the grocery store shelves. Kashi cereal boxes are white with bright colored accents such as red, yellow, orange and pink, which allow the powerful Kashi logo to stand out more. This allows consumers to identify the brand more clearly. Like almost every cereal brand, Kashi has an enlarged picture of the cereal on the front of their boxes.

However, they set themselves apart from the competition with the names of their cereals. GOLEAN Crunch or GOLEAN Crisp, titles which are synonymous with “thin,” reinforces Kashi’s values that coincide with health and fitness. Kashi has situated itself well in the marketplace with its unique logo and packaging, which aligns well with the company’s focus on healthy living and all natural products.

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MEDIA USAGE ANALYSIS An examination of Simmons data gives insight into the Kashi consumer and their usage of various media outlets.

Analysis shows that television is the medium that is slightly better than average for the Kashi consumer when compared to the general population, but also not ideal. While Kashi consumers rely on TV as their main source of entertainment, they dislike commercials.

This suggests that Kashi consumers have a general distaste for advertising in general, but enjoy funny media. Key statistics to take away from Kashi consumers and television include: • Those who think all TV ads are annoying are 16% more likely to buy Kashi • Those who identify as “TV” addicts are 16% less likely to eat Kashi • Of Kashi consumers, 42.6% rely on TV as their main source of entertainment • Of Kashi consumers, 46.4% avoid TV commercials • Of Kashi consumers, 64.8% like TV commercials that make them laugh While Kashi consumers may use television for entertainment purposes, those who primarily rely on magazines to stay informed are 23% more likely than the general population to buy Kashi, and of Kashi users, 25.8% read the advertisements in them just out of curiosity. Similarly, radio users are 5-7% more likely than the general population to purchase Kashi.

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Although Kashi consumers use a variety of different media, thefrequency in which they consume them varies. Based on further analysis of Simmons data, those who use the web and read magazines are generally more likely to buy Kashi, while those who do not read magazines, watch TV or listen to the radio are much less likely to buy. Kashi consumers also most frequently watch TV and listen to the radio. Key statistics to take away from media frequency include: • Of Kashi consumers, 78.6% visited a website in the past 30 days; if they have visited, they are 12% more likely to buy Kashi • Of Kashi consumers, 74% read a magazine in the past 30 days; if they have read, they are 18% more likely to buy Kashi; If someone has not read a magazine in the past 30 days, they are 30% less likely to buy Kashi • Of Kashi consumers, 90.2% watched TV in the past 7 days; if they have not watched TV in the past 7 days, they are 22% less likely to buy Kashi • Of Kashi consumers, 83.9% listened to the radio in the past 7 days; if they have not listened, 24% less likely to buy Kashi.

In addition to traditional media, social media is a popular medium among Kashi users, although most users do not rely on it for information or advertisements. Kashi consumers use social media much more frequently than other brands in their market. However, analysis indicates that Kashi users do not trust data presented on social media, indicating that social media may be a good plat-

CATEGORY CREATIVE ANALYSIS Kashi has branded itself as a company promoting “wholesome foods made with real nutrition.” They promote positive and healthy change through the foods that people consume. By incorporating whole grains into their products, Kashi aims to provide proper nutrition with real ingredients to nourish the people and the world.

Based on this idea, Kashi came out with a general tagline to represent their brand: “Seven Whole Grains on a Mission.”

This tagline represents their goal to use whole grains as a position and mechanism to healthier eating and living. The creative agency that handles Kashi is called Amazon Advertising—a San Francisco-based creative shop under Leo Burnett.

Past Campaigns

“As Much Protein As An Egg” While many of Kashi’s campaigns have focused on emotional appeals, the company has had some advertisements with an informational focus as well. Kashi developed a life-sized egg and gave out Kashi cereal to promote that it has as much protein as an egg.

While highlighting the protein aspect of their mainly grain products, Kashi targeted consumers concerned with health and nutritious eating.

“As Much Protein As An Egg”

Kashi REAL Project

Kashi REAL Project This campaign aimed to work with nonprofit organizations that promote healthy eating through access to food and education. The Kashi REAL stands for Renew Eating and Living. It was started to promote awareness about real food deprivation and promote the consumption of “real food” across the country. This campaign positioned Kashi and its products to promote a larger issue, food deficit, and targeted children by promoting education and healthy eating across schools and community centers.

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Creative Analysis Insights According to AdAge, Kashi has had trouble in past campaigns because they have failed to focus on progressive nutrition. The article attributes the failure to a “stale innovation model, a lack of purposeful brand positioning and a communications model that hasn’t evolved to keep up with the changing use and consumption of media.” They feel that Kashi has lost traction with its consumers and needs to develop a new identity through a more storytelling model of marketing and advertising as opposed to mundane traditional models. The health and organic food market is becoming more mainstream, which means that Kashi and other cereal brands need to stand out from the clutter and present more unique selling tools in order to persuade the consumer to buy their product.

PUBLIC OPINION

The 2012 soy GMO controversy resulted in a major decline for the perception of Kashi. The negative perception of the brand spread quickly across social media channels, with a specific post highlighting Kashi’s faults that garnered over 11,000 shares. Though Kashi made efforts to realign consumer perceptions with their desired positioning through response videos featuring a Kashi team member and nutritionist, opposing organizations fired back disputing Kashi’s damage control, ultimately leading to the current negative consumer perception of the brand.

Most marketing for natural and organic foods consist of pure information (what is in the food, what it’s made out of, how it is healthy for you), so it could be beneficial for Kashi to use more emotional appeals in order to identify with consumers. In a market where every cereal is “healthy, nutritional, natural,” Kashi needs to target what the food can do for the consumer, not just what is in it.

The natural and organic cereal category is just one area where companies and brands are vying for the attention and brand loyalty of the conscious consumer. Consumers in this space want to be healthier, but they’re also part of a bigger, values-based movement.

For this intelligent and explorative audience, marketers need to offer something beyond the facts if they want to connect.

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Kashi’s core issue has been its ambiguous stance on its ingredients and use of GMOs. In November 2013, Kellogg Company CEO, John Bryant spoke out about Kashi’s recent dropping revenue and lack of competitive edge in the market. Bryant stated that the Kellogg brand had become “too mainstream,” and that the company needed to start doing more to make Kashi popular again among its target market of “forward thinkers” on the nutrition front. In May 2014, Kellogg’s announced it would be dropping “all-natural”

and “nothing artificial” labeling on certain products on the Kashi line after a consumer lawsuit accused the company of making false claims following lab studies which found ingredients like pyridoxWhile Kellogg’s has stood by their use of GMOs and has tried to pinpoint Kashi as their “healthy alternative,” inadequate funding from Kellogg’s to the Kashi brand is causing setbacks in the company’s mission to become GMO-free. Being GMO-free requires higher-grade ingredients, and if Kellogg’s does not allocate sufficient funding to Kashi, accomplishing the company’s goal of becoming GMO-free by 2016 may be unreachable.

Kashi’s communication with consumers via social media and their website also draws concerns. The brand’s Twitter account is centered on its non-GMO project movement and its #theworldismygym campaign, while its website emphasizes healthy living with a monthly newsletter. While these communications over me-

Kashi’s core issue has been its ambiguous stance on its ingredients and use of GMOs.

dia and from spokespersons are in accordance with Kashi’s positioning and branding, they do nothing to address their recent issues and accusations. Kashi is on a downward slide within the media and public eye and is doing little to reverse it.

Consumers responded to the GMO crisis with backlash against Kashi over social media. Consumers commented on Kashi’s posts and wrote on their pages about discontent with the brand’s misleading packaging and claims, as well as tweeted their dislike of Kashi products. The most detrimental impact to Kashi’s image was a Rhode Island grocery store which stopped selling Kashi products in the midst of the GMO scandal. News of the story went viral and thousands of consumers saw the story over a variety of social media outlets.

Ultimately, Kashi has a lot to rectify as far as its branding, public opinion and external communication to consumers. Confusion and contradiction about Kashi’s messages and stance on ingredients has led to a breach of trust within the cereal market and beyond, and the brand’s image continues to falter. With predictably dwindling sales and no legitimate substantial action to fix their trajectory, lawsuits might very soon be the least of Kashi’s concerns.

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STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS BICEP

Andean Family Farmers (AFF)

Lessened involvement following Kashi’s GMO controversy In trying to recruit stakeholders with like-minded goals for health and the environment, there is a real possibility Kashi is alienating these stakeholders by not being able to uphold their own end of the bargain. Health organization GMO Free USA even has a banner on the front page of their website with the tagline, “Boycott Kellogg’s: You Can Change the Food System” in response to the company’s aforementioned issues. To respond to this, Kashi joined with the Non-GMO Project, a leading North American independent NonGMO verification program, and is currently in phase one of a new GMO-free program with the objective of having all their products be GMO-free by 2016.

Kashi has attempted to rectify its image and reassert its healthy living objectives by partnering with the Andean Family Farmers partnership (AFF) in 2015, which is a non-profit organization designed to support quinoa farmers in Bolivia.

Government Agencies Institute regulatory nutrition definitions used by outside parties to incriminate Kashi Government agencies have primarily impacted Kashi by regulating nutritional definitions which Kashi has been challenged to meet.

Through appealing to these definitions, outside agencies utilize government entities such as the FDA as a vehicle to incriminate the brand. With Kashi’s recent slide, getting organizational stakeholders to commit and stay on with the brand seems to be a losing proposition for the time being. Kashi employees are likewise suffering following the company’s previously mentioned downsize and relocation to Michigan, which divided its workforce, decreased employee satisfaction, and made its primary headquarters less marketable to future potential employees.

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The Non-GMO Project

Kashi’s only major investor stakeholder listed on their website--currently their primary vehicle for establishing their brand’s non-GMO direction.

The Health Food Community

Backlashed on social media and brought lawsuits against Kashi for false claims about their non-GMO and “all-natural” ingredients--as this is arguably Kashi’s primary target consumer, recapturing their trust should be of utmost importance to Kashi.

Kashi Employees Many were released following Kashi’s move to Michigan, resulting in depleted satisfaction and workforce.

Producers for Kashi

Through the Andean Family Farmer’s partnership (AFF) in Bolivia, Kashi is openly and actively trying to connect with and support community farming endeavors.

SWOT ANALYSIS

S

strength

• Logo/packaging • “healthy” and “natural” position in the market • Makes consumer feel full and energized

• PR issues: controversies with false ingredient claims • Stakeholder issues: weakness lack of financial support from Kellogg’s to go non-GMO

W

• Booming health/fitness target market • More focus on funny ad campaigns • Independence from opportunity Kellogg’s • Recapture consumer trust

O

T

threat

• Competitive health/fitness market • Recovering economy and declining sales of breakfast cereal • Very exclusive market

KEY ISSUES/IMPLICATIONS There are three key issues Mint Media will be thinking about when crafting our strategic campaign: 1) the changing advertising landscape of organic and all-natural products 2) Kashi’s inefficient handling of PR in regard to the GMO scandal 3) and the weakened brand perception of Kashi It is no longer enough for advertisers to state that the ingredients in their products or that the products they are presenting are good for you. The health and fitness industry is growing at a rapid pace and consumers have become numb to this type of advertising because they’ve heard it all before. Advertisers in the health and fitness industry need to find new ways to make emotional connections with consumers to drive sales.

Kashi’s inefficiency in handling the aforementioned GMO scandal reflects poorly on the brand itself. Kashi has all but ignored the backlash against it and has done nothing to speak out to the public to reassure them in the brand or address their concerns. Kashi’s attempt to belie controversy, while safe, is making the company seem even more suspect.

Along with the GMO scandal came a weakened brand perception of Kashi and wavering trust with their products. Consumers no longer trust that Kashi’s food is healthy, hurting their fundamental branding. Right now, many consumers are speaking poorly of Kashi on social media for the world to see, hurting potential business in the process. If perceptions of the Kashi brand cannot be rectified, their revenue will continue to decrease and the brand will continue to fail.

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The focus should be on you, not us.

CAMPAIGN STRATEGY Spencer Roehre | Account Director

STRATEGY SUMMARY Kashi has suffered recently in the media splotlight and with revenue sales, with a 20 percent drop in sales from their cereal department in the last year according to data from Consumer Edge Research. The primary focus for Kashi is to turn around both these areas, which are inexorably intertwined, and transform them into a strongpoint. This end goal is ultimately being serviced by MINT Media’s campaign, which will not only put Kashi cereal back into the primary spectrum of popular health food cereal, but will reinvigorate old and newer consumers alike into pursuing the type of lifestyle and daily cereal choices that Kashi as a brand represents.

OBJECTIVES STRENGTHEN Resurrect and strengthen Kashi’s image with the public, stakeholders and its consumers.

ENGAGE

PIVOT

Actively engage consumers, encouraging them to use Kashi cereal as a stepping stone to being active and pursuing their dietary, nutritional and athletic goals.

Pivot Kashi’s position in the market to be the fueling agent that enables goal-oriented people to accomplish both their smallest and largest tasks.

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CONSUMER TARGET Primary Target: Linda Phillips

Linda Phillips is a white, 57-year-old wife and mother of three. She has been married to her husband Mark for 33 years, and together the couple have three children. Though their children have moved away, Linda and Mark still live in a suburb of Chicago, and have recently taken in Linda’s aging mother. With an annual household income of around $110,000, Linda lives a comfortable lifestyle, but by no means an extravagant one. Linda still holds a demanding full-time job, but makes an effort to lead an active life, with specific interests in yoga, bicycling, hiking and golf.

Linda wakes up at 6:00am and has a quick breakfast before going to yoga class at 6:45am. At 8:00 am, though fatigued after the long workout, Linda must rush to report to her full-time job as a communications specialist for a local pharmaceutical company. After a long day of work, Linda returns home and tends to her backyard garden before cooking dinner for her husband Mark. On weekends, Linda enjoys taking long bike rides with Mark and tending to her backyard garden - the beets should live until October! When money permits, Linda enjoys traveling to see her children.

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WHY LINDA? •Women age 55-64 have the highest baseline index for Kashi of any demographic.

• Buyers likely live in the suburbs outside of the larger Midwestern cities.

• People with more children are more likely to eat breakfast (83 percent of respondents with 2-3 kids indicating they eat breakfast on a daily basis).

• Consumer who is busy and older but still strives to retain a healthy and active lifestyle and may already eat Kashi to eat more of it.

KEY INSIGHTS Through our research, we chose older women with 2-3 kids who lead active lifestyles to be our primary target. In addition to a higher likelihood of eating breakfast, we found women age 35-64 are statistically some of the most active people.

Furthermore, our research has found Kashi consumers are more likely to work out prior to their paid job, and afterwards return home for tasks such as housework and gardening, making our target an ideal candidate for our positioning as a fueling agent enabling consumers to achieve anything in life.

Secondary Target: Adrian Gomez & Melissa Hunter Adrian Gomez, a 26-year-old Mexican-American and his girlfriend Melissa Hunter, a 24-year-old white American are both recent college graduates pursuing promising careers in Miami, Florida.

Adrien went to the University of Virginia before graduating with a BBA, he now works as a business analyst for a promising tech upstart in Miami. Melissa also went to the University of Virginia, graduating with a degree in psychology. She is currently working full-time at a local insurance company, saving money with the intention of entering graduate school to become a psychologist.

Adrian and Melissa and have been dating since college, and do not have any children.

Adrian and Melissa are very active on social media.

While Adrian uses Facebook to keep up with friends from college, Melissa enjoys the creative aspects of Instagram and Pinterest, taking a special interest in the DIY projects and recipes. Adrian and Melissa make a conscious effort to be active both socially and physically. They go on morning runs together, and enjoy going out for dinner and drinks with friends after work. Though not yet engaged, both Adrian and Melissa are looking toward a future of marriage and, when the time is right, children.

WHY ADRIAN & MELISSA? • The health and fitness industry is growing most rapidly within the Latino/Hispanic community, represented by Adrian Gomez.

• Hispanics were found to be significantly more likely to state they are “very interested” in natural and organic products compared to whites and blacks.

• Men ages 18-34 are the biggest snackers, averaging 2.5-5 snacks per day.

• Women ages 18-34 prioritize health and nutrition.

KEY INSIGHTS In targeting an educated couple that’s committed to reaching their career goals while still maintaining an active lifestyle, Kashi will be targeting the people visiting the grocery store most frequently. Furthermore, the South-Atlantic region of the United States yields the highest geographic index of people most likely to buy Kashi, with a score of 126, meaning Adrian and Melissa’s home in Miami, Florida is in the heart of our secondary market location.

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COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE “Healthy” Brand

Over 90 percent of respondents affiliated the Kashi brand with positive words such as “healthy”, “cereal”, “grain”, “good”, “wholesome”, “nutrition” and “clean”. This recognition, combined with the product’s healthy qualities and ingredients, gives Kashi opportunities and widespread availability few other health food cereals enjoy on both a local and national scale.

High Recognition

Kashi’s advantage over other cereal suppliers is that it can put its cereal on more store shelves than other companies and at an equally competitive price, while its value remains consistently high—along with its brand recognition. Kashi is one of the premier distributors of health food cereal in the country, with one of the most recognizable logos and names in the business.. This ubiquitous recognizability, combined with its national availability, gives Kashi a strong natural edge over competitors.

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Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Over two-thirds of consumers immediately affiliate Kashi with the word “healthy.” Kashi seeks to use this platform to integrate our product into consumers’ daily lives. Kashi cereal is designed to be used as a building block to an overall healthy and active lifestyle.

Kashi cereal will be differentiated from our competitors in that the consumer’s lifestyle will be kept in mind throughout the entire process—from selecting the producers of the grains that go into our product to distributing the product to the most convenient store shelves near you—the consumer.

POSITIONING

BRANDING

Kashi cereal is going to be positioned in the market as meal for any time of day that can energize the consumer to conquer their goals and tasks. It will be represented as a readily available and versatile product that can fulfill a variety of dietary needs, with an emphasis on pre-exercise nutrition and its roles as a wholesome fueling agent. 55 percent of consumers prefer to eat after they exercise, while 31 percent reported preferring to eat before. Kashi will maximize upon this finding by positioning itself as a healthy way to fuel up for the coming adventure.

Kashi will brand itself as the food that enables success. The health food market is crowded with companies stating their health benefits and ingredients. Kashi will stray away from this common trend and seize the “pre-activity” snack market to differentiate itself in the health industry and appeal to its primary and secondary target markets. Kashi will implement a strategy that focuses on stories of different people achieving different goals in a humorous way with one similarity-- their endeavor began with Kashi.

Kashi’s Current Positioning Kashi’s current position in the market is a healthy cereal that focuses on its ingredients, but cannot substantiate its claims. As a result of the Non-GMO scandal in 2012, consumers lost trust in Kashi’s wholesome claims. However, regardless of having GMOs, it has been found consumers still perceive Kashi in an overall positive way, with 65 percent of survey respondents identifying the Kashi brand as “healthy” when asked to describe their opinion of the brand.

Desired Positioning Kashi’s desired position in the market is to be seen as cereal that enables people to accomplish their active goals. Looking ahead, Kashi will shift its position in the market away from only focusing on it’s ingredients, and instead focus on how the product can help consumers stay active and adventurous.

Kashi’s Current Branding Currently, Kashi has an extremely weak brand personality that is only apparent through its lackluster social media presence. Kashi rarely runs television advertisements, and relies on magazines to brand itself, leaving little room to showcase its personality.

On social media, Kashi focuses on informing consumers of healthy choices they can make with its products, providing generic and friendly responses to consumers, but lacking any distinct personality.

Desired Branding Kashi desires to have a spunky, clever and humorous brand personality. This will appeal to Kashi’s consumers who use social media more frequently than other brands in the market. Kashi could benefit strongly from a new, engaging brand personality to appeal to its target market.

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SCOPE Building on resolutions, the campaign will launch on New Year’s Eve, giving our consumers a starting platform for the goals and achievements Kashi will help them attain throughout the year. According to a 2015 Nielsen study, the top three New Year’s resolutions are to “stay fit and healthy,” “lose weight,” and “enjoy life to the fullest,” all of which align with Kashi’s campaign and vision.

Kashi will help consumers accomplish and maintain these goals moving forward, identifying with their personal journey along the way.

Kashi’s campaign will focus on the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Consumers who are wealthy are more likely to buy Kashi, making these regions of the United States a great place to begin the campaign. Additionally, Kashi’s campaign will expand to Detroit, Michigan, San Antonio, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia.

MINT Media’s research shows that consumers in those regions purchase Kashi much more frequently than their neighboring cities and states.

Kashi will use various media platforms in the campaign, focusing on social media, magazine, television and outdoor advertisements. Social media will be used because of Kashi’s primary and secondary targets relying heavily on it to receive information. It will be a good platform to build brand image, engage customers and enhance Kashi’s brand personality.

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Currently, Kashi relies heavily on print advertisements to reach its audience. A Simmons survey supported this claim, finding that 74 percent of Kashi users have read a magazine in the past 30 days and are 18 percent more likely to buy Kashi if they have. It will also be a great platform to promote awareness of Kashi’s new goal-oriented brand image.

Television advertisements will be used to target heavy consumers of Kashi. 90.2 percent of Kashi users watch TV on a weekly basis, and those who don’t are 22 percent less likely to buy Kashi. Television advertisements will be useful for telling stories about how Kashi fuels people and enables them to achieve their goal, which

The top three New Year’s resolutions are to “stay fit and healthy,” “lose weight,” and “enjoy life to the fullest.”

CREATIVE BRIEF The creative plan will focus on what eating Kashi cereal can do for consumers, not just on what ingredients are in the products. Identifying with consumers and creating loyal relationships will strengthen our brand and allow individuals to more easily identify with the Kashi brand.

The campaign will seek to use our positive attributes to appeal to consumers. This will happen through print, outdoor and television ads, as well as the creation of a more stable and relatable brand personality facilitated through social media.

By stepping away from the traditional methods of strategic communication with regard to the health food community, Kashi aims to use emotional appeals in order to identify with their consumer market. Consumers will buy our product because Kashi does something unique for them; it allows them to accomplish anything they set their mind to. We will stress health, but because our positioning is already strong, we will focus on the rewards of eating Kashi cereal prior to physical activity, as opposed to competitors whose focus remains solely on beneficial

STRENGTHEN

ENGAGE

PIVOT

Kashi has a long-standing and established position in the market. According to our primary research survey, the most common words used to describe Kashi were healthy, organic, cereal, grain, green and natural.. Now we are taking our established position and letting the consumers know what they are actually getting out of the wholesome ingredients that Kashi delivers to them. This information is what has been lacking in past campaigns.

MINT Media want Kashi to be a part of each individual’s journey to success, the target consumer should feel like Kashi is not only a part of the process to reach their goals and to strive for greatness, but a part of themselves, too. The brand’s personality, further strengthened via social media in addition to the campaign itself, will seek to identify with the consumer on a relatable and humorous level in order to foster trust between both parties, and to position Kashi as something not only different, but better than its competitors.

After seeing the creative campaign, we hope the target market will want to use Kashi as the fueling agent to complete everyday activities, provide themselves with energy for adventures and set future goals. These goals can be related to health and fitness, or they can be individualized goals such as completing homework assignments, hiking a mountain or cooking a meal for their children.

We want Kashi cereal to be thought of as not only a breakfast cereal, but a snack and meal appropriate for any time of day.

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Cereal doesn’t just fill you, it fuels you.

CREATIVE PLAN

Ava Paradise | Copywriter/Creative Director Brenda Zhu | Art/Creative Director

CREATIVE OVERVIEW The Big Idea

Tagline

Instead of highlighting the healthy ingredients in its products, MINT Media helps Kashi focus on what the brand can do for you, our target consumer, to achieve life goals and establish a healthy lifestyle. By spreading and promoting what individual target consumers can get out of their Kashi experience—power, energy and fuel—MINT aims to build a strong community between Kashi and its consumers. Our primary target market, older women aged 5564, have special attributes that have informed our strategic campaign. As women who are sandwiched between sending their children to school and taking care of their aging parents, they need motivation and strength to take care of their families as well as themselves.

Mint Media will aim to shift the focus away from Kashi’s “7 Whole Grains on a Mission” campaign, to the consumer’s mission by implementing the “What’s Your Crunch?” campaign. Creating the environment for our target consumers to take control of their lives, accomplish their goals and receive the fuel to do so with Kashi by their side.

We understand that although our target consumers are not necessarily older women, they are the strongest purchasing power of food and therefore our primary target audience. Similar to older women, our secondary target audience is young professionals who are goal-oriented and prioritize healthy lifestyles.

The newly developed “What’s Your Crunch?” campaign will establish Kashi as the vehicle to motivate our target market.Our ingredients will not only provide them with energy and fuel to start their day and complete their tasks, but also as the mechanism to continue striving toward a healthier life.

Both of the markets have future goals that are individualized to their current lifestyles. Goal-oriented young professionals are trying to survive the day-to-day uphill climb of the “real-world” during post-college. Mom has sent her children to college, is responsible for making sure Dad is on track, is given the burden of taking care of her aging parents, and may have lost track of the goals and plans she wishes to set for herself. The “What’s Your Crunch?” campaign will offer these individuals the chance to take a step back and take control of their lives in a healthy way.

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Slogan

Creative Appeal

The slogan will vary depending on the advertising and what type of emotion we are appealing to. The slogan will connect Kashi to the completion of their individualized goals. For example, the print ads will include the slogans:

Purchasers, consumers, and influencers all want something when they purchase a product, order food off of a menu, or take a second look at an advertisement. Our primary and secondary target markets are goal-oriented people that lead generally busy lives. They prioritize their health and promote healthy lifestyles for themselves and their peers/family. However, sometimes they lack the energy or motivation to do so.

Crunch that inspires and Crunch that rejuvenates.

After this slogan, the copy will read, “Whatever it is, we’re here to help. Kashi, what’s your crunch?”

The #WhatsYourCrunch hashtag will be included on all social media posts as well as the #NewYearNewUs hashtag for the New Years campaign. This hashtag represents the premise that Kashi is going on this journey with you this New Year, associating the consumer’s goals with the Kashi product.

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The creative strategy will directly associate Kashi with those goals.

We target individualized goals and wishes that consumers may have about their lives. Kashi will be portrayed as the mechanism by which those goals can be accomplished. Because the slogan and taglines are very broad, the consumer can look at the advertisements and relate them to their individualized goals, ambitions and subconscious desires.

CREATIVE EXECUTIONS Print Images on all print advertisements will include those related to the tools needed to achieve goals common for our target market, including success at work, increasing gym and workout regimens, engaging in creative hobbies, and desiring to feel younger. We will use emotional appeals to associate the Kashi brand with the success and achievement of these goals.

Magazine Advertisements Women’s Health, O, and Living Better 50 magazines will be used to advertise the “What’s Your Crunch” campaign. These mediums specifically promote healthy lifestyles, self-help, and individual empowerment which successfully complement Kashi’s branding and positioning.

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Billboard Advertisement The billboard and bus advertisements will target our goal-oriented markets through outdoor media. While these individuals are on their way to work or to complete day-to-day activities, they will see the billboard and be reminded that sometimes it is okay to take a break and engage in activities that will make them happy. We want to associate Kashi with this idea and feeling.

Broadcast Television Advertisements We wanted to create television commercials that would tap into our target market’s subconscious goals for themselves. We want mom’s to identify with the Kashi brand by providing them with the tools to achieve their goals and think about themselves. We will use emotional appeals to create associations between the desires to stay healthy, lead active lifestyles, and accomplish life ambitions and Kashi cereal.

By connecting the ideas of overcoming insecurities, achieving goals and taking control of their lives with the Kashi brand, mom’s will feel the need to use our product to make those associations a reality in their own life context.

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Mom “Documentary” Commercial This commercial will act as a short documentary montage. The Kashi executives will interview three mothers and ask them a series of questions related to their daily lives and personal goals. This advertisement will tap into the minds of these goal-oriented women who are often bombarded with the needs of everyone beside themselves. This commercial will remind moms that sometimes they have to put themselves first, and we are here to make that a little easier.

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[NATSOT]- Sounds of people pushing chairs up and shuffling in their seats.

[VO-Kashi Spokesperson]- Kashi asked moms to tell us what their New Year’s resolution’s were this year, and this is what we found.

[SOT: Mom #1]- I want to come home earlier from work.

[SOT: Mom #2]- Make sure my parents get the best care they need.

[SOT: Mom #3]- Spend more time with my kids when they come home from break.

[VO: Kashi Spokesperson]- And then we asked a more specific question.

What do you want to get out of this year for you?

[SOT: Mom #1]- Me? [SOT: Mom #2]- Me? [SOT: Mom #3]- Me?

[SOT: Mom #1]- I want to get back into painting.

[SOT: Mom #2]- Run that half marathon.

[SOT: Mom #3]- Dive into my grandmother’s recipe book.

[NATSOT]- Sound of women laughing and smiling.

[VO]- This year, Kashi’s giving something back to you. Whatever it is, we’re here to help.

[VO]- Kashi, what’s your crunch?

Mom “Feel Younger” Commercial One of the major findings we had about mom’s attitudes when living healthy lifestyles is to look and feel younger. This commercial will tap into this desire by appealing to moms who want to feel younger and more energized on a day-to-day basis. This advertisement will directly target moms and their subconscious desires about looking and feeling younger. Kashi will be the mechanism by which they can achieve that goal!

[NATSOT]- Sound of daughter’s room door opening slowly.

Scene 1: An older mom sneakily opens the door to her daughter’s room. She turns the lights on and tiptoes to her closet.

Scene 2: The mom faces the closet looking at all of the short and tight outfits on the hangers. She looks discouraged but hopeful that one may fit.

Scene 3: She stands on the tip of her toes and reaches to grab a dress off of the hook. She looks worried that her daughter will hear and come upstairs.

Scene 4: The mom has changed into the dress and looks into the mirror.

The dress is tight, she cannot stand straight and looks very uncomfortable. She pouts.

Scene 5: The mom puts the dress away, hangs it back in the closet, shuts the lights and the door to her daughter’s room.

Scene 6: Mom walks into the kitchen discouraged and sits down at the kitchen table next to her daughter.

Scene 7: Her daughter is eating Kashi cereal and slides a bowl to her mom to eat. The mom eats it and smiles.

Scene 8: The next day, the mom is getting ready to leave for work and she catches her reflection in a mirror in the hallway, she feels rejuvenated and energized, something she hasn’t felt for a long time. The mom smiles

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Radio Advertisement

Interactive

Radio will be used in the mornings on weekdays and afternoon on weekends. The will be featured on talk shows and 70s, 80s and 90s channels.

Mobile Application

30-Second Spot

[NATSOT]- Jingle [VO:]- We all have something to strive for.

[VO]- Whether it’s making that final goal.

[NATSOT]- Sounds of the kick of a ball and crowd cheering [VO]- Making sure your family runs on schedule.

[NATSOT]- Sound of a mom rushing to get her kids to school.

[VO]- Finishing that presentation at work.

[NATSOT]- Sounds of paper shuffling and co-workers speaking.

[VO]- Or even getting out of bed in the morning [NATSOT]- Sounds of yawning.

[VO]- Whatever it is, we’re here to help.

[VO]- Kashi cereal. What’s your crunch?

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Kashi’s mobile application will be another avenue for targeted consumers to interact with the Kashi brand and vice versa. To present Kashi’s personality as well as serve as a portal for communication with the consumer, it will include features such as : 1/ Each user will have their own account, where they will be able to post inspiring content for others to see and be able to share their stories, photographs, videos, and ideas about how the Kashi brand has helped them achieve their goals. Partnering up with our public relations campaign, this application will serve as another avenue to submit New Year’s resolutions in the hopes of winning the sweepstakes. Our secondary target, young professionals are more likely to download mobile applications than our primary target.

2/ The Kashi brand will also have an account on the application, which will be useful in interacting with consumers and commenting on their achievements. Every month Kashi will feature a consumer’s story on the homepage of the app, and allow for other users to comment their ideas. We will also feature local farms or farmers each week to promote our com pany’s ideals of fresh and healthy foods to support healthy lifestyles.

3/ It will include a rewards program to foster more brand loyalty.

On the inside of Kashi cereal boxes, we will put a barcode that you can scan on the application. The app will track how many boxes of cereal you have eaten, and at the end of each month, a winner will be chosen and sent a reward of their choosing. The options will include health and food related items.

Facebook MINT Media’s public relations team has partnered with travel company Kayak, and professional chef, Anthony Bourdain to promote Kashi’s #WhatsYourCrunch Sweepstakes event this New Years. By advertising this event through the avenue of Facebook, one of the primary social media networks our target market frequently uses, we feel that we can encourage higher involvement and awareness of the Kashi campaign and featured event (See PR for more details). The advertisement will encourage moms to click and find out more information about Kashi’s campaign and its partnerships with Kayak and Bourdain.

PR Event Facebook Ad

App Download Ad

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Same People.

Different Places.

Relatable Messages.

MEDIA PLAN

Keegan Hasbrook | Media Director

OBJECTIVES

WHAT Kashi’s goal is to have a high reach using consistently low, but cumulatively high frequency over the yearlong campaign to reach Kashi’s target demographics of “sandwiched” women.

WHY This strategy will be used because these busy women will need multiple exposures of the message over a long period of time to integrate Kashi into their daily routines. Kashi hopes to have its target demographics associate its brand with completing goals. This will translate into higher sales universally because the product will be perceived as a tool, not just a cereal.

Impact Media

Non-impact Media

THE CAMPAIGN

Pulse or Plight?

Kashi will rely on pulsing to reach its target demographics.The campaign will focus on accomplishing goals; the media scheduling will reflect this by constantly engaging the target demographic with low levels of advertisements to remind them of their goals and how Kashi can help.

Advertisements will pulse during the start and end of the campaign, and during seasonal changes. Consumers are more likely to search for ways to make reaching their goals easier during these times.

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When and Where?

New Year (January 1st, 2016) to initiate an association between Kashi and resolutions, in the consumers’ minds Spring (March and April 2016) to prompt active consumers to utilize the fresh climate and Kashi as an energizing tool to work towards their New Year’s resolutions Fall (September and October 2016) to track consumers’ goals and begin using examples of the target demographics that achieved their goals in Kashi’s advertisements Winter (December 31st, 2016) to recap the year and the progress that Kashi consumers made to accomplish their goals with the help of the cereal

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The Midwest, where the primary demographic is 1% more likely to live and Kashi sales are the same as the rest of the country Specifically,Chicago, where the primary target is 11% more likely to live and Kashi sales are 11% less than the rest of the country

The South, where the primary demographic target is 6% more likely to live, secondary demographic target is 16% more likely to live, and Kashi sales are 5% less than the rest of the country

The South East, where the primary target is 11% more likely to live, secondary demographic is 19% more likely to live, and Kashi sales are 6% less than the rest of the country

Specifically, Houston, where Kashi sales are 42% less than the rest of the country

Specifically, Miami, where the primary target is 10% more likely to live and the secondary target is 14% more likely to live

THE MEDIA Kashi will use its media purchases to accomplish its consistently low, but cumulatively high frequency goals. This will be done by using media with low CPP to touch many customers over a long period of time, and high frequency goals by using media with high CPP to touch many consumers a few times during pulses. Kashi will use media that effectively conveys emotional messages to consumers in order to promote Kashi’s new brand personality. The selected media must have content similar to Kashi that focuses on active lifestyles, self-help and wellness.

The media must also have a light-hearted tone to be compatible with Kashi’s messages. Finally, the media must be able to be scheduled and placed in one of two ways:

A Throughout the year with low levels of consistent advertisements to reach Kashi’s target demographics multiple times

During the start and end of the campaign to form brand associations between Kashi and goal accomplishment, and during seasonal changes to seize the consumers’ renewed desire to achieve their goals.

B

Dayparts or Apertures?

Kashi will focus on dayparts when ‘sandwiched’ women need a motivation boost. The brand’s consumers rarely read newspapers and do not use primetime media; these mediums will be avoided.

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Magazine

Radio

Media Class Rationale

Media Class Rationale

Magazine advertisements will focus on Kashi’s target demographics in regions with low Kashi sales. The magazines that Kashi will use are released nationally on a weekly or monthly basis. But, Kashi’s advertisements will reach its target regions because Kashi’s demographic targets are 15% more likely to read magazines than the general public. Kashi currently relies on magazine advertisements, making them an effective media for reaching current consumers and building a stronger relationship with them. National women’s magazines’ costs are relatively low, and their engagement with Kashi’s target demographics are high. Consequently, advertisements will be published at low levels in three publications throughout the year to constantly engage Kashi’s target demographics. This will use approximately 36% of Kashi’s media budget.

Radio will be used because it is cheap, personable, and reaches Kashi’s consumers more effectively than other media. Radio advertisements will use dayparts when ‘sandwiched’ women are travelling or have time to spend to themselves. Specifically, Monday through Friday from 6:00am to 10:00am when the primary target demographic is 16% more likely to listen to the radio and the secondary target demographic is 11% more likely to listen to the radio than the general population. Radio advertisements will also be used on Saturday through Sunday from 10:00am to 3:00pm, when the primary target demographic is 18% more likely to listen to the radio and the secondary target demographic is 21% more likely to listen than the general population. Kashi will rely heavily on radio advertisements because of their ability to start conversations about Kashi’s New Year’s resolution campaign and because it will give Kashi’s brand a voice and personality. Radio advertisements are extremely cheap, and their engagement with Kashi’s target demographic is high during transit times. This allows them to be used for pulsing since more advertisements can be purchased for relatively small costs during seasonal changes, and during the start and conclusion of the campaign. This will use approximately 18% of Kashi’s media budget.

Media Vehicle Rationale Women’s Health, O (The Oprah Magazine), and Food Network Magazine will be used because they use healthy living, self-help, and empowering content that matches Kashi’s brand. Also, the primary target demographic is 111% and 64% more likely to read O and the Food Network Magazine, and the secondary demographic is 75% more likely to read the Food Network Magazine than the general population. This media class and its selected vehicles will help Kashi’s overall media goals by promoting its new, personabl brand in an appealing and engaging way.

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Media Vehicle Rationale The advertisements on these stations will be compatible with Kashi because their programs appeal to 25-34 and 55-64 year old women. This media class and selected vehicles will help Kashi’s overall media goals by expanding to new, busy consumers who rely on

radio for entertainment while in transit.

Media Vehicle Rationale

Advertisements will be placed on: • Sunny 99.1, a Houston area station that hosts weekday talk shows between 5:00-8:00am • wShe 100.3, a Chicago area, woman-focused station that combines music and talk shows • 101.5 Lite FM, a Miami area, contemporary station that combines music and talk shows

Television advertisements will be placed on HGTV, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and Oxygen because Kashi’s primary target demographic are 82%, 61% and 41% more likely to watch the networks than the general population, and its secondary target demographic has similar, but less dramatic, behaviors. These channels have a high viewership of Kashi’s target demographic. Also, their advertisements and content align with Kashi’s values by promoting selfhelp, wellness and active lifestyles. This media class and its selected vehicles will help Kashi’s overall media goals by providing women with interactive and humorous content during a vulnerable time in their day.

Television Media Class Rationale Television advertisements will use early morning dayparts to catch the primary target demographic when they want help starting their to-do list. Specifically, Kashi will advertise Monday through Friday from 5:00-11:00am when the primary target demographic is 40% more likely than the general population to watch television.

Television advertisements are compatible with humorous, relatable stories that will allow Kashi to reach its target demographics with emotional content. Kashi does not currently rely on television advertisements, making this an opportunity to engage the target demographic in an interactive and personable way. Kashi will also rely heavily on television advertisements because they can be used during pulses due to their high cost. They will be used heavily at the start, middle and end of the campaign to remind the Kashi’s target demographic about their resolutions and to highlight consumers who have accomplished their goals with Kashi’s help. This media will use approximately 18% of Kashi’s media budget.

Outdoors Media Class Rationale Outdoor media will help Kashi constantly engage their consumers throughout the year. It will also be used to catch women off-guard during their busy days and provide them with a moment of relief.

A billboard and city bus advertisement with humorous, witty messages will be placed in regions with low levels of sales. Billboards and bus advertisements’ costs are relatively high, but the media will be useful during times when other media expenditures are lower. Outdoor media will account for 5% of Kashi’s media budget.

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Media Vehicle Rationale

Media Vehicle Rationale

Billboards will be positioned near high schools, elderly neighborhoods, grocery stores and fitness centers to reach the target demographics. A single city bus with Kashi’s advertisements will also be placed near these areas to maximize its engagement with Kashi’s target demographics.

Banner advertisements will be placed on Shopzilla.com, Cookingchanneltv.com and Overstock.com because the primary target demographic is 130%, 95% and 89% more likely to go on these websites than the general population. These websites are not related directly to health, but they do help ‘sandwiched’ women find deals and complete their shopping goals. Kashi’s messages on these sites will reflect this rationale. The search engines “Bing,” “Google,” and “Yahoo!” will be used with the terms “healthy,” “crunch,” and “resolutions.” This media class and its selected vehicles will help Kashi’s overall media goals by reaching the target demographic with interactive messages on websites that make women’s lives easier by providing deals.

Online Media Class Rationale Banner advertisements and keywords will be purchased to deliver information about Kashi in an engaging way. Banner advertisements and keywords will be used to reach Kashi’s target demographics by providing them with online outlets to receive motivation to complete their goals. Also, online advertisements are inherently interactive, giving Kashi an opportunity to connect with its secondary target demographic who heavily use the internet. Banner advertisements will give consumers an option to view Kashi’s campaign, and the keywords will bring consumers to Kashi’s home site. Banner advertisements’ and keywords’ costs are relatively high when applied to multiple sites. Consequently, they will be used as during times of pulsing, or the start of the campaign, seasonal changes and the end of the campaign. Using online media in this way will spread Kashi’s message during high engagement times. The remainder of the budget will be spent on banner advertisements and keyword purchases.

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Social Media Media Class Rationale Online advertisements focus on drawing consumers to Kashi’s site while social media will focus on forming relationships and presenting information to the secondary target demographic.

Social media will be emphasized because Kashi’s secondary target market is 126% more likely to trust product information presented on social media than other sources. Also, this demographic is 106% more likely than the general public to talk about what they see on social media in face-to-face conversations. This will generate buzz about Kashi’s new campaign and its products. Social media will be used heavily during periods of pulsing, but consistently throughout the year to engage consumers as well. Using so-

cial media costs nothing and reaches the secondary demographic more often than other media, making it an excellent compliment to Kashi’s campaign.

IMPACT MEDIA $ ALLOCATION Outdoor

$2,520,000.00

Media Vehicle Rationale Facebook and Pinterest will be used because of their ability to interact with consumers while presenting factual information. These platforms also promote brand personality and product information catered to younger people. Kashi’s secondary target demographic is 60% more likely to use Facebook than the general population, and Kashi will reply to comments, post interactive content and celebrate consumers’ successes on the platform. Pinterest will be used to post recipes, stories and other healthy-living tips on its board. Both platforms will align with Kashi’s campaign, attract women to Kashi’s site, and form relationships with them.

Keywords

$531,000.00

Targeted Sites

$108,000.00 01

02

03

04

06

07

08

0

COST PER UNIT (IN THOUSAND) UNIT ALLOC.

TOTAL ALLOCATION: $3,159,000.00

CONVENTIONAL MEDIA

EXPENDITURE TOTAL MEDIA SPENDING

05

$3,159,000.00

$8,091,000.OO

$ ALLOCATION

CPP TOTAL

GRPS

$2,022,750.00

$33,103

61

$2,022,750.00

$2,913

694

$4,045,500.00

$21,240

190

National Women's Magazine

TOTAL BUDGET $11,250,000.00

National Radio Morning Drive National Television Morning

TOTAL ALLOCATION: $8,091,000.00

Remainder Total on Impact Media

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TO FIND OUR CRUNCH, WE WANT TO LEARN ABOUT YOURS.

PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN Elliott Sprecher | Public Relations Director

PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY Kashi’s Current PR Stasis Kashi has suffered both in revenue and news outlets in recent years, as discussed here and in the situation analysis. This highlights the need to engage consumers and stakeholders on a new level, a vital step towards rebuilding Kashi’s declining public opinion and image. Product awareness has already been established: a local primary research survey revealed that 90% of respondents affiliated Kashi with positive words such as “healthy,” “grain,” “wholesome,” or “good.” Thus, moving forward will entail re-sparking interest in the brand with a fresh approach to the market that builds on the strength of its consumer base.

Our Strategy Kashi’s public relations strategy will revolve around reaching out and connecting with its consumers on a personal level, focusing attention outward toward lifestyle goals and overall healthy living as opposed to product ingredients. We will target older white women between the ages of 55 and 64, shown to be the most likely demographic to consume Kashi. Our secondary target consumers will be a younger demographic comprising the health and fitness industry, including the Latino/Hispanic community, who were more likely than other demographics to recognize Kashi’s brand and state their interest in natural and organic products. Our public relations strategy will inherently be geared toward engaging these consumers as well as other Kashi stakeholders.

Other weaknesses of Kashi will also be addressed: namely, clear communication with various publics—a weakness evidenced by the lack of direct response by Kashi throughout the GMO scandals and after—as well as the perception of a stronger brand identity. This will all be accomplished in a number of ways.

In short, our overall objectives for the public relations and promotions plan are as follows: 1/ Divert attention from ingredients to our consumers’ goals, achievements, and lifestyles 2/ Specifically target our optimal consumers—women between the ages of 55 and 64—as well as younger fitness- and health-oriented active adults 3/ Build a better brand identity and personality 4/ Increase engagement and communication with stakeholders

PR Budget

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NEWS COVERAGE AND BRAND OPINIONS

The majority of press coverage concerning Kashi has not been positive in the last few years. Below is a small collection of examples of such coverage that cast Kashi and its parent company, Kellogg, in a negative light: Kashi cereals’ ‘natural’ claims prompt protests; Kellogg says it’s done nothing wrong with ingredient selection

by Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, April 30, 2012 Kellogg CEO: Kellogg has become too mainstream

by Associated Press, Detroit Free Press, Nov. 4, 2013 Kellogg to Alter Label on Kashi Line

by Stephanie Strom, New York Times, May 8, 2014

Breakfast Blues Cereal Sales Continue Tumble, Hurting Makers

by Staff Writer, The New York Post, Feb. 14, 2015 Kellogg Changes Recipe for Healthier Sales

by Staff Writer, Wall Street Journal (Abstracts), Sept. 1, 2015 Kellogg’s Breakfast Business Shrinks

by Associated Press, The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), Aug. 5, 2015

Following initial sales growth after Kashi’s acquisition by Kellogg, the brand has seen a steady decline in revenue, customer loyalty and reputation in recent years. Confusion and contradiction about the brand’s stance on ingredients and GMO’s has led to a betrayal of trust within the cereal community as Kashi’s image continues to falter.

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Considering this and Kashi’s current trajectory in the media, a good strategy moving forward would be to depart entirely from focus on GMOs or product ingredients and embrace a bigger-picture, large scale focus on the consumer, highlighted by a new campaign with a completely fresh “take” on the Kashi brand.

How Mass Opinion Will Be Tracked Kashi’s PR campaign will be driven in large part by Instagram and Facebook, so monitoring mass opinion on these platforms will be crucial for Kashi to respond quickly and effectively to consumers if an issue arises. The level of customer participation in the sweepstakes will also provide evidence into how invested Kashi’s consumers are. In addition, Kashi will consistently feature polls on its website and social media pages to gauge consumer opinions on Kashi as its 2016 PR campaign commences.

This will help Kashi better understand reception to the campaign and where it stands on current objectives, enabling them to alter various aspects of their image or campaign as need be—adaptability has been a problem with the brand before in its GMO controversies and persists as a vital component of Kashi’s success in the market.

How Press Relations Will Be Fostered A positive relationship with the press is critical for Kashi’s image to regain lost ground from recent years and alter the status quo moving forward. Kashi will strive to be the first to provide the press with any information about the company and its campaign, ensuring that transparency will be a major shift in Kashi’s

values. Kashi will release all relevant information to journalists in a timely manner and will communicate directly with media moving forward, remaining open to questions and concerns while also maintaining its strategic goals.

Kashi’s ensuing 2016 #WhatsYourCrunch Sweepstakes PR campaign will also garner ample media attention with its inclusion of a sweepstakes, major event, and partnerships.

Media Contacts Listed below are a few examples of contacts within the media we will be interacting with on a regular basis. These were selected for their status, applicability to our mission (i.e. vested in healthy living), or location. This list will be expanded locally and nationally to accompany our campaign goals. · · · · · · · · ·

Mark Bittman—New York Times Jennifer LaRue Huget—Washington Post David Pollard—Chicago Tribune Nancy Lloyd—Los Angeles Times Paul Sisson—San Diego Union Tribune Maria Russo—Food Network Magazine Ben Breslerman—Travel Channel Blog Patricia Babjak—Food and Nutrition Magazine David Stienmann—Healthy Living Magazine

STAKEHOLDERS

Consumers Many of Kashi’s loyal customers felt betrayed because of Kashi’s GMO scandal, responding to the controversy with backlash against Kashi over social media. Consumers have been vocal of late about sharing their discontent with Kashi’s misleading packaging, claims and ingredients. Most obviously, consumer displeasure with Kashi is evidenced by dwindling sales and revenue.

Health Food Community The health food community was responsible for the lawsuits against Kashi for false claims about their non-GMO and “all-natural” ingredients. Their dissatisfaction has gone beyond dismissing the company’s product to actually lashing out against it. As arguably Kashi’s primary general consumer, recapturing their trust should be of utmost importance to Kashi.

Media There are few positive mentions of Kashi’s lately in the news.

Most are concerned with the issues and controversies Kashi has faced about GMOs and various product ingredients, and recently the CEO’s statement that Kashi is too “mainstream.” Kashi comments on these instances have been elusive and generic; interaction with the media needs to be addressed more clearly moving forward.

Employees When Kashi’s headquarters in San Diego closed in 2013, employ45

ees were forced to choose between relocating to Michigan and being released from the company completely. Many of the original employees consequently left, and with them the Kashi spirit.

Since then Kashi has relocated back to San Diego (La Jolla), but the rift in employees caused by the move is likely still festering.

Producers/growers Kellogg, Kashi’s parent company, is responsible for procuring most of the grain used in Kashi cereal products, and both Kellogg’s and Kashi actively support local farmers and growers in the areas they harvest supplies from. In all, Kashi’s charitable contributions propagate its health food mission focus and seek to further the interest of those with a role in growing and producing Kashi’s core ingredients.

Non-GMO Project USA Kashi partnered with the Non-GMO Project, a leading North American independent Non-GMO verification program, to help corroborate their move to a fully Non-GMO company in the next year. The partnership has been a primary staple of Kashi’s recent campaigns through its website and social media, likely in an attempt to resurrect its faltering image after the GMO controversies of the last few years. This alone has not been enough to completely turn around the opinion of the public and skeptics, though it has perhaps given a little validation to the Non-GMO effort in the meantime.

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CAMPAIGNS #WHATSYOURCRUNCH SWEEPSTAKES OVERVIEW • This will be a six month event, lasting from February through July, and anyone over the age of 18 can participate. The prize for the winners will be a fully paid weekend getaway to any location in the U.S., provided compliments of Kashi’s partnership with the travel company Kayak.

• Participants will be invited to share a story or an experience with Kashi that defines their “crunch.”

• Entries can be submitted to Kashi by mailing in to Kashi’s PO Box, posting on Instagram and Facebook with the hashtag #WhatsYourCrunch, or by using the Kashi mobile application that consumers can access at any time via their smartphone.

• Submitters will also be encouraged to briefly record a description of their optimal weekend getaway within the U.S., whether it be a luxurious vacation to Hawaii or Alaska, a bed-and-breakfast retreat, or simply a trip to see their kids.

• Winners will be selected by a Kashi panel each month, resulting in six overall victors, who will then be invited (along with up to three guests) to an event hosted by Kashi in conjunction with Kayak on September 3rd, in downtown San Diego. The purpose of the event is to formally recognize and congratulate the winners, as well as offer them their prize of a weekend getaway of their choice for up to two people anywhere in the U.S. • This event will effectively place focus on the consumer and garner positive media attention.

PARTNERSHIPS KAYAK As an agency representing travel, freedom and new experiences, Kayak fits in nicely with Kashi’s focus on consumer goals, achievements, and sense of adventure. The partnership will benefit both companies: Kashi’s sweepstakes will promote Kayak in all of its references and publications, in addition to prompting contestants and winners to consider the use of Kayak when they might not have done so otherwise.

Kayak will procure whatever U.S. weekend getaway the winners wish for within reason (the constraints of which ensure the trips should not be overly expensive or too much of an investment for Kayak).

This mutually beneficial partnership is an excellent opportunity for both Kayak and Kashi to gain exposure and offer something meaningful to current consumers while cultivating the interest of new ones.

ANTHONY BOURDAIN Kashi will partner with celebrity chef, author, traveler and TV personality Anthony Bourdain as spokesperson for their #WhatsYourCrunch Sweepstakes. In the past, Bourdain has hosted the show A Cook’s Tour on the Food Network (2001-2002), and after that the popular self-titled show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on the Travel Channel (2005-2012). A recognized chef and personality in almost all circles, Bourdain is the perfect face for the #WhatsYourCrunch campaign.

In addition to his shows revolving around the themes of travel, adventure, and trying new things, he is also a connoisseur of health food and associating him with Kashi cereal will be a benefit to the brand’s image. Bourdain is recognizable to all generations but especially of prominent interest to our target audience of women between the ages of 55 and 64 as a TV celebrity (Bourdain is 59), many of which will have had significant exposure to both his popular programs.

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“CRUNCH FOR GRAINS” EVENT • The winner’s event of Kashi’s 2016 #WhatsYourCrunch Sweepstakes will be held on Saturday, September 3rd, in downtown San Diego.

• Guests will have a choice of receiving a tour of San Diego’s most memorable sights or to spend time on the beach or at the hotel.

Winners will have the opportunity to meet the face of the campaign, Anthony Bourdain, and be catered by his personal staff.

• In August, Kashi’s focus will turn toward the families and small businesses that make its product and many others possible. The “Crunch for Grains” project will seek to raise money for growers, farmers, and small- or family-owned business in the grain industry.

• To do this, Kashi will set up a non-profit GoFundMe account, which they will encourage consumers to donate to on social media and their website, explaining that all donations will be dispersed to grain farmers and small businesses throughout the country.

• A four-course meal and live entertainment will be provided, and Bourdain will address the winners and share some of his own adventures, his affiliation with the campaign’s central theme, and encourage consumers to keep eating healthfully and pursue their goals in life.

• Kashi will make a concerted effort in the month of August to reach a minimum of 15 major regional farmers’ markets in different states around the nation, where they will raise awareness for the project and connect with local growers.

• Every winner’s #WhatsYourCrunch story will be shared with the audience and expounded upon. At the end, each winner’s prize of their ultimate U.S. weekend getaway will be awarded to them by Kayak.

• The last of the month, the 31st, will be “Crunch Day,” where Kashi will officially reveal how much money has been raised for the project; as a surprise, Kashi will announce it is donating $100,000 to the effort as well.

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Beginning Feb. 1, submit your “crunch” by mailing us at Kashi Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 8557 La Jolla, CA 92038, or by posting on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #WhatsYourCrunch. For more details on Kashi’s #WhatsYourCrunch 2016 Sweepstakes, please go to Kashi.com or visit our Facebook page, and keep an eye out for our cereal boxes marked with the sweepstakes information. We look forward to hearing from you!

“I’m excited about the #WhatsYourCrunch sweepstakes and what it stands for,” said Steve Hafner, president of Kayak. “It’s great to be partnering with Kashi for this cause and give a little something back to the people who are going out there every day and making it their own.”

Winners will be announced on Kashi’s website and social media channels each month.

On Sep. 3, all six winners and up to three guests will be invited to a special event held in downtown San Diego, California, where they will receive their prize: an all-expense-paid weekend getaway of their choice in the U.S., compliments of Kashi and its partner Kayak.

“This sweepstakes was inspired as a way for us to connect with our consumers on a more personal level,” said David Denholm, CEO of Kashi. “Every person has to overcome challenges and obstacles as part of life, which can come in any shape or form—finding your crunch is about identifying your place in the world and where you want to end up.”

The sweepstakes will last for a period of six months, from February to July, and winners will be announced each month for a total of six winners. To submit, simply share the story of your “crunch” with Kashi by mailing in to Kashi’s PO Box or by using the #WhatsYourCrunch hashtag for posts on Instagram and Facebook.

Kashi’s #WhatsYourCrunch campaign is about focusing on you, the consumer, and helping you achieve your goals and ambitions. We want to hear about your “crunch”—the stories or events that have shaped you and inspire you to greater heights. Your crunch may your daily routine, a past accomplishment, or whatever motivates you to keep going in life. We want to learn more about you and what makes you tick.

La Jolla, Calif., Jan. 25, 2016—Kashi is pleased to announce it will be hosting a sweepstakes competition beginning next month for its #WhatsYourCrunch 2016 campaign, with the grand prize being a weekend getaway of your choice brought to you by Kashi’s partnership with Kayak.

KASHI INTRODUCES 2016 SWEEPSTAKES, PARTNERSHIP WITH KAYAK

Press Release

Contact: Elliott Sprecher 715-313-3055 esprecher@wisc.edu

INDEX RESEARCH (1):http://www.newproductsconference.com/index.php/10-speaker-bios/168philip-and-gayle-tabuer-bio (2): https://www.kashi.com/what-we-believe/our-commitment (3):http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/news_home/Site_ News/2013/03/Kashi_offices_moving_to_Michig.aspx?ID=%7B02CF59A3-C E21-43AD-87E2-93E240699A19%7D&cck=1 (4): Breakfast Pals Video (5):http://academic.mintel.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/display/629020/ (6): http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=1655 (7): https://www.kashi.com/what-we-believe (8):http://www.fastcompany.com/welcome.html?destination=http://www. fastcompany.com/1548994/natures-path-leads-consumers-through-complicated-grocery-shelves (9):http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2302387/fiber-one-turns-twitter-dieting-drama-into-youtube-snackdrama (10): http://blog.generalmills.com/2014/08/are-you-out-there/ (11):http://adage.com/article/goodworks/marketing-stand-organic-crowd/142877/ (12): http://adage.com/article/agency-news/kellogg-s-kashi-strategy-launches-agency-review/298494/ (13): http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kashi-company-helps-morepeople-enjoy-real-food-one-spoon-at-a-time-182440771.html (14): https://www.causes.com/profiles/188024942/about (15): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhfV-_CZgqQ (16): http://adage.com/article/agency-news/kellogg-s-kashi-strategy-launches-agency-review/298494 (17): http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/general-mills-eyes-organic-natural-food-growth/297186/ (18):http://adage.com/article/goodworks/marketing-stand-organic-crowd/142877/ (19): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/kashi-gmo-use-controver-

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sy_n_1456748.html (20): http://www.freep.com/article/20131104/BUSINESS06/311040138/ Kashi-Kellogg (21): http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/09/business/kellogg-agrees-tochange-labeling-on-kashi-line.html?_r=2 (22): http://naturalsociety.com/independent-lab-confirms-kashi-go-lean-cereal-loaded-with-toxic-glyphosate/ (23): http://www.cornucopia.org/2012/04/angry-consumers-deluge-kashiwith-concerns-over-gmo-subterfuge/ (24): http://www.ceres.org/bicep/about/member-directory/kellogg-company (25): GMOfreeUSA.org (26): http://www.fdalawblog.net/fda_law_blog_hyman_phelps/2011/09/ new-twist-in-natural-lawsuit.html (27):http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/news_home/Business_ News/2015/10/ADM_Kashi_help_bring_irrigatio.aspx?ID={3577A0002294-43A5-B8EF-1F39F145F858}&cck=1 CAMPAIGN STRATEGY (28): Primary Survey Data (2015) (29): Primary Survey Data (2015) (30): Simmons (2015) (31): Primary Survey Data (2015) (32): Primary Survey Data (2015) (33): Simmons (2015) (34): Simmons (2015) (35): Simmons (2015) (36): Primary Survey Data (2015) (37): Primary Survey Data (2015) (38): Primary Survey Data 2015) (39): Primary Survey Data (2015) (40): Simmons (2015) (41): Consumer Edge (Bloomberg.com 2015) (42): Primary Survey Data (2015) (43): Primary Survey Data (2015) (44): Simmons (2015)

(45): Primary Survey Data (2015) (46): Primary Survey Data (2015) (47): Simmons (2013) (48): Simmons (2013) (49): Nieslen Survey (2015) (50): Simmons (2013) (51): Mintel (2015) (52): Primary Survey Data (2015) (53): ADD

MEDIA PLAN (54): “Kashi x Primary x Secondary Geographics” Spring 2013 NCS Adult 12-Month (55): “Kashi- Magazine Use” Spring 2013 NCS Adult Study 12-Month (56): Project Manual (57): “Kashi- Magazine Use” Spring 2013 NCS Adult Study 12-Month (58): “Kashi x Competitors- Media Consumption” Spring 2013 NCS Adult 12-Month (59): “Target Audience Radio Dayparts” Simmons Spring 2013 NCS Adult 12-Month (60): Project Manual (61): “Target Audience Television Dayparts” Simmons Spring 2013 NCS Study 12-Month (62): Project Manual (63): “Target Audience TV” Spring 2013 NCS Adult Study 12-Month (64): Project Manual (65): “Target Audience Websites” Spring 2013 NCS Adult Study 12-Month (66): “Primary and Secondary- Social Media” Spring 2013 NCS Adult 12-Month (67): “Primary and Secondary- Social Media” Spring 2013 NCS Adult 12-Month (68): “Primary and Secondary- Social Media” Spring 2013 NCS Adult 12-Month

(70): EuroMonitor Research (2014) (71): Primary Research (2015) (72): Simmons Survey Data (2015) (73): Simmons Survey Data (2015) (74): Corncopia.org (2013)

Study

Study Study Adult

Study Study Study

PR PLAN (69): Consumer Edge (Bloomberg.com 2015)

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This is our “crunch.”

WHAT’S YOUR CRUNCH?

media integrated for new territory