COMM 421W Final ProjectFall 2016

Kathryn CucuzzaAbby Kelly

Jamie Sellinger

Situation: The Kellogg Company is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan. Kellogg’s produces a variety of cereal and convenience foods. Rice Krispies was marketed by Kellogg’s in 1927 and released to the public in 1928. The longstanding brand is a cereal made of crisped rice. When milk is added to the cereal, the famous “Snap, crackle and pop” sound is created. Snap, Crackle and Pop were illustrated as cartoon mascots in the early 1930s and have since been the face of the brand. In 1939, Rice Krispies Treats were invented by Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day at the Kellogg Company Home. In 1995, the treats were brought to market as a confection of Kellogg’s original Rice Krispies cereal, butter or margarine and melted marshmallows. Kellogg’s Rice Krispies brand offers consumers a versatile snack food that claims to be “one of life’s simple pleasures and one of childhood’s most fun memories”. Cultural Fuel: In society, there has been a long-term decline in stay-at-home moms, and the majority of Americans still believe this is to be true. However, in the last decade, the number of stay-at-home moms is increasing once again (Pew Research Center), and it is becoming more popular and well-regarded in society to be at home to care for the family. Many of these women are ultra-family focused, believing their primary role is to run the household and take care of the family. Also in society, children are spending more and more time on tech gadgets and television. Many stay-at-home moms are searching for new ways to get their kids “unplugged” and away from the screen. These mothers aim to provide creative ways for their kids to interact with their family away from their screens. Marketing Communications: The purpose of our marketing communications is to position Rice Krispies as mother’s go-to snack choice. Rice Krispies gives mothers the opportunity to create a fun and interactive activity for their kids at home. It allows their kids to express themselves while playing with their food and bonding with mom.

Target Audience: Our Target Audience are stay-at-home moms aged 25-49. According to data available on Simmons OneView, the index of females aged 25-49 who are homemakers is 277, helping us to narrow down our demographic. This target audience primarily has children between the ages of 2-11, though they are still more likely than the average population to have children 12-17. Consumer Insight: Again drawing from resources available from Simmons OneView, the demographic of Females ages 25-49 are likely to be stay-at-home moms (referred to by Simmons as Homemakers). Married stay-at-home mothers report that their primary reason for being at home is to care for their children. Because of these maternal and caring instincts, our target audience cares about the food they are feeding their family, and also place a high value on “family time” to bond with the family face-to-face. One of the common misconceptions about stay-at-home moms is that they spend the whole day lounging, but they keep busy with volunteer work, housework, child care, cooking, and many other tasks. Overall, they just want things that are good for their family. Competition: The snack market is very saturated giving mothers many options to choose from for their kids. These snack options include convenience foods like granola bars, popcorn, pretzels, etc that mothers can pack in their kids lunch boxes. Though these are existing options in the snack market, our primary competition are cookies and crackers brands like Pepperidge Farm and Snyder's-Lance. Our secondary competition are other cereal brands including Kellogg’s main competitor, General Mills, who make cereal and cereal bars similar to the Rice Krispies brand. Communication Problem: The communication problem that Rice Krispies faces is their lack of appeal towards children because of their “bland appearance”. In addition, Rice Krispies lacks awareness of the product versatility. Most consumers are unaware of how Rice Krispies can be used in a variety of cooking recipes. In addition, most are unaware of the available resources, like the recipes and cookbooks on the brand’s website. Bottom Line: Focus of Sale: The focus of sale is to show stay-at-home mothers the versatility of Rice Krispies as a way to bond with her kids. Support: Because of treats’ moldable consistency, it can be shaped into any design. The light, neutral color makes it the perfect canvas. Tone and Manner: Our tone will stay true to the Rice Krispies brand. It will be bright with the traditional blue, white, and red used by the brand. The images will focus on family fun and the treats that can be made with Rice Krispies. Creative will also feature the faces of the brand: Snap, Crackle and Pop. Brand Personality: Snap, Crackle, and Pop, who are relatable to kids, have been icons of Rice Krispies since the 1930s. We want to continue the brand’s fun, lighthearted personality by communicating to our target audience that the Rice Krispies brand is creative and versatile for their families.

Persona: Hi, my name is Sarah, and I’m from Kansas. I have two kids, a daughter that is seven, and my son is five years old. My job is the greatest of all time, a stay-at-home mom. There is nothing I love more than getting to spend as much time with my kids as possible. To be able to watch them grow day by day is truly a dream come true. My daughter is very into princesses while my son loves cars. You can

imagine finding an activity to suit both their wants is difficult to find. Not to mention with all their gadgets and TV, getting their attention at all is a strenuous task. However, the one activity the three of us can agree on is making Rice Krispies Treats! It allows me to spend quality face to face time with my kids! I also get to see them interact with each other. My daughter loves to put all the ingredients together while my son tries to eat all of them. No matter the season, there is a Rice Krispies Treat project for them all. We have made christmas trees, pumpkins, easter eggs, watermelon slices and have just stuck to the classic bar. I love these projects because they allow my kids to be creative, have fun, spend some quality family time! The best part is we all get to enjoy delicious snacks together!

Product Class Definition

The leading kid’s cereal

brand

All cereal/snack bars

Cookies and crackers

All convenience snacks

Target Group Selection

Mothers Aged 25-49

Mothers Aged 25-49

Mothers Aged 25-49

Mothers Aged 25-49

Message Element Selection

Rice Krispies are more

nutritious than the leading kid’s

cereal brand.

Rice Krispies Treats are a

better, nutritious option.

Rice Krispies Treats are less

messy for children to eat.

Rice Krispies provides a

snack that can be fun and

creative as well as delicious.

Rationale The leading kid’s cereal

brand, Honey Nut Cheerios,

has 11 grams of sugar compared to Rice Krispies

cereal which has 3 grams of

sugar.

The other options for

cereal/snack bars pretend to

be nutritious, but in reality have little fiber or whole grains and have way

more sugar and calories than a Rice Krispies

Treat.

Cookies and crackers can break in the package, or

create messy crumbs when eaten by kids. Rice Krispies Treats won’t

break or crumble, making them great for

kids.

Because of its soft consistency,

it is able to be molded or cut into any shape or design. In

addition, its light color allows it to

be a blank canvas for

creative DIY ideas.

Works Cited

Cohn, D’Vera, and Andrea Caumont. "7 Key Findings about Stay-at-home Moms." Pew Research Center . N.p., 08 Apr. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2016. Simmons OneView Data, 2016.

Total FEMALE 25 - 29 35 - 39 40 - 44

START FIELD DATE : 04/29/2013END FIELD DATE : 12/04/2013DATE EXECUTED : 11/14/2016

SELECTED BASE : STUDY UNIVERSE

Total FEMALE 25 - 29 35 - 39 40 - 44

Sample 11,620 6,658 631 873 985Weighted(000) 233,196 120,718 18,264 19,410 19,951

Total Vertical % 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%Horizontal % 100.0% 51.8% 7.8% 8.3% 8.6%

Index 100 100 100 100 100Total % 100.0% 51.8% 7.8% 8.3% 8.6%Sample 4,820 2,837 368 686 753

Weighted(000) 84,138 45,938 9,100 13,991 13,161ONE OR MORE Children Vertical % 36.1% 38.1% 49.8% 72.1% 66.0%

Horizontal % 100.0% 54.6% 10.8% 16.6% 15.6%Index 100 105 138 200 183

Total % 36.1% 19.7% 3.9% 6.0% 5.6%Sample 1,116 689 164 220 153

Weighted(000) 22,118 12,998 3,695 4,541 2,6463 TO 5 YEARS Vertical % 9.5% 10.8% 20.2% 23.4% 13.3%

Horizontal % 100.0% 58.8% 16.7% 20.5% 12.0%Index 100 114 213 247 140

Total % 9.5% 5.6% 1.6% 1.9% 1.1%Sample 1,418 838 131 320 269

Weighted(000) 26,946 14,523 2,732 7,781 4,3046 TO 9 YEARS Vertical % 11.6% 12.0% 15.0% 40.1% 21.6%

Horizontal % 100.0% 53.9% 10.1% 28.9% 16.0%Index 100 104 129 347 187

Total % 11.6% 6.2% 1.2% 3.3% 1.8%Sample 1,376 847 209 258 186

Weighted(000) 27,367 15,921 4,951 5,304 3,4182 - 5 YEARS Vertical % 11.7% 13.2% 27.1% 27.3% 17.1%

Horizontal % 100.0% 58.2% 18.1% 19.4% 12.5%Index 100 112 231 233 146

Total % 11.7% 6.8% 2.1% 2.3% 1.5%Sample 6,580 3,434 464 635 729

Weighted(000) 139,824 65,763 13,667 14,716 14,605EMPLOYED FULL OR PART TIME Agree Vertical % 60.0% 54.5% 74.8% 75.8% 73.2%

Horizontal % 100.0% 47.0% 9.8% 10.5% 10.4%Index 100 91 125 126 122

Total % 60.0% 28.2% 5.9% 6.3% 6.3%Sample 7,378 4,298 411 558 649

CROSSTAB TITLE : UntitledSTUDY NAME : Fall 2013 NHCS Adult Study STUDY TYPE : Population

Weighted(000) 152,935 80,275 12,123 13,137 13,789I OFTEN SNACK BETWEEN MEALS Agree Vertical % 65.6% 66.5% 66.4% 67.7% 69.1%

Horizontal % 100.0% 52.5% 7.9% 8.6% 9.0%Index 100 101 101 103 105

Total % 65.6% 34.4% 5.2% 5.6% 5.9%Sample 1,933 1,195 104 125 158

Weighted(000) 35,602 20,702 3,570 2,533 3,898I PREFER FOOD THAT IS PRESENTED AS AN A Vertical % 15.3% 17.1% 19.5% 13.1% 19.5%

Horizontal % 100.0% 58.1% 10.0% 7.1% 10.9%Index 100 112 128 85 128

Total % 15.3% 8.9% 1.5% 1.1% 1.7%Sample 5,520 3,510 258 375 441

Weighted(000) 101,867 60,575 7,402 7,471 9,295NUTRITIONAL VALUE IS THE MOST IMPORT Vertical % 43.7% 50.2% 40.5% 38.5% 46.6%

Horizontal % 100.0% 59.5% 7.3% 7.3% 9.1%Index 100 115 93 88 107

Total % 43.7% 26.0% 3.2% 3.2% 4.0%Sample 4,868 2,907 271 362 441

Weighted(000) 102,364 56,971 8,032 8,117 9,137I FREQUENTLY EAT SWEETS Agree Vertical % 43.9% 47.2% 44.0% 41.8% 45.8%

Horizontal % 100.0% 55.7% 7.8% 7.9% 8.9%Index 100 108 100 95 104

Total % 43.9% 24.4% 3.4% 3.5% 3.9%Sample 6,053 3,829 351 455 533

Weighted(000) 121,671 68,518 9,909 9,806 11,512I REALLY ENJOY COOKING Agree Vertical % 52.2% 56.8% 54.3% 50.5% 57.7%

Horizontal % 100.0% 56.3% 8.1% 8.1% 9.5%Index 100 109 104 97 111

Total % 52.2% 29.4% 4.2% 4.2% 4.9%Sample 3,857 2,604 231 319 341

Weighted(000) 75,404 48,369 5,813 6,656 8,222OFTEN I CAN BE SWAYED BY COUPONS TO T Vertical % 32.3% 40.1% 31.8% 34.3% 41.2%

Horizontal % 100.0% 64.1% 7.7% 8.8% 10.9%Index 100 124 98 106 127

Total % 32.3% 20.7% 2.5% 2.9% 3.5%Sample 6,205 3,632 362 487 596

Weighted(000) 127,551 69,957 10,312 11,102 12,126THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH INDULGI Vertical % 54.7% 58.0% 56.5% 57.2% 60.8%

Horizontal % 100.0% 54.8% 8.1% 8.7% 9.5%Index 100 106 103 105 111

Total % 54.7% 30.0% 4.4% 4.8% 5.2%Sample 5,544 3,438 237 374 464

Weighted(000) 104,958 58,973 6,918 8,390 10,650I PREFER TO EAT FOODS WITHOUT ARTIFICI Vertical % 45.0% 48.9% 37.9% 43.2% 53.4%

Horizontal % 100.0% 56.2% 6.6% 8.0% 10.1%Index 100 109 84 96 119

Total % 45.0% 25.3% 3.0% 3.6% 4.6%Sample 4,639 3,227 218 351 360

Weighted(000) 93,270 61,391 6,709 7,989 7,467I OFTEN READ THE RECIPES THAT COME WIT Vertical % 40.0% 50.9% 36.7% 41.2% 37.4%

Horizontal % 100.0% 65.8% 7.2% 8.6% 8.0%

Index 100 127 92 103 94Total % 40.0% 26.3% 2.9% 3.4% 3.2%Sample 1,209 756 83 86 95

Weighted(000) 21,347 12,215 2,765 2,125 2,131MAGAZINES ARE MY MAIN SOURCE OF ENT Vertical % 9.2% 10.1% 15.1% 10.9% 10.7%

Horizontal % 100.0% 57.2% 13.0% 10.0% 10.0%Index 100 111 165 120 117

Total % 9.2% 5.2% 1.2% 0.9% 0.9%Sample 2,782 1,510 144 207 223

Weighted(000) 57,423 27,592 4,888 4,710 5,863I RELY ON RADIO TO KEEP ME INFORMED Vertical % 24.6% 22.9% 26.8% 24.3% 29.4%

Horizontal % 100.0% 48.1% 8.5% 8.2% 10.2%Index 100 93 109 99 119

Total % 24.6% 11.8% 2.1% 2.0% 2.5%Sample 5,054 3,003 219 329 396

Weighted(000) 98,375 54,064 6,062 7,273 9,116I RELY ON TV TO KEEP ME INFORMED Vertical % 42.2% 44.8% 33.2% 37.5% 45.7%

Horizontal % 100.0% 55.0% 6.2% 7.4% 9.3%Index 100 106 79 89 108

Total % 42.2% 23.2% 2.6% 3.1% 3.9%Sample 3,969 2,417 198 246 274

Weighted(000) 76,646 44,067 4,796 5,635 5,410THERE ARE TV PROGRAMS THAT I ARRANG Vertical % 32.9% 36.5% 26.3% 29.0% 27.1%

Horizontal % 100.0% 57.5% 6.3% 7.4% 7.1%Index 100 111 80 88 82

Total % 32.9% 18.9% 2.1% 2.4% 2.3%Sample 7,142 4,188 385 554 578

Weighted(000) 141,248 75,189 10,370 11,725 12,750I LIKE TELEVISION COMMERCIALS THAT MA Vertical % 60.6% 62.3% 56.8% 60.4% 63.9%

Horizontal % 100.0% 53.2% 7.3% 8.3% 9.0%Index 100 103 94 100 106

Total % 60.6% 32.2% 4.4% 5.0% 5.5%Sample 3,948 2,498 263 437 447

Weighted(000) 75,693 44,801 6,913 9,642 7,997I ENJOY WATCHING KIDS’ TV SHOWS WITH Vertical % 32.5% 37.1% 37.9% 49.7% 40.1%

Horizontal % 100.0% 59.2% 9.1% 12.7% 10.6%Index 100 114 117 153 123

Total % 32.5% 19.2% 3.0% 4.1% 3.4%Sample 4,732 3,126 382 486 500

Weighted(000) 100,485 59,809 12,194 10,705 10,187FACEBOOK.COM Vertical % 43.1% 49.5% 66.8% 55.2% 51.1%

Horizontal % 100.0% 59.5% 12.1% 10.7% 10.1%Index 100 115 155 128 118

Total % 43.1% 25.6% 5.2% 4.6% 4.4%Sample 577 358 *53 77 66

Weighted(000) 11,640 6,820 *1,559 1,288 1,076TWITTER.COM Vertical % 5.0% 5.6% *8.5% 6.6% 5.4%

Horizontal % 100.0% 58.6% *13.4% 11.1% 9.2%Index 100 113 *171 133 108

Total % 5.0% 2.9% *0.7% 0.6% 0.5%Sample 3,158 1,750 304 351 348

Weighted(000) 66,852 32,090 9,651 7,715 6,735YOUTUBE.COM Vertical % 28.7% 26.6% 52.8% 39.7% 33.8%

Horizontal % 100.0% 48.0% 14.4% 11.5% 10.1%Index 100 93 184 139 118

Total % 28.7% 13.8% 4.1% 3.3% 2.9%Sample 6,035 3,529 353 508 542

Weighted(000) 121,767 65,794 9,441 11,151 10,679YES frosting Vertical % 52.2% 54.5% 51.7% 57.5% 53.5%

Horizontal % 100.0% 54.0% 7.8% 9.2% 8.8%Index 100 104 99 110 103

Total % 52.2% 28.2% 4.0% 4.8% 4.6%Sample 878 549 84 97 93

Weighted(000) 20,966 10,858 2,927 2,583 1,992CEREAL BARS Vertical % 9.0% 9.0% 16.0% 13.3% 10.0%

Horizontal % 100.0% 51.8% 14.0% 12.3% 9.5%Index 100 100 178 148 111

Total % 9.0% 4.7% 1.3% 1.1% 0.9%

* Indicates cell count from 31 to 60. Projections may be unstable, use with caution.** Indicates cell count below 31. Projections are likely unstable, use with caution.

Copyright: 2016 Simmons Research LLC. All rights reserved.

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TV Spot – Rice Krispies

TV Spot – Rice Krispies

Line Extension- Snackables

TV Spot – Snackables Line Extension

TV Spot – Snackables Line Extension

Ambient- Rice Krispies House

In-Store Display

Promotion- Facebook Coupon

Social Media- Facebook Tasty Video

Social Media- Pinterest