CASE STUDIES

How Kellogg’s Surpassed Media Impressions Goals with Cision

Discover how Kellogg’s used targeted media outreach and data-driven communications to shift perceptions around healthier breakfast choices and generate high-impact coverage for its “Better Starts” campaign.

458 million

impressions across the U.K. & Ireland

563

articles

90%

of the coverage contains key messages

Challenge

Kellogg’s EMEA team was monitoring consumer sentiment around healthier breakfasts on social media. The picture was clear: People were particularly interested in the levels of salt and sugar in food. That insight became the foundation for “Better Starts” – a proactive PR campaign designed to inform consumers and health officials about what Kellogg’s was doing to address those concerns across markets including the U.K. and Ireland. “Better Starts” needed to change perception of the brand, while also reducing any barriers to purchase among consumers.

Solution

Kellogg’s has been working with Cision to analyze issues around sugar content in food since 2013. To help ensure “Better Starts” was successful, Cision helped Kellogg’s by developing an integrated framework that included a bespoke analysis brief with campaign-specific messages, key Kellogg’s spokespeople, and important third-party influencers. Cision also co-developed an omnibus survey of 10,000 consumers with market research firm Opinion Matters to build profiles of key consumer audiences, target the right media lists, and measure the subsequent reach of the coverage.

Results

In its first phase, the “Better Starts” campaign led to 563 articles and 458 million impressions across the U.K. and Ireland, with 90% of the coverage containing the key messages, and 80% in a positive tone. O’Neill credited Cision for the campaign’s success.

Key features

Kellogg's is one of the world's leading breakfast brands, producing some of the most iconic cereals on the market – including Coco Pops, Corn Flakes, and Special K. With a presence in markets across the globe, the company has long prioritized listening and responding to the changing tastes and nutritional expectations of consumers.

Launching the “Better Starts” campaign

“We began to see a pattern emerging,” said Sarah O’Neill, Brand PR and Communications Manager, Kellogg’s EMEA. “From consumer research, we knew that people were starting to focus more on the nutritional values of food. As the leading breakfast brand, we were in a position to make some changes that help consumers make healthy choices for themselves and their families at breakfast time.”

Kellogg’s embarked on a journey to reduce sugar in their Coco Pops by 40% over two years. They also reduced the amount of salt and ensured there were no artificial colors or preservatives.

Similar adjustments were made in other brands, while the company also launched a new brand, a plant-based granola cereal called W.K. Kellogg. “It’s a careful balance that you have to achieve between the taste of the food, because people love the taste of that food, and the health credentials or the nutrient profile,” O’Neill said.

“Coco Pops, for example, is one of those old favorites that people really love and have a huge amount of affection for from when they were children. It’s an iconic brand that they would have been familiar with from the family breakfast table.”

The “Better Starts” campaign officially began in November, which was a deliberate choice, according to O’Neill. “It was a quiet news time before the holiday season began,” she explained. “Our team led with the BBC because they’re such a powerful news outlet that we knew it would create a massive ripple effect.”

Timely reporting with actionable insights

“What we thought was really fantastic on the day of launch was the speed at which the Cision team was bringing the coverage to us.”

Sarah O'Neill Brand PR & Communications Manager Kellogg's EMEA

"You have that ‘big bang’ effect and then these ripples throughout the day with the coverage building up. We were getting reports and the Cision team was quick to measure the sentiment of it as well, which was really important for us.”

Measurement that ties to business objectives

“With anything like this, it’s not worth doing unless you can measure it. You need tangible KPIs if you’re going to look at really, really moving the dial,” she said.

“We talked to the Cision team and used different sources to measure success, and the Cision team really tied it all together.”

In fact, Kellogg’s surpassed its KPI for media impressions by 205%.

Cultivating conversations with the right people

There’s a lot of brand love for Kellogg’s cereals, but the “Better Starts” messages became even more powerful when they were amplified by credible public voices.

“We were really pleased with the breadth and the extent of our outreach and the awareness among some really famous influencers,” O’Neill said.

“We certainly think the response has been great.”

Next steps

Kellogg’s has continued to build on “Better Starts” by increasing the levels of Vitamin D in some of its brands and applying insights from the first phase of the campaign to inform the second.

In addition to these key results, Kellogg’s won Gold at the 2018 AMEC Awards for Best Use of a Measurement Framework.

“Working with Cision means the company is well positioned to continue demonstrating its leadership in food health. It’s just a great springboard from which to go forward”

Sarah O'Neill Brand PR & Communications Manager Kellogg's EMEA

“We know that we have some great stories to tell, we have the confidence to tell them, and we know how to do it now," she concluded.

Ready to bring it all together?

Kellogg’s experience demonstrates how insights-driven communications and measurement can help brands understand consumer sentiment, shape proactive campaigns, and amplify key messages through the right media and influencers.

Talk to one of our experts to see how Cision can support your PR campaigns.

Speak with us