According to AdAge, in a talk at the Lehman Brothers Back to School Consumer Conference, Kellogg Co. Chief Marketing Officer Mark Baynes told the group that for its Special K brand, its Return on Investment (ROI) for online marketing efforts had surpassed its ROI for broadcast television marketing efforts for the past eighteen months.
While Baynes would not say how Kellogg measured ROI, according to AdAge, Kellogg has made frequent mention of the success of its “Special K Challenge,” in which dieters are encouraged to eat two bowls of Special K cereal per day for two weeks. Its site that supports this initiative offers customizable dieting plans for consumers, tips from fitness, fashion, and lifestyle and nutrition “coaches,” a Yahoo email support group, and a link to purchase Special K via Amazon.com.
Judging from the content of the Special K website, it’s reasonable to conclude that a certain amount of engagement and community-building has paid dividends for Kellogg in promoting the Special K brand as not just a cereal, but a lifestyle choice. Evidently that sentiment is conveyed through a three-dimensional engagment experience far better than a one-dimensional experience such as television, radio, or print.