Special K

Women between 25 and 49 who are actively managing their shape are looking for quick and simple real food options. Faced with temptation and cravings, they often look for support from their trusted circle to help them stay in control. Special K wanted to establish a relationship with these consumers as their weight management partner.

Starcom MediaVest developed a program timed to coincide with New Year’s resolution season. The agency engaged Yahoo! Canada to host a branded Special K Diet & Fitness channel within the Yahoo.ca portal. The hub provided tips, tricks, tools and inspiration, as well as connection with other women through Yahoo! Groups. No ads appeared on the home page; content was the only pathway into the hub, including related feature articles, Explore Yahoo information spotlights and a permanent link within the Yahoo Services menu.

A Sunday night/Monday morning offline blitz ran based on the insight that 80% of diets start Monday morning. Rather than a typical throw to URL, offline media – TV, print, digital, PR, in-store and on-pack – invited consumers to “Search Special K at Yahoo to create your own program.”

Extensive testing was negotiated with Yahoo. Over 70% of visitors to the Yahoo hub fell within the target demo, and Special K Groups membership grew by more than 415% over Q4 2008. Unique visitors to Specialk.ca increased 109% from Q1 2008 to Q1 ’09. A combination of paid and organic search efforts raised the site to the number one organic position on Google and Yahoo.

After the first four weeks of the integrated program launch, Special K saw a 12% increase in volume, gaining 0.2 share points in the cereal category. Purchase intent and brand favourability increased dramatically among consumers who had interacted with the hub.