Kellogg’s adds to Special K product line
Kellogg’s Special K has added to its brand portfolio with a product extension called Special K Nourish, which is comprised of two ready-to-eat cereals and two cereal bars featuring no artificial flavours or colours.
Natasha Millar, senior director of ready-to-eat cereal and beverages with Kellogg Canada in Mississauga, Ont., described the additions as “a new choice for consumers who want positive nutrition that tastes good.”
Millar said that Kellogg’s research suggested that women have begun questioning their food choices as they encounter an increased number of options in the cereal aisle.
“We’ve listened to what women really want and are offering them great tasting breakfast and snacking options that feature real, visible ingredients that she can trust to help nourish her body inside and out,” she says.
READ: Kellogg’s All-Bran wants Canadians to think outside the cereal box
The Special K Nourish product line is comprised of two ready-to-eat cereals (Coconut, Cranberries & Almonds and Apples, Raspberries & Almonds), and two cereal bars (Cranberries & Almonds, and Dark Chocolate Chunks & Almonds).
The cereal is being sold in a 396-gram box with a suggested price of $5.99, while the cereal bars are being sold in boxes of five 33-gram bars with a suggested price of $3.99. Special K Nourish is being rolled out globally, having already been introduced in Australia, with the U.S. set to follow in 2016.
The products are aimed at what Millar describes as “The New Feminine,” women 25-49 who are still concerned with looking good, but have replaced weight loss and deprivation with feeling good and accomplishing challenges as their primary motivations.
READ: Kellogg’s Special K ditches diet talk in new campaign
The brand is also building further on a new social platform introduced in the fall called #OwnIt, which urges women to be proud of their body. The platform is based on research conducted by Kellogg’s, which found that 97% of women have an “I hate my body” moment every day.
Timed to coincide with the New Year’s Resolution period, Kellogg’s is also positioning itself as an ally in women’s fight against self-doubt by exposing how pervasive it is and becoming an advocate for body confident and inner strength.
According to the Kellogg’s research, more than three quarters of women admit to worry about their mid-section, while nearly half fret about their facial features and a quarter are concerned about their arms or legs. In addition, almost 10% of women say they are unhappy with their height.
The study also found that:
- — More than half (52%) of women have skipped a date, social function or avoided physical intimacy because of a lack of body confidence;
- — 24% of women have not applied for a job they’re qualified for, or have not spoken up at work or in class, because of self-doubt;
- — 23% of women have avoided the gym or participating in sports, while another 23% have avoided dancing, because of self-doubt
The #OwnIt platform quietly launched in November with a 60-second anthem spot created by Leo Burnett that shows clips of women experiencing dissatisfaction while standing in front of a mirror, lamenting various aspects of their body from breasts to their skin, to their various limbs.
The voiceover continues, “We believe 100% of women can change something more important than the size of our butt – we can change our perspective.”
Millar says that Kellogg’s research indicated that food choices are often a contributing factor to the self-doubt experienced by women. The Special K Nourish products, she says, are intended to address those concerns.
Kellogg’s is also urging consumers to share a “More doing. Less doubting” infographic housed on its website. The company is also urging them to use the hashtag #OwnIt and follow @SpecialK_CA on Twitter and Instagram.
Millar acknowledging that the Special K brand has “faced challenges” in recent years as ready-to-eat cereal sales have flattened in Canada. However, she said that it has been a “trusted partner and breakfast favourite” among women.
“In embarking on this journey, we listened to our consumers,” said Millar. “Not only did we take the focus of the brand from one-dimensional
