The Kellogg’s food company is to use the space on packets of its
breakfast cereals as a ‘social marketing’ vehicle to promote healthy
living in Britain.
The company, whose brands include All-Bran, Coco Pops, Frosties and
Special K, says that unlike many other types of packaging, cereal
packets are not thrown away immediately but kept for up to two weeks
and often left on the breakfast table.
Bruce Learner, Kellogg’s community and public affairs director, said
research has shown that every cereal pack has the potential to be read
about 11 times before being discarded.
The company is determined to use that opportunity to promote ‘messages about activity and exercise’.
During the past year Kellogg’s has begun to use packets to publicize
its own health-related efforts, including the ten-year-old Breakfast
Clubs programme, which has funded clubs where disadvantaged children
can have a proper breakfast before school. But later this year the UK
arm of the US-based company is also to offer its packaging gratis to a
third party – the cycling charity Sustrans – to encourage more cycling
as a way of combating obesity.
‘We’re in a fairly privileged position because, with the exception of
washing powders and boxes of tissues, most other consumer goods
packaging is thrown away quickly,’ said Learner. ‘By contrast, we have
a week or two before each cereal packet is used up, so we can use the
space to do some social marketing. People have a habit of reading
what’s on the packet while they’re eating cereals, so if you have
millions of packets with the right message then it can have a powerful
effect.
‘We reckon we can get to 80–90 per cent of households through our
various brands, and Kellogg’s has high trust levels, so that makes a
difference as well.’
Kellogg’s, like other food companies, is under pressure to respond to
growing levels of obesity, and sees packet messaging as a way of acting
responsibly. ‘Wellbeing is the big focus at the moment,’ said Learner.
‘Along with food labelling and changes to ingredients, this is a key
way we can show we are committed to promoting healthier eating.’
