Special K and Times Square

[Guest guest]

Even as the ball drops at Times Square and millions down champagne and

greasy party food, Kellogg's Special K will be reminding revelers it's time

to diet.

The package-food company's brand is planning an assault on New Year's

resolutions. Special K's " wake-up call " campaign kicks off on the Nasdaq and

Reuters billboards in Times Square just before midnight on New Year's Eve.

It will run the month of January.

New you

Consumers can text their weight-loss goals via short code " newyou " and have

them displayed on the Nasdaq billboard. The Reuters billboard will work in

tandem, running Special K's messaging and product shots all month. Online

banner ads will support the effort, asking consumers to share their " wake-up

call moments, " while also driving traffic to specialk.com and the brand's

Yahoo group. Another online ad will ask consumers a few questions about

holiday indulgences and then react with -- you guessed it -- a corresponding

wake-up call.

" With Special K's focus as a weight-management brand, we always had a

marketing presence during resolution season, " said Kellogg spokeswoman Kris

. Last year, Special K advertised in New York's Penn Station and

Boston's Harvard Station. But Ms. said the new effort " represents

our most significant effort to date. "

While the company appeals to consumers' diet goals, Kellogg's resolution for

the New Year is greater return on investment. To that end, chief marketer

Mark Baynes has said the company will cut commercial filming in the coming

year by bundling products in the commercials it does make, and drive more

spending online. Special K has been a leader in this push, with digital

efforts for the brand surpassing broadcast ROI by a factor of more than two.

Broadcast included

Kellogg devotes 9% of total sales, or more than $1 billion, to advertising

alone, making it a leader in an industry that's been stepping up marketing

efforts as a whole. Kellogg's agencies are Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett and

Starcom.

But the company isn't bypassing broadcast in this campaign. Three 15-second

spots, all pegged to a meal of the day, deal with " relatable wake-up calls

women have when they've realized it's time to lose a few pounds or change

their eating habits, " Ms. said. The company also has a 30-second

spot ready to go. As for whether this signifies the beginning of a big

digital year for Special K, Ms. said, " We're always looking at new

and unexpected ways to reach consumers, as it makes sense. "

http://adage.com/article?article_id=133434

--

Ortiz, MS RD

" People are so worried about what they

eat between Christmas and the New Year,

but they really should be worried about

what they eat between the New Year and Christmas "