To publicize the launch of their new Honey Maid Grahamfuls,
Honey Maid has launched a website called “Made.Co.” for kids 6 -12. The site will feature a variety of contests,
with prizes such as a parent/child trip to NYC.
While one contest focuses on writing another encourages kids to use
Phineas and Ferb Comic Creator to submit their story. A third focuses on idea generation. (Lukovitz, 2013)
All in all it sounds very interesting. And the effort is being supported with
television advertising. But with minimal
product sell on the site, will it sell graham crackers?
Lukovitz,
K. (2013, February 19) Honey Maid Sire, TV Spots Spotlight Kids’ Creativity. mediapost.com.
Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/193787/honey-maid-site-tv-spots-spotlight-kids-creativi.html#axzz2LUD2tFya
10 comments:
I think the idea is interesting, as you've already shared. Do I necessarily think it'll sell more graham crackers? Not quite. Though it is commendable that the company is supporting adolescent innovation and creativity, there isn't this need for me to go out and buy graham crackers to support this cause. And I'm sure that the kids who are participating in this contest aren't really asking their parents to go out and buy graham crackers for the sake of eating it as a snack. It's solely to create something cool to win a possible trip to NYC. And once the contest is over, the sales will probably mirror the trend, pre-contest. But kudos, Nabisco, for getting kids stimulated and excited about something. I like this kid's idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUXuCZ8Te3Y
Honey maid is a "good" company that cares about its community. The collaboration with other organizations to create Made Co., for kids 6 - 12 to submit their ideas, is creative. The engagement is not necessarily for purchase intent.
Personally - thinking of graham crackers has pushed my buttons. I didn't know they had made grahamfuls with chocolate and peanut butter filling. A childhood memory was Icebox cake made of graham crackers and chocolate pudding layered like a cake then chilled so it would be able to be cut like a cake. It was great.
Susan
This approach of targeting children ages 6-12 by getting them involved in creative projects just may work for Honey Maid. I checked out Honey Maid’s web site, madeco.honeymaid.com. I believe Honey Maid understands that most parents, who allow their children to be involved in these creative projects, also monitor their children’s website activity. Therefore, the parents will constantly be reminded of Honey Maid’s graham crackers whenever they are on the website. When the parents go grocery shopping, they may look for the new Angry Birds graham crackers or the new flavored grahamfuls. In addition, they may look for the product to try out some of the recipes listed on Honey Maid’s website.
Companies like Honey Maid use projects like the ones listed on madeco.honeymaid.com to show their brand corporate citizenship. The benefits to the company are: goodwill from the consumer toward their product, introduction of new lines within their brand, as well drums up new business. It can be a win-win for the consumer and the company. This looks like a winner for Honey Maid. I do not know if it will dramatically increase sales, but it definitely will not hurt the brand.
I actually think this could be a positive impact on Honey Made's sales. By creating a positive image of themselves in the community as well as being able to directly reach their main demographic, it can push an emotional button in parents as well as children. I don't think however that this will be a huge impact on sales, in relation to whatever advertising expense they are incurring in pushing this campaign, but it can build brand loyalty amongst children which may in turn increase the longevity of the company.
I really love the idea of creating contests for kids. The kids love it and the parents get fiercely competitive. However, in this case, I think both parents and children will be completely focused on the contest and skip out on the grahams. With minimal product sell on the site, it is unlikely that "just because the company sponsored a contest" means that it equals higher sales in graham crackers. I think the website further dilutes the product message, not only because the name is MadeCo, but because its not Honey Graham Crackers or something catchy that both kids and parents will remember.
As mentioned above, I believe these initiatives will work very well for developing brand integrity (even now, I'm having difficulty recalling another brand that has gone to such thorough lengths to involve children - would love to hear if I'm forgetting about something though!). However, I'm not convinced these initiatives will work well for sales - in my opinion, there simply is not enough tie in to the product itself to warrant an increase in sales.
I wonder if these programs are truly designed to boost sales at all - they seem heavily oriented towards affecting consumer loyalty and creating buzz. I do not think they are appealing to the correct consumer insight if they wish to increase sales - as of now, they seem more focused on fostering creativity in children (and featuring this creativity) than convincing children/parents that their brand is superior. Regardless, it is interesting that graham crackers has taken child-based marketing interactivity to a new level, and what the results of such will be.
This is a fantastic idea and I definitely think it will boost sales. Kraft hasn't run TV ads for Honey Maid since the 1990s, so this campaign is going to give it a lot of new attention. Supplementing the new TV spot with a digital campaign is very smart, as kids today consume a lot of online content and will certainly respond to a contest that appeals to their creativity. Most importantly, Honey Maid is going to create a memorable experience for young generations, which will increase the longevity of the brand.
While I'm not sure that this promotion will actually result in a significant boost in sales, it seems like a smart idea for a company that has been around as long as Honey Maid. It is no easy task to modernize a product that has been on the market for generations, yet this does seem like an admirable attempt at doing so. It plays to the childhood nostalgia of the parents who actually buy the product while also presenting graham crackers in a more contemporary light to their children. I would suggest that the most successful brands today are those that have achieved this sort of balance between old and new target audiences. While there is still room for improvement in terms of strategy, it seems like this is a good place to start.
Dixon
It is a really creative and attractive idea.This ivent will work for branding and showing people their positive image ,however,not for boost in sale I think.The customers don't pey attention to graham crackers itself which are just accesory of the ivent for them who focus on only the contest.This company needs to make up some ivents like this again and again to keep sales.
Satoko
Made.Co from the overall description seems like an idea that can draw a lot of attention to the brand and to their new launch. The site could definitely receive a lot of buzz among kids 6-12 due to the different contests and for the chance to win a trip- what kid wouldn’t want to go on a trip? Also, the fact that they took the effort to draw in kids with different strengths- writers to comic creators- will make sure they have more traction on the site and more kids becoming aware of their brand. The site will have minimal product sell, but I do not see that as their goal for creating MadeCo.
MadeCo.’s goal, I believe, is to be a driver to in-store purchases. They need children (and hopefully the parents) to have brand recall, likeability, and finally intent to purchase their new product. The site helps with this by allowing the kids to interact with the brand, bring it to the attention of their parents- who in the end will have it top of mind while they are in store doing the week’s shopping. The TV advertising could help draw usage to the site; maybe even some parents will encourage their children to check out the site for the sake of it giving them an intellectual activity outside of their school work.
A few issues arise with this model idea: Who are they drawing to the brand? Who makes the purchasing decision at home? How much of an influence does the rest of the household have on the purchaser? The purchaser, holds the key to what is purchased for the household. Honey maid needs to keep in mind: who are they targeting? Kids or parents? If their main target with site is kids, do the kids have an influence over what their household purchaser brings home from the grocery store? Do the kids get a chance to go to the grocery store and participate in some of the selection or at least the part that they are concerned with, snacks?
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