Special K: THE GAIN TOUR

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Special Events and Stunt/Live Advertising

Advertiser: KELLOGG'S

Product/Service: SPECIAL K

Agency: LEO BURNETT CHICAGO

Date of First Appearance: Jan 3 2011

Entrant Company: LEO BURNETT CHICAGO, USA

Chief Creative Officer: Susan Credle (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Creative Director: Mylene Pollock (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Digital Creative Director: Joe Bartolucci (Arc Worldwide Chicago)

Art Director/Designer: Jason McKean (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Designer: Alisa Wolfson (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Art Director: Katharine Walker (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Copywriter: Julie Karnes (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Copywriter: Jane Koh (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Illustrator: James Joyce

Illustrator: Nomoco

Agency Executive Producer: Tony Wallace (Leo Burentt Chicago)

Agency Producer: Tony Grossman (Arc Worldwide Chicago)

Agency Producer: Rod Wilson (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Account Director: Jason Kim/Julie Howe (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Account Supervisor: Megan Land (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Account Manager: Shelley Willems (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Planner: Megan van Someran (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Planner: Landi Day (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Creative Resource Manager: Angie Zier (Leo Burnett Chicago)

PR Partner: (Ketchum)

Media placement: Ambient Event - New York, Chicago And Los Angeles - 3 January 2011

Media placement: Outdoor Posters - Times Square, New York City - 20 December 2010

Media placement: Social Media Site - Facebook - 3 January 2011

Media placement: E-Mails - Direct - 3 January 2011



Insights, Strategy & the Idea

We wanted to change the way women feel about weight loss, thereby driving emotional affinity with Special K and penetration across the brand’s portfolio.



Our core users are weight-conscious women. During the holidays, most of them will gain weight indulging in seasonal festivities. In January, they’re anxious to get back on track. They turn to Special K as a partner and solution for their post-holiday weight gain.



When it comes to weight loss, women often feel overwhelmed by what they have to lose.



As an ally to weight-conscious women, we understand how hard losing weight can be. So instead of talking about the pounds women could lose, we focused on the positives that come with successful weight management. This helped women shift their focus from everything they needed to give up to reach their goal to the positive feelings they would gain.



Creative Execution

The weight-management category is extremely cluttered in January. To break through, we changed the weight-loss conversation. Instead of talking about the pounds women should lose, we focused on the emotions they could gain. 73% of women start diets on Mondays, so we put a scale in the middle of Times Square on the first Monday of 2011. We then asked women to do the unthinkable – weigh themselves in public. Instead of showing a dreaded number, our scale showed positive emotions, like joy and satisfaction. Thousands turned out in NYC, Chicago and LA, and more followed along on Facebook.



Television, cereal boxes and print raised awareness of the Special K Challenge. Online, a site allowed women to customize the challenge to their needs. Emails, Facebook, digital banners, and mobile apps provided support and encouragement.



Results and Effectiveness

Despite a declining category, Special K increased sales 2.8% over the previous year—the highest share in the brand’s history.



The spots scored above norm on ad recall, brand linkage, likability and purchase intent. Online media placements quadrupled our impressions goal. The campaign amassed 65 million more impressions, exceeding our goal by 15 million impressions. This resulted in increased sales by 1 share point over the previous year, a tremendous sales increase in a declining category.