Kellogg’s moves Special K into motivational space as the woman in the red dress steps back
Kellogg’s is repositioning it’s approach to one of its leading brands, Special K, adopting a new mantra for women to own their own health and well being.
Kellogg’s hope to build a mass following with its new message
Kicking off on Sunday during the Men’s Final of the Australian Open on Seven, Special K will screen a 60 second ad acting as a rallying cry to women, which will then extend online through social media supported with the hashtag #OwnIt.
The brand has also partnered with body image experts Body Positive to run a series of workshops around the country.
Kellogg’s first developed the concept in Canada where the campaign won acclaim and built a strong social following as women used it as a motivational tool to improve their health.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqXEshsQc1k
Tamara Howe, marketing director of Kellogg’s Australia, said while created in Canada, the campaign would connect strongly with Australian women.
The ad has only been edited to change the Canadian voiceover to an Australian one.
“We did our own survey here in Australia as well and that research found that that insight around women still having these ‘I hate my body’ moments was very true for Australian women as well.” said Howe.
“We therefore felt we needed to shine a light on that enemy of self doubt and be women’s ally.”
She said the shift was part of a fresh approach to be more authentic, more real and reflect women’s lifestyle values.
While the ad does not feature the distinctive red dress which has been associated with the brand for years Howe did not rule out it being used in the future.
“The red dress and the red is definitely a distinctive asset for the brand,” she said.
“I think there is not an intent necessarily to step away from that, I think it’s about refreshing how we portray that in a more modern interpretation. Empowerment is exactly what we’re trying to do – shining a light on an issue that is getting in the way of women.”
She said that consumers and shoppers now wanted to associate with brands that had a point of view and stood for something .
“Special K has always been a brand that celebrates women.”
As part of the campaign Kellogg’s has brought on board an Australian photographer to do portraits of women around the country celebrating their diversity.
Women will be urged to share images and ideas using the #OwnIt hashtag using Instagram and Facebook, while Youtube will also be used as a channel.
J Walter Thompson in Sydney is handling the local creative for the campaign while the media is being run by Mindshare.
Simon Canning
