Cereals market constraints

The cereal market can be considered as a market adapted to everybody.

You can find cereals dedicated to kids, young adults, women taking care of their weight, adults looking for healthy products…

Nevertheless, this market also presents constraints

First of all, cereals are an expensive product that every consumer cannot afford. A pack of cereals costs between 2€20 (discount) to 5€50 (muesli with real fruits). It has been proved that at the end of the month, when people are short of money, cereal’s consumption is slightly decreasing.

Then, cereal composition can be a constraint. Mothers that are taking into account the ingredients composing their child food would not buy a pack of cereals for breakfast. They will prefer fruits, juice, bread and jam. Indeed, kids cereals are not healthy (sugar added, gelling agent…).

Finally, buying cereals means involvement. You are taking part into a community whether you want it or not. Depending on the cereals you are buying you will reflect an image to the others and to yourself. You would love to buy these tasty crunch cereals but you are on a diet, you don’t want to be considered as a greedy person so you will buy the muesli you don’t really like. 

  

Special K portfolio

The Special K range is very larg and answers to every women's expectations. The brand market is no longer breakfast cereals but also sandwiches, drinks, crisps etc. 

 

Associate pleasure and diet thanks to an attractive and tasty range.

Crisps for eating without culpability

Ready to drink beverages

A new range of product with Protein and Fibers for more efficiency.

Celebrities and Fitness brand

The Fitness brand makes partnerships with famous people for promoting its products. 

For example, Mel B from the Spice Girls was the ambassador of the International Fitness Week in Malaysia.

Virginie Guilhaume a French anchorwoman represents the brand in France on TV.

Fitness by Nestle marketing strategy

The Nestle Fitness brand strategy communicates on the body benefits of eating its cereals. It doesn’t market ingredients or nutritional information but prefer to advertise the obtained positive results. The target market is young women who are trying to achieve their fitness goals. They care about their personal appearances.

Nestle Fitness differentiates itself by offering a magazine with articles on shape, fashion, seasonal food and fashion specialties, food recipes and beauty information. It has a website you can log in to track your fitness goals, and it includes a work out program you can follow. There is also nutritional education on the website that is intended to guide you through healthy eating for the rest of the day.

The brand loyalty is strong because Fitness brand proposes its customers to download discount coupons that can be used in stores in order to attract them. It is also possible to register to a newsletter and to share advices with other women on a forum. They have the feeling to belong to a community and find help for reaching their fitness goal. Moreover, it is possible to find support everywhere thanks to the Nestle Fitness app available on smartphones.

Here is a sample of meal plan proposed on the brand website. As Special K, cereals can be eaten at every moment and it is not only consumed during breakfast. 

In terms of range, Nestle tends to more and more diversify its products, competing with Special K. For example, it launched new products such as yoghurts for mixing with cereals, low fat beverages, snacks etc.

Fitness launched a still water-based beverage with 20% fruit juice, enriched with active fibres, magnesium, and having a low calorie content. It is produced and distributed by Sanpellegrino and has been awarded the Product of the year prize in 2009, within the “Functional beverages” category.

Special K target and strategy

Special K targets 20+ women who are concerned by their physical appearance. The brand sells the importance of being healthy and in a good mood. There is a strong emphasis on nutrition and being good to your body.

The brand loyalty is high for Special K because they propose a wide range of product meeting every need. Their large product offering includes breakfast cereal, snack packs, bars and mini bars. They offer food for every time of the day by providing healthy snacks to keep you on track. You don’t need to eat anything else but their product for breakfast, lunch and breaks.

Special K’s goal is to build strong brand loyalty. They want their consumers to eat a Special K product for breakfast and lunch and any other snacks throughout the day. Moreover, the variety of flavors allows customers to diversify their meals so that they do not have the feeling to eat the same product every time.

Special K marketing Strategy

Kellogg's decides to compete the other brands with a diversified marketing strategy.

First of all, Special K insists 

on the fact that by eating 2 bowls of its cereals during only 2 weeks would allow women to loose weight.

Also, a strong media campaign was implemented by highlighting the mental welfare women feel when they are good with their bodies. 

The customers can identify themselves in these advertising showing ordinary women enjoying losing weight with Special K. Everybody feel concerned and it is not only slim women who are shown in ads.  

The brand would like to change the diet perception. Women feel pressure in the current society where weight concern is important. Every products and solutions are proposed for helping them but is was often fastidious and painful. 

With Special K, diet is not perceived like annoying anymore and the brand aims at showing pleasure to get slimmer.

In addition to commercials, Kellogg's proposes a website with product descriptions and various tips for loosing weight.

The brand use famous people to represent and promote its cereals. For example, Monica Cruz was the muse in 2009. 

Furthermore, the brand proposes diet plans to the consumers. Each plan is carefully designed by dieticians to help women achieve their goal.