Accelerating The 'Snacking' Agenda

The Kellogg Company officially became Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co. in 2023, after the former's Board of Directors approved the pending separation into two independent, publicly traded companies.

As Kellanova today, the company envisions a new era with a more growth-oriented portfolio, marching forward with a renewed vision and strategy, and an energised organisation grounded by a winning culture and its founder's values. The company has an ambitious plan to build on the strong brand equity and legacy savoured over the previous 117 years as Kellogg Company.

The Rebranding Efforts
As an organisation, the rebranding from Kellogg to Kellanova is something done at the global level, keeping in mind the way the food industry is moving. Kellogg’s cereals like Coco Pops, Froot Loops, Sultana Bran, and Crunchy Nut will remain unchanged, displaying Kellogg’s logo, but will fall under the cereal business. Whereas Kellanova will now specialise in delightful snacks such as Pop Tarts, LCMs, and K-Time bars designed for an on-the-go lifestyle.

“We moved away from the US cereal business, but the rest of the erstwhile Kellogg business remains intact. We've also made it our stated position to say that we want to become a snacking powerhouse. We have very powerful snacking brands in India, Pringles being one of them. But at the same time, Kellogg’s, as a brand, will remain the market leader in breakfast cereals in countries across the world, including India. This means adding more muscle and drive to the snacking part,” asserts Prashant Peres, Managing Director, South Asia, Kellanova.

For brands, in general, rebranding is a familiar exercise that does not necessarily govern changes in consumer buying decisions. In most cases, the key to purchase lies somewhere else, typically the brand name, the imagery, or the price, and not the company. Agreeing that the shift will not influence consumer perceptions, Peres shares that the way it will impact consumers is that they will see a lot more coming out of the company—a lot more innovation. “We'll continue to innovate in breakfast cereals as well, and they're going to see that dual approach from us in the coming years,” he adds.

Revamping Chocos 
Kellogg recently relaunched Kellogg’s Chocos as ‘Kellogg's Multigrain Chocos’, built with a nutritious blend of grains and other essential nutrients, and that extra dash of chocolate that we always crave. “The reinvention of Kellogg's Chocos that we have done is really part of a continuous improvement process that we follow for our brands. We are continuously looking at ways in which we can make our products better in terms of taste and nutrition profile,” says Vinay Subramanyam, Head of Marketing, South Asia, Kellanova.

He further discusses the insights that went into its creation, “First, mothers really care about the nutrition profile of the food they give to their children, and they love to see children eat that food joyously. This is where Chocos comes alive: it really brings the best of two worlds together, and that really is at the foundation of the relaunch of Kellogg's Multigrain Chocos. 

“Second, once you make a product that is as good, the marketing rebranding translates into packaging; revisiting the colours, the height, and the browns in the new pack that show the chocolatiness of the product. This further makes way to the claims we make, leading to the communication that you currently see in our ads.”
The launch was supported by a film that was covered nationally across multimedia channels, including television and digital platforms. Digitally, the film extended to OTT, mobile, and gaming platforms.

Subramanyam expounds that, apart from mainline and digital communication, sampling is helping the brand convert consumers because eventually, the proof of the pudding in any new food is in the tasting.

What Awaits
Kellanova has always endeavoured to strike a balance where it brings in a new platform innovation, adds variants to it, and then introduces step changes on that platform.
The company also recently revamped its muesli portfolio and will look at rolling out new products in the coming months. Speaking on initiating similar plans for other categories, Peres suggests, “Yes! Once we have put a platform in place, we are constantly looking to evolve it. We're doing this on Chocos, and we will look at other parts of our portfolio as well. We will continue to look at how we can evolve our products and take them to the next level.”

Peres also hints at aiming for double-digit growth that may be loosely affected by the looping consumption challenge due to inflationary pressure. “The inflationary pressures hold you back for some period of time. But when you step back and look at the long-term horizon, the proposition that we have in our breakfast cereals is a win-win, which is great nutrition, great taste, and very convenient. We have no doubt that the new proposition of Kellogg's Multigrain Chocos will grow from strength to strength.”

Peres is confident that even if Kellanova does not witness great performance for a couple of quarters, it will bounce back in the time to come, and that double-digit growth will indeed happen at the same time.
 

Soumya Sehgal Bhutani

BW Reporters Soumya is the Senior Editorial Lead at BW Marketing World. She extensively writes on the Indian media, marketing and advertising ecosystem in India.