Reaching Out to Gen Z
With generations X, Y and their predecessors, technology often hindered
parents from connecting with their children. For example, how many of you
have parents who still have no clue how to text or even use email? Generation
Z, however, marks an important change as the first generation where parents
and children are fully embracing technology together. Today, parents are using
these new tools as teaching aids and entertainment for their children.
“This technology allows
This presents a unique opportunity for comp us
us to connect with kids in a
fun and exciting new wa”y.”
anies to interact and communicate with consumers on a new level. So when Majesco Entertainment called and
wanted to partner with Barbara’s Bakery to create an educational game that
would put a spotlight on the company’s famed endangered species mascot and
Puffins and Organic Wild Puffs cereals, Barbara’s Bakery was happy to sign on.
“This technology allows us to connect with kids in a fun and exciting new
way,” said Kent Spalding, vice president of marketing. “It also takes the brand
beyond cereal, and hopefully will help increase awareness of puffins and support the preservation of their species for many years to come.”
In “Puffins: Island Adventure,” when the player wins certain points, an educational puffin factoid pops up on the screen. In conjunction with the launch
of the game, the company is also hosting a national instant-win game where a
code will be featured on specially marked Puffins and Organic Wild Puffs cartons. Consumers can then enter the code into the Puffins website to see if they
have won a free copy of the game. Additionally, Barbara’s Bakery has an advertisement for Puffins and Organic Wild Puffs
that appears in the video game manual.
15 Seconds of Fame. Barbara’s superstar
brand, Puffins, also recently had its debut
on television in several areas including
Boston, Baltimore and Washington, DC,
airing during prime time alongside The
Emmy Awards and Oprah, as well as on
The Discovery Channel. The 15-second
spots were done in a style similar to the sarcastic and edgy adult cartoon “South Park,”
so that they appealed to grownups as well as
kids, positioning the cereal as a healthy
choice for the whole family. The response
was overwhelming, with 70 percent growth
in the markets where the spots were aired.
“We had a market researcher studying
this and she commented that in the 20
years of doing this type of research, she
has never seen such a response,” Spalding said. “What this proves is that people want to eat healthier, natural foods,
but you just have to educate them.
Many of these consumers have never
even been in the natural foods section
of the supermarket. Through the video
game and television ads, we are intro-
d ucing ourselves to a new range of con-s umers who may not have even known
w e existed.”
The fact that the company was air-i ng the commercials also compelled
m any retailers to offer special merchan-d ising opportunities. With the exposure on television and the in-store
presence, not only did Puffins sales
take off, but sales for many of the other
products from Barbara’s Bakery significantly increased as well.
After seeing such positive results,
the company is planning to launch
more television campaigns this year, including a campaign that specifically
highlights its Organic Wild Puffs, which
were recently rebranded to align more
strongly with the company’s strong
Puffins brand and better reach out to
kids and families (see “The Organic
Wild Puffs Makeover” below).
The Organic Wild Puffs Makeover
In 2008, Barbara’s Bakery rebranded its Organic Wild Puffs
to more effectively reach out to kids an d to tie into
the Puffins brand, which the company
has so successfully built. The new
brand images use a similar puffin character, enabling the Organic Wild Puffs
brand to benefit alongside the original
Puffins brand through Puffins social networking and awareness from the new
Puffins Nintendo game, as well as other cont ests and promotions such as the
“Adopt-a-Puffin” program.
Also, to attract kids and parents, and not primarily adults, the marketing for
Wild Puffs has changed from focusing on being “heart-healthy” to highlighting
the fact that it has much less sugar than other kids cereals on the market. This
is due in part to the fact that Wild Puffs uses the prebiotic Nutraflora, which
adds sweetness without the sugar. As an additional benefit—this prebiotic also
aids in the absorption of calcium, another important factor for children.
