Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain bounces back to health after “awful” advertising

Geoffrey Precourt

Nutri-Grain, the cereal bar made by The Kellogg Co., responded to a period of limited advertising success by fundamentally rethinking its strategy.

"This is an awful ad," proclaimed Emily Adkinson, Manager/Insights & Planning, Consumer & Market Insights at Kellogg Co.

"Between 2010 and 2014," she explained to an audience at The Market Research Event (TMRE) 2017, "there was this weird fascination with vampires."

Emily Adkinson, Manager/Insights & Planning, Kellogg Co.

Simultaneously, there were consumer spikes in both crunchy breakfast and protein-rich foods. So Kellogg's Nutri-Grain knit the three threads together and came up with "Mornings, Who Knew?", a 30-second spot that celebrated the product with humor and an odd Addams Family take-off.

"Why was it awful?" Adkinson asked. "The data told us...

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