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How are snack brands engaging with Millennials online and digitally in fun and interactive ways?
Hello! Thanks for your question about how snack brands are engaging with millennials online and digitally in fun and interactive ways. The short version is that there are numerous examples of snacking brands that target millennials through fun and witty marketing campaigns. Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
METHODOLOGY
I performed an extensive search online to determine how brands use marketing campaigns to target millennials. I have searched through a number of sources including trusted media websites to provide you with six examples of brands and their respective digital/online campaigns aimed at millennials.
THE FINDINGS
HILLSHIRE SNACKING
Hillshire Snacking is taking a digital-only approach to target millennials. They will be utilizing Facebook and Instagram, yet will not be using TV ads. Using the tagline "A Snack Above," they're starting the campaign with an event featuring Chef Dale Talde and others. The fact that this campaign is entirely digital through social media channels is very telling in how millennials interact with the world, but it doesn't necessarily have the fun factor that other brands have used, such as Doritos (see below).
DORITOS
Taking it one step further than Hillshire Snacking, Doritos launched a mobile-only campaign to target millennials by getting them to scan not the QR code, but the actual corn chip. By scanning one of their new flavors only, consumers will be able to unlock content created by social media influencers promoting new limited edition flavors as well as a sneak peek of the Sharknado 3 movie.
Myles Kleeger who is the chief revenue officer of Appboy has commented that, "these mobile-only programs are going to be the centerpiece of what we see going forward and traditional media channels are going to be what we use to drive awareness of them." This is a great and fun way to get consumers sampling the product while not appearing to be overtly driven by sales.
MONDELEZ — VEA
Mondelez has launched their healthy snack range called Véa. This range was specifically designed to appeal to millennials' sense of authentic food and also experiences. The company used social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, as well as a TV ad showing a diverse group of young adults eating the product, highlighting the special flavors and clean ingredients. Their message "To eat is to explore" was aimed specifically at millennials due to their interest in exploring cultures through food. This campaign focuses on millennials' desire to explore cultures through food, and indeed can be considered a fun way to talk about snacking.
MONDELEZ — NEWTONS
Mondelez launched a web series named “Now We’re Newtons,” after the formerly Fig Newtons was re-branded to just Newtons as the company tried to re-brand and expand its product range. Initial efforts didn't have enough impact as many consumers were still unaware, and so the web series was launched to engage with a younger American audience. The idea behind the campaign was to provide a "lighthearted, witty vehicle" to tell the story of a company that has been only run by figs to not just figs anymore. This is definitely a humorous and fun way to re-brand and appeal to millennials.
PEEPS
Just Born Quality Confections, the company behind Peeps, launched a digital marketing campaign aimed at millennial moms using YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. The idea was to re-brand in order to reach millennials and not just older consumers. The campaign featured "an election between Peeps and a groundhog to determine who is the true symbol of spring. Of course, Peeps chicks are found to be the winner." This is another example of a humorous and fun way to target a younger audience for the purposes of re-branding and increasing sales.
GENERAL MILLS
General Mills Canada began a social media campaign for their Pillsbury Pizza Pops snack called "Weird Good." The campaign features videos of showing acts of "weirdness" and is said to be aimed at, not surprisingly, a primarily millennial-aged audience.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, it seems that it is very common for snacking brands to target millennials by using humorous and fun campaigns across social media channels.
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