Kellogg Uses Facebook to Help Feed the Hungry

Posted on | July 20, 2009 |

By Holly Buchanan

A lot of folks are walking around saying “I understand that social media is important, but does it really work? Is creating a fan page on Facebook really going to make a difference?”

In the case of Kellogg, the answer is a resounding “Yes.”

The Kellogg Company created a partnership with Katalyst, Ashton Kutcher’s social media studio, to raise awareness of the growing hunger epidemic right here in the U.S. and encourage consumers to donate to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization. A center point of the campaign is the KelloggCares Facebook® Page.

Anyone can become a fan and those who donate $5 or more will receive $5 in coupons for Kellogg products.

Is it working? Well, let’s see. At last check, the KelloggCares Facebook® fan page had 203,602 fans. Yeah, I’d say it’s working.

Why is Kellogg’s campaign successful?

Star power- Kellogg has the star power of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher behind the project. Demi and Ashton spread the word on their Twitter feeds - @aplusk (Ashton Kutcher) and @mrskutcher (Demi Moore) - and Facebook pages.

Customer involvement/engagement - The fan page features a video with user-generated content submitted by consumers moved to end hunger. Getting consumers involved in submitting their own content is a winning strategy to increase engagement and create a true sense of community.

Promotion that matches brand values – There is a direct tie-in between the promotion – feeding the hungry, and what Kellogg does, which is, well, feed the hungry.

Use of social media to spread word of mouth– Kellogg does a great job of using Twitter and a Facebook fan page to make it easy to spread the word. The didn’t do the traditional - “Hey, we’re here, join our brand fan page”. There is a specific action Kellogg wants fans to take and they give them a good reason to take that action with a win/win situation for both consumers and the charity.

Overall, it’s a great campaign with a smartly executed strategy. Kudos to the Kellogg’s team.