Tuesday, April 27, 2010

General Mill focuses in on three targets

This is not a new story, but actually one from two months ago that I noted but forgot to post...
Despite its recent growth, General Mills is still looking to bolster its position as a food company. At a recent conference they announced that looking ahead they are planning on targeting their food products (of which cereal is a major component) to Hispanics, Boomers and Millenials. Hispanics are projected to be the main source of population growth in the next five years, and special attention will be devoted to mothers and "savoring nature". Baby Boomers are a large, aging, demographic looking for health benefits. General Mills believes that the children of Boomers, the Millenials, are home and family oriented and as a result will tailor products to them, and connect with them through the latest innovations in technology.

It is always interesting to gain some insight into the marketing plans of a large corporation like General Mills. It is good to see them deliberately focus their marketing efforts, although one could argue that perhaps the chosen categories are much too broad. The key for a company of this size is make this more than just window-dressing; but to truly innovate in order to meet the demands and needs of increasingly fickle consumers.

Source: Advertising Age

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Thursday, April 08, 2010

Limited outlook for Kellogg

Commenting on the financial performance of cereal companies is not always a useful endeavor, but in light of the current economy and the shifting cereal marketplace it seems to be more relevant right now. Recently I reported on successes at General Mills. But, the future may not be as bright for Kellogg. An analyst with BMO Capital Markets has downgraded Kellogg's stock, foreseeing limited growth from core brands, fewer new products, limited growth with Wal-Mart, and increased competition from Post. Of course, these are mere projections, but they are indicators of some of the challenges cereal companies are facing right now.

Source: BusinessWeek

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