How Big Companies Use Social Media
San Francisco | June 23, 2009
David Witt
General Mills
“Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online”

Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online
David Witt
General Mills Brand PR
David.Witt@genmills.com
1

Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online
Goals
• Awareness (WOM)
• Product trial
• Brand advocacy
Audience: Moms with children 0-4
2

Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online
Background
• Gravitational pull online toward niche - people congregate
around similar interests/affinities
• Peer Recommendations
• More than half of women consider blogs a reliable source
of advice and an influence on their purchase decisions*
• Increased coupon usage
– Nearly four out of every 10 shoppers, or 40 million
consumers, would be likely to use coupons obtained
online**
*BlogHer | Compass Partners 2008 Social Media Benchmark Study:
Blogging mainstream, "Reliable" for fun, advice and information
** Platform-A's Business Intelligence organization, in partnership with Information Resources, Inc.
3

Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online
Program Tactics
• Created a free online coupon offer
• Identified and built relationships with bloggers (mom, coupon,
review) that would find this information relevant
• Provided product information, samples, coupons and prize packs
• Partnered with influential sites and networks where moms were
already visiting and trusted for information
• Supplemented program with traditional PR outreach (print/
broadcast) which also provided link to coupon and website
4

Reaching the Digital Mom
Blog Outreach
Twitter Mentions
Dedicated Emails
Podcasts Coupon Forums
Online Newsletters
Print Outreach
Blog Contests
5

Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online
Print Results “Yoplait Kids…now has 16mgs. Of
Omega 3 per serving. You can
request a coupon for a free six
pack worth $2.79 at
“These new 4 oz cups have www.yoplaitkids.com”
25% less sugar than the
leading kid’s yogurt and no
artificial sweeteners. Try it
free by requesting a coupon
at www.yoplaitkids.com”
“Yoplait is ramping “Yoplait Kids is
up the healthy offering free
quotient for Yoplait coupons for their
Kids…and …offering delicious treats!”
parents a free six
pack”
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Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online
“First off, I want to tell you that by
Blog Results going to www.yoplaitkids.com Yoplait Kids has definitely become
you can score a coupon good for a personal favorite in my "bag of
a free package of Yoplait Kids tricks" to please my kids!! Yoplait
yogurt. Yoplait Kids yogurt is a is offering a FREE sample coupon
delicious and very healthy snack at their website so you can also get
in sizes and flavors perfect for a chance to sample it for yourself!
your toddler. ”
Here's a great
freebie for you! Get a
coupon for a free 6
pack of Yoplait Kids
Yogurt…Yoplait is a
favorite around here The drinkable yogurt was the favorite! It’s
and I love getting a healthy snack filled with calcium. Right
something free that now you can visit the Yoplait Kids
we'll actually USE! website and receive a coupon for a free
package of Yoplait yogurt. Yes, it’s
absolutely FREE.
7

Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online
Results
• Coupons: Nearly 300k free/high value coupons
• Redemption: Exceptional
• Placements: 5,800+ placement (800+ on blogs)
• Impressions: Nearly 100 million
• Sales: Lift in sales
8

Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online
Key Learnings
• It’s about the consumers – their opinions, their interests and what is
relevant to them.
• Gravitational pull to niche
• Provide audiences with information/products/services useful and
relevant to them
• Provide content in a format and in a location that they find useful and
familiar
• Integrate social media efforts with traditional PR for synergistic
support
• To have remarkable results, product must be remarkable
9

Yoplait Kids Connects with Moms Online
Questions?
David Witt
General Mills Brand PR
David.Witt@genmills.com
10

How Big Companies Use Social Media
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