A comprehensive marketing strategy for a revamping of the Cocoa Pebbles brand created in one of my Marketing classes.

1. Cocoa Pebbles
Grace Burkard, Rebecca Nau, Daniel Ebsen, Sarah Utter, Chris Cesar
Group #5
December 6, 2013
11:00am Friday

2. Introduction - Target Market
Children Ages 5-12
Estimated to be 24.5 million for 2013
Kids consume media an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes everyday.
Averaging 28 hours of TV per week
Middle to Low Class
Reside in both urban and suburban communities
Consumers choose Cocoa Pebbles for its convenience and taste

3. Tweets
“Victims include @CaptainCocoa! Are you a victim of the cereal killer
as well? #SavingBreakfast #CerealKiller http://tinyurl.com/nues7ug”
(135)
“Send us ur @CaptainCocoa costume & the cereal box 4 a chance to win a
year supply of @CocoaPebbles, winner drawn on 10/31 #SavingBreakfast”
(138)
“Have you caught our new commercial? What’s @CaptainCocoa’s famous
catch phrase? Reply with your answer + @CaptainCocoa #PostLife”
(122)

4. Twitter Campaign
● Timing
○ Tweets would be sent out over the course of a year
○ Some aimed for certain holidays
○ Keeps Cocoa Pebbles relevant and interesting
○ Aimed toward older target (kids aged 10-12) or parents of younger
children
● Intended Target
○ Current users, Prospective users, and Competitive Users.
○ Our goal is to have Captain Cocoa become as familiar as ‘Captain
Crunch’

5. Do Our Tweets Work?
“Victims include @CaptainCocoa! Are you a victim of the cereal killer
as well? #savingbreakfast #cerealkiller http://tinyurl.com/nues7ug”
(135)
“Send us ur @CaptainCocoa costume & the cereal box 4 a chance to win a
year supply of @CocoaPebbles, winner drawn on 10/31 #SavingBreakfast”
(138)
“Have you caught our new commercial? What’s @CaptainCocoa’s famous
catch phrase? Reply with your answer @CaptainCocoa #PostLife”
(122)

6. Twitter Objectives
-Raise awareness of Captain Cocoa
Through promotional campaigns and publicity
-Remind target of endorser and brand
-Drive sales through the use of contests
-Create a Cocoa Pebbles community

7. Positioning Statement:
For children ages 5-12 Cocoa Pebbles is the number one cereal that is fun and delicious with a
chocolatey surprise at the end of every bowl.
Target Analysis:
● Consumption
● Market Growth
● Marketing in the Industry
● Target Category
● The breakfast cereal market has remained fairly flat in recent years as manufacturers seek to revitalize the category.
The category grew just 1% from 2008-13 to reach $11.5 billion, at current prices.
● Increased interest in the hot cereal segment will help boost the overall category, which Mintel predicts will see 4%
growth from 2013-18, at current prices.
● The breakfast cereal category will continue to face challenges as consumer confidence in the economy rises and
more Americans spend money on food service breakfast offerings.

8. Sales at
current
prices
% Index Index
$million annual change 2008 =
100
2013 = 100
2008 11,329 na 100 99
2009 11,589 2.3 102 101
2010 11,275 -2.7 100 98
2011 11,470 1.7 101 100
2012 11,530 0.5 102 100
2013 (est.) 11,493 -0.3 101 100
2014 (fore.) 11,633 1.2 103 101
2015 (fore.) 11,823 1.6 104 103
2016 (fore.) 11,981 1.3 106 104
2017 (fore.) 12,017 0.3 106 105
2018 (fore.) 11,934 -0.7 105 104
Figure 8: Total U.S. retail sales and forecast of breakfast cereal, at current prices, 2008-18
Why Our Ad Works

9. Perceptions & Benefits
General Perceptions of cereal:
● Health benefits
○ 82% agree it’s a good source of whole grains
○ Healthier breakfast option than others
● Versatile
○ 86% of consumers believe cereal is adaptable to any eating occasion
Perceptions of Cocoa Pebbles:
● No nutritional value
● Fun, sugary cereal
● Benefits
○ Delicious taste (way better than bland cereals)
○ Chocolate milk at the end
○ Has 10 vitamins and minerals and is Gluten Free
○ No fructose corn syrup

10. TV Ad Rationale
● Cocoa Pebbles is a great chocolatey cereal that is not well advertised.
● A fresh ad campaign would be a great way to revamp a cereal.
● Kids typically do not know who the Flintstones are, and using a superhero
as the new ‘face’ of Cocoa Pebbles would create new buzz.

11. TV Ad!

12. Why Our Ad Works
● Cornell Study
○ Children prefer products endorsed
by superheroes
○ Apple Fries Vs French Fries
● “Choclify your Breakfast”
○ Kids love sweet foods
● Comic book elements

13. Our New Brand Name
Captain Cocoa Bits

14. Does this
work?

15. Works Cited
● http://childstats.gov/americaschildren/index.asp
● http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/outreach/batman.html
● http://academic.mintel.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/display/637698/?highli
ght=true
● nydailynew.com/life-style/hea;th/kids-eat-veggies-batman-article-1.112232
0
● http://www.postfoods.com/our.brands/pebbles/our-story/
● http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/12/children-smallest-percentage-of
-population_n_896347