Latest news with #Kellanova
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Data Clean Room Technology Can Show Marketing Impact
Last year, international food giant Kellanova (part of the company formerly known as Kellogg) was hoping to improve sales of its Special K cereal in the U.K. as competition increased. Their hypothesis: Targeted audiences would buy more Special K with messaging and content that focused on the quality and value of the cereal. In order to test the theory, Kellanova used data clean rooms, a high-tech and AI-powered way to penetrate deep into data. The company was able to show their targeting worked—sales increased 9% among price-conscious shoppers, and 36% among premium shoppers—and has been using clean room technology for more aspects of marketing. I talked to Kellanova's Global Senior Director of Insights and Intelligence Louise Cotterill and Chief Growth Officer Charisse Hughes about how they used clean room technology to find success in this campaign and others. This conversation has been edited for length, clarity and continuity. It was excerpted in the Forbes CMO newsletter. What have been some of the challenges Kellanova has recently faced in terms of getting information about their customers? Cotterill: Like all CPGs, we don't own that last mile transaction data, and so we're very often blind to the people who are buying our food. By the aggregated data, we can see what's going on in general, but we can't see the specificity of what's happening. What we wanted to do is really be able to lift that veneer and have a better understanding of how our shopper is interacting with our brands, with our food, with our retail partners. The way we've been able to do that is through clean rooms. The way that they work is we will license data from a partner—that can be a third-party loyalty card, Circana data or it can be a retailer directly. That goes through a hash sheet process that translates that [personally identifiable information] data, so it's 'ID 1234.' At the same time, I bring in other data sets, and I know this ID has also entered into the suite with something. I might pair that with retail location data. So I understand the geography of where you're shopping, and maybe I can understand a bit about your household and lifestyle. I don't know it's you, though. That gives us that granularity whilst also respecting people's privacy at the same time. As marketers, we've suddenly gone from having panel data—which has worked incredibly well for our businesses, but we're projecting the outcome based on 2,000 people—to actually looking at millions and millions of records that we can analyze with AI and start to understand that granularity that drives our commercial business; something that's different to help us better connect with those consumers. Kellanova Global Senior Director of Insights and Intelligence Louise Cotterill and Chief Growth Officer Charisse Hughes. How did you land on using clean room technology to do this? Cotterill: The most important thing to do is start with a business problem, because if you start with the technology, it will never land and never get embedded in the business. My role is to look at how do we better use advanced sciences in marketing. Media is by far our largest expenditure. We saw a 1% to 2% improvement in media effectiveness and efficiency. That's a significant improvement to our commercial bottom line. We started with that as the objective: How do we create more effective and efficient consumer connections? What that took us to was the role of data collaboration. Kellanova is one of the most trusted companies. We have to do it at the gold star standard of privacy. The gold standard is a clean room where we can anonymize that data as much as possible. And so that was really where it went. The crucial part is that it's very easy to be seduced by data, the idea of technology and these shiny objects. If you don't start with actually a problem that you're trying to solve, all you get is a very expensive tool that never gets used. What's been great about the clean room is that we have not only been able to demonstrate impact, it's repeatable into our processes and practices, and that's the key unlock for anything that we do in these AI and data science programs. Is this a platform that you can continue to use at Kellanova? How was it established? Cotterill: The technology of the clean room is with a third party. They have neutrality in that their core work is making sure that data is anonymized and protected. We then partner with different third-party data providers to bring in those different data sets, but within the clean room as an analytics environment. That analytics environment is accessed by our internal data scientists. What's critical, and I think the way we see this world moving, is that data will not be a differentiator, but models will be. Everyone will have Experian, everyone will have Circana and Nielsen data. But where the real IP will be in how you use that data and how you build those models to understand, in this use case, what is a high-value consumer. Our internal teams are building the models. They're working side-by-side with our marketing, media and creative teams, and that's where the success was for Special K. It really comes to life because we have the control over how we build the audience, but we're partnering with our external partners to bring it to life. When you embarked on this project, was there any pushback, confusion or hesitancy among the team to do something this high tech and bring so many data resources into it? Cotterill: It was a clear business need, so it was a much easier sell than perhaps it might be [if we said] let's just chase this shiny AI tool. It came with a solve for a problem, but I'll be totally transparent: We didn't knock it out of the park the first time. It wasn't a magic turnkey solution. We had senior leadership who believed in it. And so when we don't see the results the first time, we still have the confidence to keep going and the belief that that will drive a meaningful impact in our business. That's what we saw with Special K, and now that's embedded into many campaigns in multiple markets. The beautiful thing is these models just get smarter every time we deploy, every time we target, every time we get a result, we are getting smarter and more understanding. Hughes: When you think about this space that we're all operating in, which is new and unknown by many, it's uncomfortable because it's not how we've always done it. It's techy. All those dynamics, we faced those. Add to that in some cases, you're spending more dollars because you're targeting a smaller group of people. So your CPMs are arguably going up, but you're driving a better return on investment at the end of the day. For sure it takes some convincing and some test-and-learns. We failed at first, and this spirit of failure, and failing fast and failing cheap, has to be a part of what you're building in terms of the muscle of the organization. It definitely takes time. My prior life was in retail, and you're able to recover a little bit faster because you're naturally accustomed, moving at that pace and testing and learning and adapting. When you're a bigger organization like Kellogg/Kellanova, you're building more of the internal confidence and belief in what's possible. Then you're using this test-and-learn approach to demonstrate what's possible, but you build it through words, collaboration and a partnership, bringing everybody together to talk through the plans, and really build that allyship and confidence. We are really fortunate that we had Lu, is a digital marketer who comes from an agency background, who could be our champion and wave the flag around, and, from my standpoint at the executive level, is bringing my CEO and CFO along on the journey as well. Was there anything that was specifically challenging or surprising about the whole process? Cotterill: I think the reason that we weren't successful the first time is because we were kind of like kids in a candy store. We've never had this level of data. It was so exciting. And so what we did was try to change too much, and in changing too much, at the end it was too complex for us to separate out the results. We knew we needed to do is just simplify it right back down. It's really easy to get ahead of yourself and to raise this notion of nirvana of what you should be able to do, but you've got to meet the organization where they are in terms of capabilities and process. Everything's changing every day, but still there's a lot of manual work. If you've got multiple creative, you've got to traffic and tag all those ads. We over-complicated it. You can't overestimate the importance of measurement: Aligning up front what you say is success, so that when I come back and I say this is what happened, I'm held accountable to those standards and those goals. With Special K, we set really high standards. We said we want to drive sales and we're going to measure that through a clean room. As a CPG marketer, we never get to see the real impact of our creative. With a clean room, we can see that I showed [someone] this ad, then she went on to buy. We were very clear to drive sales, and we far exceeded any industry benchmark on those sales with increases of 9% with price-conscious shoppers and 36% with premium shoppers. The second challenge that we set was if we can drive short-term uplift, what about brand health? These metrics move really slowly over time. They're extremely hard to move in social, a very fast paced environment. Our business-as-usual approach saw no lift at all. In the clean room audiences, we see an uplift of three times industry average. Presenting those results is a joy and a great validation. We really believed we could get there, and it showed that we could. Hughes: You can imagine if you bring different functions to the table to talk about the business problem, everybody has a different point of view on it. The hard thing is getting everybody to see the problem the same way and to want to test a single hypothesis. There could be tons of hypotheses about why a business is declining, or not seeing volume growth and household penetration. But to get the sales team, the marketing team, the shopper team, the insights team, all those folks having a shared view on the problem. People have different data, so they're seeing different things and a different piece of the problem. If you can break down those silos and get everybody to the table to say, we all believe that this is the problem we're going to solve, then it becomes a lot easier. Now you're just setting up a test and how you're going to execute that. How do these results compare with ones you'd seen earlier, both through panels, but also through online data before privacy was such a widespread concern? Cotterill: The big shift is we know that we are respecting our consumers and shoppers' expectations. We've taken the due diligence to honor and respect—and exceed, where we can—any privacy rules. The biggest shift for us is the granularity that we're able to see what's going on in our business. Panel data has been fantastic, but often the exciting parts in marketing are on the fringes. That's where you identify the insight or the opportunity. Those edges have been softened out for a long time. Whilst you talk about the clean room potentially as a targeting tool, we're bringing it further upstream in our strategy and business planning process because it gives us an incremental visibility we've never had before. We can see things like geographic divides in how our food is sold, or price sensitivity. We can understand that, amazingly, not all women are the same. There's different nuances, and we can target and speak to those in different ways. Most exciting is the measurement piece: You're not just relying on model data. You've got actual real data. For me, it's really hard to go back to working because the precision you've got, it looks so illuminating and so exciting. As a marketer, you just want to lean into it as much as possible. Hughes: Being able to talk to our consumers more directly about their behaviors, versus taking a retrospective and constantly having to look back; actually seeing what they're doing and how they're reacting in real time [is great], but the measurement part is probably the most exciting. There are those people who believe marketing is just a line item in the P&L to be cut, that is not really delivering on what we know it can deliver: growth, engagement and long-term business and brand acceleration. Now, we can demonstrate the sales impact as well as the brand impact. Being able to communicate that you need both is critical. Now we have the data, we have the test-and-learns, we have the insights and the capabilities to do that better than ever. What have you been using this technology for since the case study, and where do you plan to use it next? Cotterill: We're rolling it out across lots of campaigns. I'm in the midst of deploying a whole set now, and I at the same time, there's a capability training that's going alongside. It's one thing telling people the theory, but when they sit alongside the data science team, when they see the impact it can have, that's just elevating the capabilities of our marketers. We're rolling out across many campaigns. We've got it now in multiple markets. We see a potential where it can go beyond. The simplest use case is targeting. The next level is creative targeting and measurement. And the next level is where we start to use it to break down some of those silos, in terms of helping us across different commercial domains: sales across, pricing across. That's an innovation dream for us. We want to make sure [we are not] getting over-complex too soon. We're embedding it at this level right now, but we see a huge potential where it could go and complement a lot of the work that we're doing in various areas. What advice would you give to marketers that are looking at this kind of technology and are trying to decide whether to use it? Cotterill: I have learned so much by doing. Clean rooms are a great tool, but they're part of a repertoire of tools that we have to target. You've got to make sure that you've got the right brief, the right problem to solve it with. Clean rooms offer more control. They're often more precision. They're not turnkey. If you try and just change the shiny objects, it will never ever work. But when we've been able to embed it in the process and solve the real business problem, that's when it worked the best.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
RXBAR Launches High Protein Innovation Along with a New Lemon Honey Cashew Butter Flavor to Fuel Snacking All Summer Long
With ingredients you can recognize, RXBAR proves once again that you can keep it simple without compromising on taste and nutrition CHICAGO, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's consumers have high expectations when it comes to their snacks. They want protein that powers them throughout the day, without a long list of ingredients, artificial sweeteners, or a chalky aftertaste. They also want snacks that offer unique flavors and, to put it simply, taste good*. While this may seem like a tall order, RXBAR, a brand known for its use of simple ingredients, is stepping up with an innovation that finally delivers on both function and flavor, and leaves out the B.S. Introducing RXBAR High Protein — a first-of-its-kind offering developed through extensive consumer conversations and testing to answer the call for a simpler, better-tasting high-protein bar. With 18g of protein, just six recognizable ingredients, and a creamy, satisfying texture, it's a bar made to support strength without compromise. It's also gluten free, plant based and naturally sweetened with organic agave nectar — a sharp contrast to the engineered, filler-heavy options currently lining shelves. 'This launch represents the next chapter for RXBAR,' said Eileen Flaherty, Brand Marketing Director at Kellanova. 'We saw a clear gap in the category and knew we could deliver a superior option. Consumers don't want to settle for bars that promise protein but fall short on taste or transparency. We're here to offer both.' That philosophy is the foundation of RXBAR's new brand platform: Proud Sponsor of No B.S. — a commitment to doing things differently in a space crowded with overprocessed products and the overcomplicated claims that clutter the protein bar aisle. It's about spotlighting what matters: ingredients with purpose, flavors that hold up, and benefits you don't have to decode. RXBAR High Protein is now available in two delicious flavors — Strawberry Peanut Butter and Vanilla Peanut Butter — each delivering a distinct sensory experience shaped by both flavor memory and consumer feedback. Strawberry Peanut Butter evokes nostalgic peanut butter and jelly energy with roasted peanuts, jammy fruit, and visible ingredients, akin to a grown-up nutritionally dense version of a PB&J sandwich, featuring bright strawberry pieces and a satisfying chew. Vanilla Peanut Butter was inspired by the beloved combination of peanut butter and vanilla bean ice cream — a smooth, subtly sweet bar with a cookie-dough-like texture and roasted nut finish. 'In our innovation kitchen, every ingredient has to fight for its seat at the table,' explains Suzy Singh, the food scientist who cracked the code on RXBAR High Protein Bar. 'Pea protein is our texture architect and protein powerhouse. Peanut butter is our flavor hero and binding agent. No ingredient gets a free ride — they all need to have a purpose in creating something that appears simple but performs like nothing else on the market. 18 grams of protein have never tasted this delicious!' While RXBAR High Protein leads the innovation story, it's joined by a new flavor addition to the RXBAR Nut Butter & Oat lineup: Lemon Honey Cashew Butter. Inspired by bakery-style flavor pairings and flavor trends, this bar offers a lighter alternative to the dessert-heavy options that dominate the snack aisle. With 10g of protein and 18g of whole grains, each soft yet crispy bite delivers lemon, floral honey, and a hint of salt, layered over oats, seeds and chopped nuts. It's a flavor-forward bar that can pick you up during the midday slump. All three products are available now at select Target stores and online at with additional retail distribution rolling out throughout the summer. For updates, product information, or to follow along, head to @rxbar or visit *Taste is a top priority for high-protein bar buyers, but studies show that fewer than half of buyers perceive these products as actually tasty (Mintel, 2021). About Kellanova Kellanova (NYSE: K) is a leader in global snacking, international cereal and noodles, and North America frozen foods with a legacy stretching back more than 100 years. Powered by differentiated brands including Pringles®, Cheez-It®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg's ® Rice Krispies Treats®, RXBAR®, Eggo®, MorningStar Farms®, Special K®, Coco Pops®, and more, Kellanova's vision is to become the world's best-performing snacks-led powerhouse, unleashing the full potential of our differentiated brands and our passionate people. Our net sales for 2024 were approximately $13 billion. At Kellanova, our purpose is to create better days and ensure everyone has a seat at the table through our trusted food brands. We are committed to promoting sustainable and equitable food access by tackling the crossroads of hunger, sustainability, wellbeing, and equity, diversity & inclusion. Our goal is to create Better Days for 4 billion people by the end of 2030 (from a 2015 baseline). For more detailed information about our commitments, our approach to achieving these goals, and methodology, please visit our website at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Kellanova
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ASAIY or K: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
Investors interested in stocks from the Consumer Products - Discretionary sector have probably already heard of Sendas Distribuidora S.A. Sponsored ADR (ASAIY) and Kellanova (K). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out. The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits. Sendas Distribuidora S.A. Sponsored ADR and Kellanova are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that ASAIY has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this. Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels. The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value. ASAIY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 19.62, while K has a forward P/E of 21.68. We also note that ASAIY has a PEG ratio of 0.54. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. K currently has a PEG ratio of 4.33. Another notable valuation metric for ASAIY is its P/B ratio of 2.92. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, K has a P/B of 7.12. These metrics, and several others, help ASAIY earn a Value grade of A, while K has been given a Value grade of C. ASAIY stands above K thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that ASAIY is the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Sendas Distribuidora S.A. Sponsored ADR (ASAIY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Kellanova (K) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Nostalgic breakfast treats move to the ice cream aisle
What is it about Pop-Tarts that makes them so hard to resist? The crispy flaky crust? The gooey middle? The scent of slightly burnt sugar? Whether you like them right out of the package or toasted to perfection, Pop-Tarts are really the best go-to "breakfast" for anyone who's in a hurry and have been guilty pleasure for breakfast or a midnight snack for over 60 on protein and nutrients, perhaps, but every once in a while, who cares? Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Over the years, Pop-Tarts have popped up in recipes, been dunked in milk, and even frozen for extra crunch. Now they're about to appear in an unexpected part of the grocery store. Kellanova, the snack food division of the Kellogg Company, announced a new line of frozen Pop-Tarts treats. Kellanova, the parent company of other snack favorites like Pringles, Rice Krispies Treats, and Cheez-Its, announced on Instagram it will expand into the freezer aisle with a line of ice cream sandwiches and ice cream pints. The pints blend "indulgent ice cream with flavor swirls and pastry-style pieces," while the sandwiches feature "flavor-filled pastry-style ends" layered with ice cream. The ice cream flavors initially include Frosted Strawberry, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and S'mores, arguably the three most iconic Pop-Tart options in the brand's lineup. Related: New McDonald's sauces bring the heat more than ever The ice cream sandwiches will also be available in three flavors, Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Frosted Strawberry and Frosted Chocolate Fudge. These new treats follow Kellanova's recent foray into breakfast-inspired concoctions like Eggo- and Rice Krispies Treats ice cream sandwiches and ice cream pints. The latest addition to the line-up continues the company's trend of turning classic breakfast items into new snackable formats. Although Kellanova has not released a full nationwide distribution plan yet, Walmart is on the initial retailer list, and other select retailers will carry the treats later in the summer. The Pop-Tarts ice cream mash-up is just the latest example of how big food companies are tapping into nostalgia to create buzz and boost sales. Brands like Kellogg's/Kellanova, General Mills, and PepsiCo have been blurring category lines with offerings that cater to consumers' cravings for both comfort and novelty. Related: Trader Joe's sells out of TikTok famous treat (here's when it's back) In the recent year or so, General Mills' launched Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk and Cinnamon Toast pizza; Wendy's gave us Frosty creamer; and there was the Smartfood x Krispy Kreme popcorn from PepsiCo. The goal is the same: keep established brands fresh by surprising customers with new ways to enjoy old favorites. It's also a way to capture attention on social media, where food crossovers and limited-edition releases tend to go viral. More Food: Applebee's brings back all-you-can-eat deal to take down Chili'sPopular Mexican chain reveals surprising growth plansStarbucks CEO shares plan for a whole new menu With grocery stores crowded with innovative snack options, capitalizing on known brands is a way to capture shoppers' attention and encourage an impulse buy. And for nostalgic millennials and Gen Z shoppers, many of whom grew up on Pop-Tarts, this type of innovation creates a sense of fun and familiarity. So whether you're a Frosted Strawberry purist or eager to try them all, now you can start and end your day with a Pop-Tarts treat. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Hindustan Times
Too hot to cook? Try these creative ways to enjoy nourishing cereals this summer
As the Indian summer intensifies, it is natural to gravitate toward lighter, cooler foods. In this context, ready-to-eat cereals present a highly versatile and convenient option, particularly during a season when hydration and nourishment are essential. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Nadiya Merchant, Associate Director - Nutrition at Kellanova, shared, 'Cereals such as corn flakes, wheat flakes, granola, and muesli provide a flexible base for creating a range of summer-appropriate meals and snacks that combine simplicity with nutritional value. One satisfying way to begin a hot day is with a chilled cereal and fruit bowl.' She explained, 'A breakfast consisting of high-fibre cereal served with cold milk or a plant-based alternative, and topped with seasonal fruits such as mango, papaya, banana, or berries, offers a refreshing and energising start. Adding a spoonful of chia or flax seeds introduces extra fibre and omega-3 fatty acids, while a light drizzle of honey can enhance flavour. This breakfast is not only cooling but also revitalising — well-suited for warm, humid mornings.' To curb midday hunger, Nadiya Merchant suggested a layered cereal parfait offers a thoughtful and nutrient-rich option. She said, 'Begin with a base of multigrain cereals, followed by a layer of Greek yoghurt, then a topping of seasonal fruit purée such as mango or stewed berries. Finish with a sprinkle of toasted nuts and seeds to introduce texture and deliver important micronutrients, including magnesium, iron, and vitamin E.' Another refreshing choice is a cereal-based smoothie. Nadiya Merchant said, 'Blending your preferred cereal with chilled milk or a non-dairy alternative, along with fibre-rich fruits like peaches or papayas, results in a portable, hydrating beverage that delivers essential carbohydrates, fibre and vitamins.' Cereals can also be consumed directly from the pack as a convenient snack. Nadiya Merchant said, 'A handful of granola or muesli offers a mix of whole grains, dried fruits, and seeds — ideal for on-the-go moments when a quick and nourishing energy source is needed.' Summer meals don't have to compromise on flavour or nutritional quality. With a few simple ingredients and creative pairings, cereals can be transformed into cooling, hydrating, and nutrient-dense options that support overall well-being throughout the season. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
