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Kellogg Co.: 2014 Supplier Leadership Award winner for Cause Marketing(Supermarket News Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Kellogg Co. has promoted improved literacy along with its breakfast cereals by encouraging consumers to redeem free books for their families or for schools in need through a program called “Great Starts, Great Stories.” The program enabled families to redeem books from Scholastic Corp. or donate books through Books for Kids. According to the Kellogg’s website, “While a great breakfast can help kids get a great start to the day, books can help keep their imagination active regardless of their economic background. In fact, having a large book collection at home has a greater impact on kids’ reading frequency than does household income.” For encouraging increased literacy through its cause marketing program, Kellogg’s has been named winner of SN’s Supplier Leadership Award in the category of Cause Marketing. A Kellogg’s spokesman told SN the “Great Starts, Great Stories” program was designed not only to promote Kellogg’s products but also to meet the company’s corporate social responsibility. “Moms want to prep their children for a successful school year, which links very naturally with Kellogg’s purpose of nourishing families so they can flourish and thrive,” he told SN. “The program also connects with Scholastic’s mission to build early foundations for literacy and a successful education.” To participate, consumers were asked to visit the Kellogg’s website and enter a special code from a wide variety of specially marked products and then select a book of their choice from a collection geared to all reading levels. Supplier Leadership AwardsSee all 12 winners in 2014, plus links to their stories Kellogg’s said the most popular titles included “Stone Soup,” “Rainbow Magic: The Fairy Treasure Hunt,” “Clifford The Big Red Dog,” “Zoobreak” and “Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets.” “Great Starts, Great Stories” was originally launched in 2011 after research by Kellogg’s revealed that 75% of mothers with school-age children said they were likely to purchase products that offer free books for their kids. Initially launched at Walmart, the program generated “such an enthusiastic response” that it was rolled out nationally, the spokesman said. “Momentum is high as our sales team and retailers rally behind the initiative,” he added, “and now we’re helping put even more books in children’s homes.” In 2013 Kellogg’s hired actor Taye Diggs as the spokesman for the program. In a public service announcement, Diggs said Kellogg’s initial goal was to place 200,000 books into home libraries, schools and local communities as a way of giving children better lives. “Books can play such an important role in a child’s life,” Diggs said in the PSA. “Great stories open up their minds and free their imaginations. “Sadly, two-thirds of U.S. children living in poverty don’t have books at home. Together we can change that. “A great start can lead to a great story. Every child deserves to have access to books and a good breakfast. Every child deserves to read.” Kellogg’s easily exceeded its goal of distributing 200,000 books, reaching 420,000 books by last January, plus an additional 50,000 books that were donated to the Books for Kids Foundation for distribution to schools in need, the company said. Kellogg’s has also hosted family literacy events that have served more than 1,000 families with children. The company is also conducting a sweepstakes called “Every Day Is a Big Day” — tied in with Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats — that gives consumers a chance to win free books for their own families or to designate related prizes for local schools and communities. CONNECT WITH SN ON TWITTER Follow @SN_News for updates throughout the day. To date nearly 1 million books have been distributed through the program, the spokesman said. Scholastic Corp., New York, publishes and distributes children’s books and says on its website it is “a leader in educational technology and children’s media.” Books for Kids Foundation, New York, promotes literacy among all children, with a special emphasis on low-income and at-risk pre-school-aged children. Citing studies that show emergent literacy in pre-schoolers must be supported by a print-rich environment, Books for Kids said it creates libraries, donates books and implements literacy programs to develop an early foundation and skills that it believes children need to be successful in life. Suggested CategoriesMore from Supermarketnews Latest News Top 75 Retailers & Wholesalers Top 50 Small Chains & Independents Top 25 Global Retailers Power 50 SN Photo Galleries Videos Industry Voices SN Viewpoints Total Access Event Coverage © 2014 Penton Media |