As a breakfast and baked items firm, innovation in my trade usually comes within the type of launching a brand new taste or a line extension to a product we already provide. However, when my group noticed the #pancakecereal development taking TikTok by storm through the peak of the pandemic, we felt we needed to get in on the motion—in a manner that may change how our firm thinks about innovation endlessly.
We might have give you intelligent social media movies of our personal to attempt to seize even a number of the 1.7 billion views on the viral hashtag, perhaps placing our slightly-too-large bite-sized pancakes in a bowl with milk. If we did it effectively with a sensible TikTok technique behind it, we in all probability would have seen stable advertising and marketing outcomes, be it a development in followers or a bump in gross sales.
However we noticed a chance to do one thing much more impactful: create and promote a model of pancake cereal ourselves. Eighteen months later in February 2023, we launched Pancake Cereal as an unique and limited-time product with Goal—and the product, excuse the pun, bought like hotcakes and acquired our model an estimated 870 million impressions. We additionally introduced it with us to Expo West (a significant convention within the CPG area) that 12 months, and had a lot curiosity from consumers that we’re contemplating beginning a wholly new class for our model.
Right here’s why this launch was so game-changing for us, and extra importantly, how this expertise has shifted how we take into consideration product growth shifting ahead.
We ensured the product was actually aligned with our model
I don’t assume we might have created a product based mostly on any social media meals development and been this profitable. We had to ensure the concept was aligned with our model values and what our goal buyer has come to anticipate from us.
What we noticed from the development is that it was taking folks hours to make these tiny pancakes for only one bowl that was eaten inside minutes. That folks liked pancake cereal in concept—the style and the expertise of consuming it—however mentioned there was no manner they had been whipping up a batch every single day, perhaps not even ever once more. That busy dad and mom specifically (who’re one in every of our core clients) had children begging them for pancake cereal for breakfast however might by no means muster up the trouble to make it occur.
The Belgian Boys mission is to ship baked items which can be fast, straightforward, and handy (and, after all, scrumptious)—merchandise that give a made-from-scratch taste with out requiring all the trouble. So, having the ability to provide this deal with that folks had been loving however in a extra seamless, environment friendly manner felt fully in keeping with our model, and is why this product had the facility to stay on even after the preliminary development died down.
On the flip facet, we had to ensure we might ship a product that was aligned with the development. If we had shortly cranked out a product that was disappointing—that was too huge to get pleasure from from a spoon or didn’t have the feel of recent pancakes—it wouldn’t have taken off in the way in which it did. It was an uphill battle for the R&D group, nevertheless it was extra necessary to me to take the time to create a product that represented the standard of our model than to chop corners to get it accomplished sooner.
Customers are savvy. In the event that they assume you’re attempting to make the most of a development for a PR win or money seize, the product gained’t have a real impression. Creating a profitable product based mostly on social listening is rather like creating another form of product: It’s a must to perceive what you’re fixing, and ensure your model is well-equipped to resolve it.
We did the legwork to determine if the concept was ridiculous, or ridiculously good
With an idea this distinctive, we didn’t need to go full-steam forward with out intestine checking ourselves first. So, as an alternative of retaining the concept prime secret, we talked to anybody and everybody we knew to see what they thought.
We’re a small group, so we didn’t have the bandwidth to do intensive buyer analysis, however we had everybody ask their mates and households about whether or not they can be excited a few pancake cereal product. We additionally chatted with trade friends to see if that they had any suggestions or if they may spot any main points we had been lacking.
Maybe most significantly, although, we went to our retail companions with the concept to see what they thought. There have been undoubtedly just a few retailers who thought the product class was too unfamiliar to attraction to their clients or who felt it was an excessive amount of of a danger. Our purchaser at Goal, nevertheless, was excited in regards to the viewers we had been interesting to, thought the distinctive product might attraction to clients, and was keen to take the chance for the potential of a significant reward.
Having this buy-in from the beginning helped us confirm our idea, diminished the chance for our model, and likewise gave us an unbelievable companion who might assist us make selections as we navigated the method of creating a brand new providing. I liked ideating with our purchaser on which product mockups they thought had been strongest and dealing with Goal’s advertising and marketing group on messaging and launch technique, and I do know their deep trade experience made the product stronger. We didn’t do every thing they steered—we needed to make the selections that greatest aligned with our model—however receiving suggestions from the individuals who can be serving to us promote this was so invaluable.
We labored with influencers to recreate buzz
By the point we had been able to launch, the preliminary development had fizzled a bit. As an alternative of attempting to fully restart the development ourselves, we leaned into getting assist from of us who had tried their hand at pancake cereal the primary time round.
Influencer advertising and marketing was a key participant in our Pancake Cereal launch, which added vital publicity to our total marketing campaign. We labored with over 60 influencers, specializing in those that had tried the unique development, with a mixture of paid partnerships and earned media from distributing PR packing containers with free cereal to attempt. We went all out to make our model stand out with these packing containers: the field itself was fridge-shaped to emphasise that our product is way out of your odd dry cereal, we packed it with a Belgian Boys-branded cereal bowl and spoon, and the copy was chock-full of our signature breakfast humor. We needed to make sure that any promotion not solely helped promote Pancake Cereal, however launched new audiences to our model as a complete.
We gathered over 1.25 million impressions and engagements from the influencer-generated content material. As a result of this product was bought in shops, moderately than on to customers, we do not have entry to the info on gross sales pushed by the marketing campaign or the extent of renewed vitality generated, however the metrics we tracked point out that our influencer advertising and marketing technique was profitable in creating buzz, elevating consciousness, and producing substantial engagement for our product.
We’re at all times searching for new methods to hearken to our clients
After listening to this story, persons are shocked to be taught that we’re not on social media every single day attempting to trace down the following development we are able to soar on. However I believe dashing to commercialize one other viral baked good solely as a result of this one labored so effectively can be inauthentic.
As an alternative, what I take away from this expertise is that inspiration for brand spanking new merchandise can and may come from in every single place—and it ought to at all times be rooted in what your buyer is saying. What are they speaking about on social media? What are your pals who’re in your audience saying to you over dinner? What merchandise are they enthusiastic about proper now, and which of them are they ignoring?
There are such a lot of methods in the present day that clients can inform manufacturers what they’re pondering, what they’re enthusiastic about, and what issues they’re dealing with. We as firm leaders merely must widen our horizons on how we’re listening.
