Dive Brief:
- Quaker Oats' new Oatober promotion involves 60 pieces of original content distributed via social media platforms as diverse as Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, and will additionally run native advertisements, as well as print and digital spots, according to a company release.
- New content will roll out daily this month, including recipes distributed via social media and original videos starring Quaker's Chief Creative Oatmeal Officer Samantha "Sam" Stephens and the actress Katie Holmes.
- The campaign will also have a one-off event called the Oatober Bowl, which adds exclusive menu items to Stephens’ New York oatmeal bar OatMeals.
Dive Insight:
For a legacy brand like Quaker, which has been around for almost 140 years, a new campaign focused on a diversity of formats — from traditional print and digital ads to original video content — demonstrates a forward-thinking approach some of the company's fresher-faced peers could take a note from.
The campaign also underscores the need for a varied approach to content marketing, as different platforms reach different consumers and each has its own unique content strategy.
And Quaker Oats, which is owned by PepsiCo., definitely has an eye on trends for its latest effort: Oatober is putting a premium on social influencers, using popular lifestyle and culinary bloggers to spread its content around. A Keller Fay Group and Experticity joint study from March found consumers 82% more likely to adhere to a micro-influencers’ product recommendations, a finding Quaker Oats is betting on to provide a boost for the brand.
Quaker Oats also recognizes the need to have some fun with these types of promotions, which it is aiming to achieve with the tongue-in-cheek Oatober Bowl.