How Kraft's Shreddies Revamped Itself Without Changing Anything

By anon -

What do you see in the image above? Is it a diamond? Is it a rhombus? Or is it a square, rotated 45°?
In 2008, Kraft Foods Canada capitalized on this confusion to revitalize a 78-year-old brand, Shreddies. Sales of this popular breakfast cereal had stagnated. According to a consumer research done in its Canadian market, customers wanted the brand to refresh itself without it changing anything. 

How to increase sales of a product that is loved by its customers just the way it is?

Kraft Foods accepted the challenge and launched the new & improved Shreddie, the 'Diamond Shreddies'. Hunter Somerville's idea, an intern with Kraft Food's creative agency Ogilvy & Mather Canada, became the basis of this campaign - an 'angular upgrade' to the original Shreddie, devised by a team of 'cereal scientists'. 

Diamond Shreddies: Original Square Shreddie rotated 45°
Packs of 'Diamond Shreddies' was launched with much fanfare. The tongue-in-cheek campaign triggered a widespread debate among consumers who were in on the joke and the ones who took it seriously. 28,000 people cast their vote for 'Diamonds' or 'Square' Shreddies poll ran online and Diamonds maintained a solid lead with 66% votes in its favor. One man auctioned what he claimed the 'last square Shreddie' on eBay for $36 US. As part of the campaign, a fictional character 'President of Shreddies' replied to various customer queries that Kraft Foods received. Kraft Foods further fueled the conversation around the campaign by launching the Diamonds and Square Combo pack. Somerville was delighted that customers responded positively and admitted, "Sometimes I believe the diamonds taste better myself."

In business terms, the campaign proved to be a spectacular success: market share of Shreddies increased by 18% in the first month and brand recognition soared 52% higher than its competitors. 


This story is regarded as a brilliant example of creating intangible added value without changing the product!

Watch the commercial that went viral:

Supplement with:
TED Talk by Rory Sutherland on How to Create Intangible Value

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