As the 2016 Olympic Games consume our collective attention, brands are upping their game and sharing creative content to join in the excitement.
Kellogg’s had its own Opening Ceremony of sorts in Union Square earlier this year to unveil #TeamKelloggs – a team packed with first time Olympic hopefuls. Not only could passersby meet and take photos with future Olympians, including gold-medalist-to-be Simone Biles, but they could also experience a bit of training first hand through virtual reality and Periscope. Check it this video of the highlights, featuring interviews with the creatives behind the campaign:
Read the full behind-the-scenes story on the Kellogg’s #GetsMeStarted kickoff here.
Now that the Olympic Games are in full swing, we checked back in with the brand on social media to see if it is still sharing medal-winning visual content. Since the beginning of the Games, Kellogg’s has shared a mix of real-time visual content from Rio, pre-produced photos and videos, and retweets from news outlets and #TeamKelloggs athletes.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
1. The adventures of Tony and Corny
Kellogg’s mascots Tony the Tiger and Corny the Rooster managed to land tickets to Rio and you can follow along on their adventures through photos and videos. This branded take on the old Flat Stanley concept is a fun way to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the brand’s activities at the Games.
Tony & Corny at #OpeningCeremony #GetsMeStarted https://t.co/jzxF7P4EgE
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) August 5, 2016
The photos and videos of the little mascots not only highlight what’s going on in the arena, but also give fans a glimpse of Rio.
Day quickly turning to night in #Rio. #TeamKelloggs #SquadGoals #GetsMeStarted pic.twitter.com/bwZL9lOzX9
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) August 13, 2016
2. Spotlight on #TeamKelloggs
Kellogg’s is cheering on its five #TeamKelloggs athletes, Simone Biles, Tom Shields, Natalie Bieule, Julie Johnston and Ajee’ Wilson, every step of the way. The brand is striking a balance between journalist and cheerleader, tweeting features about the athletes and updates about their events, along with a dose of excitement. The key here is that the athletes are the heroes of the story, not the brand.
.@beefyTshields starts his #USA competition today. See what's been getting him started along the way. https://t.co/pGNLw8Mr3B #GetsMeStarted
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) August 8, 2016
When the team doesn’t have visual content to share, they pack emojis into their tweets to make them more visually appealing. Plus, note the language in these tweets. This team is excited for the athletes, and they’re showing it in a fun, casual, authentic way.
Alright alright alriiigghhht…@beefyTshields in the semis in a few. Too excited to breathe! 🏊😱 #TeamKelloggs #GetsMeStarted
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) August 12, 2016
🎉🎉Congratulations @Simone_Biles Gymnastics All-around champion!! 💥💥💥 #USA #TeamKelloggs
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) August 11, 2016
They are also mixing in photos, videos and gifs produced before the Games, like this video of swimmer Tom Shields talking breakfast cereal with NYC chef Jonah Reider.
We saw what gets @beefyTshields started daily. See how chef @jonahreider #StirsUpBreakfast for Tom. #GetsMeStarted pic.twitter.com/rEqtg9OQ2O
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) August 15, 2016
3. Unique Hashtags
Brands that aren’t official Olympic sponsors can’t use trademarked hashtags like #TeamUSA or #Rio2016. Kellogg’s was smart to create its own hashtags, #TeamKelloggs and #GetsMeStarted for its branded content surrounding the Olympics.
To honor @TeamUSA 1K gold medals #TeamKelloggs is giving a little something to get you started: 1K cereal boxes!! pic.twitter.com/QXGDKobo49
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) August 14, 2016
Not only is the brand generating buzz on these hashtags, but since the kickoff in Union Square in April, fans have started to join in the conversation, as well. The ripple effect has created user-generated visual content the brand can retweet, like this post from a young Simone Biles fan.
@KelloggsUS that's for making my girls' day with this awesome find at the store today! #SimoneBiles #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/fUKepfOKnT
— Colleen Moulton (@TCMoulton) August 10, 2016
4. Spreading the Word
After #TeamKelloggs athlete Simone Biles and the rest of the Final Five won the gold in team gymnastics final, Biles announced on NBC’s TODAY Show that the Final Five would appear on a “gold medal edition” of Kellogg’s Special K Red Berries. The brand retweeted this gif shared by the TODAY Show before sharing their own announcement with photos of the box.
.@Simone_Biles reveals the #FinalFive on the front of @KelloggsUS cereal box! #RioTODAY pic.twitter.com/crXeqgr2Br
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 12, 2016
Want your own @USAGym team box that was revealed on @TODAYshow? Visit https://t.co/6oY5piqbmE for your🏅Edition. pic.twitter.com/l3wV8zltX5
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) August 12, 2016
5. #TeamKelloggs Content
Meanwhile, #TeamKelloggs members are sharing branded content on their own social media channels. Check out this sweet post on Instagram from Discus athlete Natalie Bieule, who will compete next month in the Paraylympics.
The Bottom Line
When we talked to the Creative Director for the #GetsMeStarted project, Aaron Noffsinger, and the Associate Marketing Director for Kellogg’s Brand, Andrew Shripka, at the kickoff in Union Square, they shared their hopes that fans would want to watch Kellogg’s content during the Olympic Games and get involved by sharing their own content on the hashtag. Now, Kellogg’s can celebrate a successful visual content campaign – but for the time being, it seems like they’re too busy celebrating the success of #TeamKelloggs.
Congratulations to @USAGym @Simone_Biles on your Bronze medal! #PodiumLife #SimoneThings #TeamKelloggs https://t.co/5DReZLvvkZ
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) August 15, 2016
1 comment
Interesting post! I did not know that non-sponsors couldn’t use trademarked hastags! I suppose it would be OK if a fan did?!? If an viewer tweeted, “I love Michael Phelps, he’s GRRR-E-A-T!” #teamUSA, I wonder if it would be deleted?!? Seems like that would be hard to control. Maybe I’ll go tweet #SpecialKinWheatiesOut!” 🙂