David Witt, Dan Coates present General Mills case study on using branded online sites as a resource for consumers and to promote WOM

1. From Advisory to Advocacy: Consumer Insights and Word Of Mouth Marketing Have More in Common than You Thought October 19th, 2009 1

2. Agenda The changing face of consumers as advisors From advisors to advocates CASE STUDY: General Mills MyBlogSpark Pssst… Key takeaways 2

3. Consumer role goes beyond Consumption Trends show increased involvement of consumers across product and service lifecycles: 3

4. Consumers are in control The Trust in Advertising survey of 26,000+ found that Consumer Recommendations are the most credible form of advertising. ("Social Media Marketing: The Right Strategy for Tough Economic Times" Awareness, 2008) Online reviews are second only to personal advice from a friend as the driver of purchase decisions; user reviews are more influential than third-party reviews. ("Web users and web community," Rubicon Consulting, Inc. October 2008) 81% of online holiday shoppers read online customer reviews(Nielson Online, December 2008) 4

5. Consumers matter across the enterprise Market Research / Consumer Insights Marketing Public Relations Product Development Distribution Human Resources 5

6. Bring consumers together 6 community ADVISORS share opinions by answering direct questions, taking surveys, chatting… ADVOCATES access resources to usethemselves, share with others, and rate/review/recommend through external existing networking sites / blogs

7. An integrated platform that includes: Recruitment Communications Quantitative & Qualitative data collection Incentive management Plus Online ethnography Collaborative, real-time, product innovation Advisory communities 7

8. Rapid turnaround Low cost Longitudinal insights Consumer empowerment Reliable results Advisory communities 8

9. To be successful, proprietary panels require care & feeding More panels die of neglect than overuse Panelists need to be kept engaged & involved Companies that enable feedback across multiple departments see exponential increases in value Don’t go it alone! MR agencies have all the skills necessary to add value to your proprietary panel It takes a researcher… 9

10. Don’t be afraid to move to advocacy Two rules to play by: Allow opinions to be expressed, don’t try to prescribe them Don’t bias your quantitative research Separate streams 10

11. CASE STUDY: General Mills David Witt Word-of-mouth marketing and consumer network lead to Known bloggers Self-identified brand advocates 11

12. CASE STUDY: General Mills David Witt Word-of-mouth marketing and cultivating direct relationships with consumers 12

13. 13 INVITE INSPIRE INCLUDE

14. 14 Background Increasingly fragmented communication environment. Consumers have more control over choices. Consumers continually list WOM and advice from friends and family as one of their main influences. Great opportunity to engage directly with consumers.

15. 15 Fiber One Bars Launch: Consumer Conversation was Critical Unit Sales Online Conversations (# of messages) During launch, the number of consumer-generated messages (as measured by Nielsen Buzzmetrics) closely mirrored unit sales of Fiber One Bars. Something is going on here…

17. MyBlogSpark Press “Moms get access to products they and their kids will probably like, while General Mills gets some positive social media press. This is social media done right.”

18. MyBlogSpark Homepage

19. MyBlogSpark Personal Page

20. MyBlogSpark Example “Hey everyone, I am so excited to be part of this new network called MyBlogSpark. It’s a network where bloggers can get the scoop on new products to sample, prizes to give away …Yeah!”

21. MyBlogSpark Example Date: March, 2009 http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/2009/03/yoplait-yo-plus-giveaway.html “I love yogurt and one of my favorites is Yoplait Yo-Plus!

22. MyBlogSpark Example Date: September 26, Comments: 445 http://islandlife808.com/giveaways/giveaway-pillsbury-savorings-flaky-pastry-bites// Kailani of Mommy Goggles said the following: “…when I had the opportunity to sample Pillsbury Savorings Flaky Pastry Bites, I jumped at the chance. I mean, who doesn’t love Pillsbury?”

23. 163 Blog Posts:7,822 Comments Start of outreach

24. Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories 25 “What's been wonderful about the books is the quality of the stories - they've really been enjoyable, and introduced us to new favorites like Olivia.” -Cathy Kohm, Chief Family Officer “I loved that there was a book that appealed to my 2 year old, as well as a book that reached my 4 ½ year old. I also loved the fact that two of the books included were also written in Spanish, so my children can experience a different language. Each book was fun, creative, and entertaining.” - IN Good ‘Cents,’ Beth Montgomery “If we ran out of Cheerios, the children would revolt! I don't mind, because I believe Cheerios are a great, healthy breakfast or snack. I also love that Cheerios encourages reading through the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program. ” -Northern Cheapskate, Christina Brown Involving bloggers increased consumer participation by 150%.

25. 26 MyBlogSpark It’s about the bloggers – their opinions, their interests and what is relevant to them.

26. 27 Landscape Landscape Increasingly fragmented communication environment. Consumers have more options and more control over information they receive. Consumers continually list WOM and advice from friends and family as one of the main influences on their decisions. Many are recommending marketers focus more strongly on a new mix: “Make your consumer an advocate: Shift marketing objectives from sending a message to facilitating conversations with and between consumers.” – Marketing and Media Ecosystem 2010 (ANA, IAB, AAAA, Booz Allen Hamilton) “Word of mouth marketing is changing the brand-building game -- to the point where even long-established brand giants are calling their traditional branding techniques into question.” – Harvard Business’ Discussion Leader Opportunity to have a more direct relationship with consumers.

27. Website Welcome Page

28. Individual Web Page

29. Pssst… Example Progresso Broth

30. Online and Offline Coverage Progresso Broth

31. 32 Pssst… Direct relationships with consumers.

32. 33 Key Learnings Gravitational pull to niche Consumers are willing to be inspired and included Provide meaningful, and relevant, brand experiences for consumers. Provide content in a format and in a location that they find useful and familiar Align organization with efforts Integrate social media efforts with traditional PR and Digital plans for synergistic support Test, learn, optimize To have remarkable results, the brand experience must be remarkable

33. Best Practices Listen & learn, then participate Be prepared to commit for the long term Be authentic, overtly transparent Provide value Be respectful of your audience

34. 35 INVITE INSPIRE INCLUDE

35. Questions? David Witt, General Millsdavid.witt@genmills.com Daniel Coates, globalparkdaniel.coates@globalpark.comtwitter.com/globalpark 36