Measurement Program – Module 2

   1.     Why pursue this strategy – what return are we trying to measure?

a.     As a company, I believe that GMI fits into all three of KDP’s “marketing goals” categories. For example:

                                              i.     Sales

1.     Sales are obviously the primary goal of the majority of GMI’s marketing efforts. Our goal is maintain and grow our market dominance and prominence by selling more of our product to existing markets, as well as emerging ones. As I said in a previous post, our overall marketing goal is to “outgrow the category.”

                                            ii.     Marketing/Positioning

1.     Marketing/Positioning is also extremely important to a company like GMI. Over the past 125 years, we’ve worked hard to establish a personal relationship with billions of customers around the world. The products we make are consumed daily, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch. J We’ve spent years positioning ourselves as the brand that “kids love to eat,” the brand that brings “expertise from our kitchen to yours,” and the only company that can bring you the “breakfast of champions.” All of these marketing efforts are working to push our established, household brands, and remind people that General Mills is there for the entire family.

                                            iii.     Public Safety and Education

1.     General Mills is also involved in ensuring that our meals are not only flavorful, but also healthy. The company works hard to ensure that we position our products as the ones that can (and should) be included in a balanced diet. From our products in the Fiber One line, to our 100 calorie Yoplait yogurt, to our all natural snacks from Nature Valley – we’re making sure that our marketing efforts and the products they promote also support an educated, balanced, healthy lifestyle and lifestyle choices.

   2.     Define your environment, audience, and role.

a.     Environment

                                               i.     Our marketing environment is global. Ultimately, we would like to be at every table, in every pantry, and on every baking sheet in the world. In addition to our near-limitless consumer base, we also have other customers like schools, the government, and other large institutions, including many corporate cafeterias and restaurants around the world.

b.     Audience

                                               i.     In a sense, our audience is just as global, and yet varies drastically depending on who we’re “talking” to. For example, marketing breakfast cereal in Africa is much more difficult than marketing the same product in America (because cereal isn’t part of their breakfast regimen). Our audience again changes when we’re speaking to a parent with young children, the mother trying to make dinner for a family, or the group of teenage boy(s) with an insatiable appetite.

c.      Role

                                               i.     Our role is simple – it is to nourish the lives of our billions of customers by providing the highest quality product, with the best taste, flavor, and convenience that money can buy. We are there to provide any meal, at any time, for a price everyone can afford.

   3.     Determine Benchmarks

a.     Our benchmarks are plentiful, and range from an increase in sales of a particular product, to our overall company performance, to our stock price and the performance of our competitors in the same (or similar) markets.

   4.     Define KPI’s

a.     Some of GMI’s KPI’s might be:

                                               i.     Number of positive product reviews

                                              ii.     % increase/decrease in sales

                                            iii.     % increase/decrease in market penetration

                                            iv.     % increase/decrease in market share

                                              v.     % increase/decrease in share price.

   5.     Select the proper tool

a.     I honestly am not sure what GMI uses to measure its effectiveness in terms of web analytics. Whatever the tool, I am 100% sure it is complex and expensive.   

   6.     N/A

   7.     N/A