The Five S’s of Unexpected Encounters™

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Diamond or Square?

Which do you prefer?  If you are like most Canadians, you know exactly what I’m referring to and, perhaps more astonishingly, you may even know that most people prefer Diamond Shreddies (62%) over Square Shreddies (38%). What many of you may not know, however, is that the incredibly simple and yet incredibly innovative Diamond Shreddies strategy managed to drive radical growth for what, just a short time ago, was a seriously struggling brand.

If you have ever heard me speak, you have heard me refer to the Five S’s of Unexpected Encounters™, Unexpected Encounters™ being those strategically innovative Customer Touchpoint Experiences that provide us with the opportunity to influence what our customers will think, feel and do next so that we can attract, keep and engage more customers.  Over the last few months, many of you have asked me to review the Five S’s and the success of the Diamond Shreddies campaign is a great opportunity for me to do just that.

So, Diamond or Square.  For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, flash back to late 2006 when Hunter Somerville, a 26 year old intern with Oglivy and Mather advertising, found himself trying to come up with a fun idea for the back of the Shreddies cereal box. In another room – probably a much larger room with lots of natural sunlight, way down the hall from Hunter’s cubicle – senior execs were grappling with the “real” Shreddies challenge: How to get customers thinking about – and buying more of – the 67-year old brand of cereal. (Shreddies, a Post brand, is sold mostly in Canada, the UK and New Zealand.)
It was Hunter, however, with his photo of Stephen Colbert from the Colbert Report staring down at him from his wall, who was destined to discover the big idea that would turn Shreddies around – or at least turn them on their side.

Diamond Shreddies.

Yes – Diamond Shreddies are simply Square Shreddies turned on their sides but you wouldn’t know that from the results that the campaign has achieved.  A 10% increase in sales during the trial launch in Alberta followed by an 18% increase in the first month after the roll out of the national campaign in January 2008.  Sustained baseline increases over the previous year have been maintained resulting in numerous awards for Ogilvy including the coveted Grand Prix Cassie award which recognizes the ability of ad campaigns to generate business for the client.

From the initial TV spot explaining that an accident at the Shreddies plant had resulted in the extinction of Square Shreddies, to taste tests, viral videos and commentary on YouTube, not to mention almost 130,000 Canadians registering their vote for Diamond versus Square Shreddies at www.diamondshreddies.ca, this campaign has been a perfect example of today’s Innovation Insight.

Innovation Insight

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Think of the Five S’s as an Customer Touchpoint Innovation™ checklist for success.  Imagine that they are the pillars that make up the foundation of any touchpoint strategy or idea.  Plant all 5 firmly in the ground and your idea is sound and secure, ready to stand strong against the elements.  Remove any one of them – or any number of them – and your BIG idea is left teetering in the wind, swaying precariously, and prone to collapse.

Surprising:  Does this idea have the element of surprise? Will it get noticed?

Makers of cereals have trained us to “expect” brand extensions and new varieties of cereals as their preferred method of increasing sales.  In fact, there are so many new cereals appearing on the market every day that many of them go unnoticed.  Diamond Shreddies did the unexpected by turning its own cereal into a fake line extension.  Some people loved it. Some people hated it.  It didn’t matter.  It got noticed.  And remember, if you can’t get noticed, you can’t get heard. And if you can’t get heard, you can’t get the job done.

Strategic:  What is the idea designed to accomplish? What is the next thing that we want people to do or think as a result of this idea?

According to an AC Neilsen Market track, sales volume for Shreddies had declined 2% year over year since 1998. The one thing that this campaign was designed to do was increase awareness that would result in a 4% increase in sales.   What did they want people to feel next?  A warm connection to and reminder of an old favorite. What did they want people to do next?  Buy more Shreddies!

Seductive:  What value does this idea have for the customer? Is it a right brain value (engaging or emotional) or a left brain value (provides the customer with something that they want or need) or both?

Diamond Shreddies was designed to create right brain customer engagement in the brand and it worked.  The viral nature of the comments and the videos that flooded the marketplace are proof that many consumers were seduced by the spoof.  Even those of us who loudly exclaimed “They can’t be serious” at the beginning, were quickly hooked by the staying power of the campaign. No improved taste. No fancy new ingredients.  Just pure fun.

Sustainable:  What would need to be true for this idea to work?  How long is the idea designed to be sustainable for?

For Diamond Shreddies to work consumers had to get the joke!  In fact, they had to get that it was a joke.  Many didn’t.  But enough people got it to increase sales way beyond expectations.  It was a calculated risk that definitely paid off.  And although the campaign has had more longevity that anyone expected at the start, the team behind the BIG idea is smart enough to know that Diamond Shreddies can’t last forever.  Wouldn’t you love to know what they have planned next?

Simple: Is the idea simple to implement?   Is it simple for us and simple for the customer?

It doesn’t get much simpler than Diamond Shreddies!  Create a fun but slightly controversial campaign and let the media and the consumer do the rest. Nice work if you can get it!

Diamond Shreddies is a great example of Customer Centric Strategic Innovation and it worked because all of the Five S’s were in place to support it.

So… How could you be inspired by Diamond Shreddies and the Five S’s to create Customer Touchpoint  Experiences that can help you attract, keep and engage more customers?  After all, it could be as simple as making something new out of something old simply by turning it on its side.

Imagine the Possibilities!  And then please share your thoughts with us….

-Toni Newman

Quote of the Week

Inspiration of the Week
Just for fun, check out the “focus groups” conducted for Diamond Shreddies … and Imagine the Possibiltiies!

Diamond Shreddies on YouTube

Turning Ideas into Results!

Please feel free to contact me at toni@toninewman.com
with any stories about how Innovation Insights has helped you to turn ideas into results.

Posted by Toni in Unexpected Encounters.

Tags: business strategies, customer experience, customer experience innovation, innovation, innovation expert, innovative business strategies, strategic innovation