Earn your stripes

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes wanted to respond to early chatter concerning advertisers’ impact on childhood nutrition and encourage children to work hard, eat right and stay active. Having previously launched the “Earn Your Stripes” programme in 2007 using professional athletes, Kellogg’s decided a change of tact was needed to resonate with kids better, giving them a way to talk about sports, connect with peers and celebrate each others' accomplishments.

Kellogg’s recognized that kids are inspired by other kids to succeed. While they love their sports superstars, they find attainable inspiration from peers and learn from their success. The 2007 campaign had seen the establishment of a vehicle for the EYS platform on sports hub ESPN (espn.com/earnyourstripes). In the second year, Kellogg’s continued with the first ever kids’ sports reporter element as well as Little League Baseball World Series vignettes, and Award Shorts videos celebrating kids who embody the EYS spirit. In 2008, the Award Shorts were open to voting to choose the kid who best represented the EYS philosophy. The winner was flown to LA and awarded the inaugural Frosted Flakes Youth Achievement Award at the first-ever ESPYs Breakfast, co-hosted by ESPN and Frosted Flakes. This was covered by the kid reporter and aired on ESPN.

Additionally the Chant Across America programme was launched, where Kellogg’s filmed kids in across the country singing Frosted Flakes’ “Mighty Tigers” chant. The videos lived on ESPN on an interactive map.

Through 2008, Frosted Flakes franchise penetration has seen growth in nearly 3 million households with kids, translating into $5 million in sales. Frosted Flakes purchase intent has increased 22% after exposure, while kid request for the cereal increased 22%. The sustainability and success was so great that Frosted Flakes Canada has replicated the EYS program in their country.