Rice Krispies Treats introduces Braille 'love notes,' recordable boxes

Dive Brief:

Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats partnered with the National Federation of the Blind to create Braille stickers and re-recordable audio boxes, which are intended to help parents send encouraging messages to children who are blind or have low vision, according to a news release.
The "Love Notes" stickers are heart-shaped and fit over the space on special writable wrappers on Rice Krispies Treats packaging. A sticker sheet, which can be ordered online, includes eight Braille messages, including "You've Got This" and "Love You Lots." The re-recordable audio boxes hold Rice Krispies Treats and play a 10-second recorded message when opened. The message can be re-recorded more than 1,000 times.
The campaign was inspired by 11-year-old musician Eme Butler-Mitchell, who is blind. She shares her story in a YouTube video that also shows how the Braille stickers work. Fans can join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #SoMuchToLove.

Dive Insight:

Rice Krispies Treats' campaign is timed up with the back-to-school season, and the snack maker might be able to broaden its appeal during the busy sales period by making its special writable packaging accessible to the more than 62,000 children in the U.S. who are blind or have low vision.

The re-recordable boxes that can play personalized messages also fit into a broader trend of food marketers experimenting with packaging that's more engaging and integrated with technology. In promotion of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" last year, Doritos released special bags of chips that doubled as working music players and could be recharged for repeat listens.

Rather than being part of a movie tie-up, however, the "Love Notes" campaign comes as part of Rice Krispies Treats' partnership with a cause-driven organization. Beyond altruistic goals, cause- or purpose-driven campaigns are frequently shown for be a solid means for marketers to build up brand valuation and loyalty among consumers.

Rice Krispies Treats isn't alone among food marketers that are embracing more inclusivity and accessibility when targeting children and parents. Kraft Heinz' Jell-O Play brand last week launched an animated series on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video that was produced with DreamWorksTV and centers on themes of acceptance.

Kellogg, which owns Rice Krispies Treats, has been ramping up its digital marketing efforts to positive results. A Rice Krispies Treats video campaign run earlier this year piloted YouTube's Director Mix tool for automating customized campaigns at scale. The effort generated 250 personalized assets across different channels, which outperformed generic banner ads by two times. It also led to a 29% lift in ad recall, a 15% lift in purchase consideration and a 4% lift in sales and market share growth, even though the brand ran 20% fewer retail displays.