Macro Environments and Breakfast Cereals

profitability, slowing demand growth and a surge in private label sales threatened to undermine the

The ready-to-eat (RTE) sector has increased sales and therefore have given the Breakfast cereals market an advantage to have a higher market share of 4.2% in 2013. The emphasis is more to the value and the convenience of cereals rather than the quality. However people are starting to be more heath conscious and are going to the higher nutritional brands which tend to be the well-known ones such as Kellogg 's, Weetabix and Nestle.

External Environmental Analysis We chose Kellogg’s cereal category because Kellogg’s has over 100 years history and we have14 kinds of breakfast cereal products. Our products sell to 180 countries across the world. Our mission is still to provide you and your family with better breakfasts that lead to better days, and now you eat flake corn is the same way W.K. did back in 1898. It just tastes better that way. Kellogg’s cereal provides a variety of nutrition’s cereals that deliver the benefits of grains, and provide important nutrients like iron, B vitamins, zinc and fibre.

The cereal industry is very adamant on using a differentiation strategy to make one’s brand stand out in the minds of certain people. The companies break down the public into different target markets; and then make products that will be attractive to their target markets. Companies make different brands for young kids, teenagers, adults, and people who are health conscience. Currently, there are 387 different brands of cereal sold in the United States and each family is estimated to purchase 17 different brands per year. (O’Connor, Amy) Companies continue to brainstorm for new product ideas to attract the various market segmentations.

The threat of customers finding substitute products from other manufacturers in the food industry is high. In the ready-to-eat breakfast cereals segment, General Mills’ primary business focus, there are a variety of similar products being

In 2006, Kellogg’s launches Special K forest berries and Special K honey almond. A year later, Special K Advantage (fibre) appears in Australia. The last flavor is Special K chocolatey flakes, launched in 2009. The packaging has barely changed since its creation: white background, to represent the purity of the product, and the milk, the big symbol in the middle for the product identity, and some flakes on the right side, for the product representation. There has been an evolution of the nutritional information: now the main compositions are on the front side of the package (sugar, fat, calories). It is part of the strategy to position the product as a partner in weight loss. Te product is considered as a good quality, thanks to its characteristics (benefits for the consumer), and the “Our guarantee to you”, a little section on the left side of the box, explaining that Kellogg has a quality system that assures the highest quality standards to deliver the best product to the consumer. The target of Special K is women, from 20 to 40 years old. Women who try to look and feel good, who are working or raising their children, who want to conciliate their activities with their femininity. Women are represented next to the mention “99% fat free”, and on the back side of the box. Usually they are slim, active and happy. The strategy of Special K is to accompany women all day long, with different products, and to propose them to eat cereals not only for

Additionally, a dual-supply strategy should be considered so that the company can use a hedging tactic to minimize the cost. Unifine Richardson only used one supply source, Harrington Honey. Depending so heavily on one supplier left the company vulnerable to risk. “The best supply chains identify structural shifts, sometimes before they occur, by capturing the latest data, filtering out noise, and tracking key patterns. They then relocate facilities, change sources of supplies, and, if possible, outsource manufacturing” (Lee, 2004). The company needs to look for alternative suppliers that acquire their honey from Mexico. The source location will not have a significant impact in their operations and UR will keep its delivery on time.

1) The Big Three firms, Kellogg, General Mills, and Philip Morris, formed practically an oligopoly in the RTE cereal market. Their price and cost levels moved in lockstep, following signals sent mostly by the biggest player, Kellogg, while their tactics could be used against outside competition, as suggested in the scenario below. Although RTE cereal is a basic food item and production technology stabilized for about half century, the industry had effective barriers to entry. The competition between incumbents was friendly while most of the inputs came from a perfectly competitive market, agriculture. Major customers, the food stores, were coopted in perpetuating barriers to entry in the form of shelf space “slotting”.

Kellogg’s seeks to concentrate on nutrition and physical fitness through product donation for the hungry, as well as programs that educate families about nutrition that nourishing families so they can have a healthy living’(Kelloggcompany, 2011).

The value chain, Appendix B, in the RTE cereal industry consists of branded manufactures and private labels that receive their raw materials from suppliers and then distribute their product to food stores, drug stores, and mass merchandisers where the end consumer can eventually purchase the cereal product. Private labels rely on wholesalers and third-party distributors to get their product on the store shelves where the end consumer can purchase these items.

A growth in consumer’s disposable income means that have more spending power for their children, however, a fall in consumer’s disposable income will constrain industry demand, as consumers will reduce discretionary spending, clothing is essential to first time parents, but overtime it becomes a discretionary purchase.

Weakness- A major foreseeable weakness OMG Active Cereal may encounter is that the cereal could be perceived by the public as just another “nutritious cereal”. There are many kinds of nutritious conscious cereals in today’s market produced by several different companies. Each year, a few more of these cereals are created and placed on each and every grocer’s shelves. A weakness for our newly released cereal could be that breakfast-eating consumers will group OMG Active Cereal along with the average nourishing cereals before eating or becoming cognizant of our cereal’s fantastic features other than especially served for the teenagers.

Kellogg’s is highly a profile company which is hugely known not only in the UK but in the world at large. It is one of the largest breakfast companies in the word, not only that but it is also financially it is a stably and well organised company. Kellogg’s profits have been stable if not increasing for the better from what it was 5 years ago.

| Social: * Because of women are busy with their career now, we need to produce new type of cereal for those have no time to eat breakfast at table but they can eat in the car. The new product will have milk package on the top and cereal on the bottom cup, they need to use straw to push down so the milk will fill in the bottom cereal, then people can enjoy their breakfast in the car. * Meanwhile, we will put promotion in the cereal package for teenage to purchase. For instant, if you buy a box cereal, you will find one pin, this pin allow you download songs, and Hockey ticket coupon for the upcoming events, also scratch to win an Ipad or IPhone when you buy any Kellogg’s cereal.

Quaker Oats emerged from a turn of the century merger of three milling companies over 130 years ago. It grew to become one of the top companies in the world by providing reliable quality to its first customers. Quaker Oats has been able to build a reputation of offering healthy, wholesome breakfast foods by targeting female supermarket customers. Although advertising has gone from a “warm, healthy breakfast” to delivering messages about “vitamins and minerals essential to a female metabolism” (Standaert, 2003), the target market is the same. Quaker is also hoping to reach nutrition professionals and health-food retailers. According to Indra Nooyi, Chief Executive Officer of Pepsico (parent company of Quaker Oats), they “…do not market to kids under 12…” since they “…do not have a nutritious product…” they feel comfortable marketing to young kids (Farey-Jones, 2010).