Category Captain: Frozen Pizza: General Mills

Employing superior category information, General Mills was able to help customers navigate a turbulent time in the $3 billion frozen pizza category, driving profitable growth through insightful management and strong brand support.

Considering that the average person eats pizza 30 times in a year -- an increase of five points over the past decade -- frozen pizza is an anchor category in the frozen department and largely represents a planned trip for consumers. However, for the first time in recent years, consumers shopped the category less often.

To counter the trend and offer stability to its retail partners amid value competition from quick-serve restaurants, General Mills leveraged its Shopper 360 studies to help retailers attain the right price and assortment to satisfy their consumers.

GM’s Totino’s brand was able to grow during this difficult year, bringing in nearly 25 million units sold for each of its items handled on shelf. Core advertisement messaging centered on value, from radio clips that highlighted the Totino’s brand’s value vs. delivery, to creating a “Five Dollar Friday” family event, plus a Redbox DVD rental offer done in conjunction with the brand’s hot snack line.

Totino’s also participates in the “Box Tops For Education” program, which has helped to raise more than $375 million for 100,000-plus schools across the country.