General Mills Pilots Hispanic Online Sampling Program
Qué Rica Vida, the Hispanic lifestyle website with more than 300,000 registered members, has launched via e-mail an exclusive deal on eight brand-new products -- from breakfast cereals to fruit snacks to dinner kits – combined in a single try-before-you-can-buy offer. For $18, Qué Rica Vida will ship to consumers’ doors a sampling of General Mills products before they're available on shelf, a $30 value. Additionally, members get $8 in coupon savings to buy the products they like at their local stores.
“Members can be the first to taste test the new products at home and enjoy them with family and friends; then in January, they’ll start seeing them at the market,” explained Rodolfo Rodriguez, director of multicultural marketing for Minneapolis-based General Mills. “This value-driven approach enables us to reach Qué Rica Vida members in yet another very meaningful and innovative way. It is a first for the company as we continue to develop engaging strategies that embrace our Hispanic consumers.”
The box of General Mills foods features seven full-size retail packages and a single-size Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups Quiz Rolls. All of the following products began shipping to retail and grocery store locations this past December and will continue to roll out into January 2012:Dulce de Leche Cheerios (12 ounces), Frosted Toast Crunch (12.3 ounces), Hamburger Helper Ultimate Beef Stroganoff (5.5 ounces), Hamburger Helper Cheesy Italian Beef (5.1 ounces), Multi-Grain Cheerios Peanut Butter (11.3 ounces), Ocean Spray Berries & Cherries (8 ounces), Ocean Spray Assorted Fruit (8 ounces), and Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups Quiz Rolls Strawberry Twist & Punch Berry (single 5-ounce pouch)
According to Rodriguez, the innovative online sampling pilot is a key component of the General Mills’ strategy to showcase its popular brands, given that a majority of online growth is fueled by Latinas. For the past five years, Qué Rica Vida’s site has become a go-to destination for relevant information of interest to Hispanic consumers, particularly moms. When they register at the website, members receive coupons and exclusive benefits, as well as having quick access to a range of helpful day-to-day information.
The site “is expanding quickly in the digital space, and we’re working hard to offer fresh, relevant content and resources to our members,” said Rodriguez. “We can build stronger brand engagement with Hispanics by showcasing value -- whether that is an exclusive value-add sampling offer or a series of quick family recipes to quell the dinner-hour dilemma.”
Qué Rica Vida was developed by General Mills to help Hispanic mothers create healthier, easier, richer lives for themselves and their families. As well as the website, the initiative also offers a free quarterly lifestyle magazine of the same name.