SHERIDAN, WYOMING – April 16, 2025 - Pioneering the Future of Marketing with Data, Creativity, and Cultural Relevance
In a rapidly shifting digital landscape, Kellanova is setting a new benchmark for how brands connect with consumers—blending innovative data-driven strategies with bold, culture-forward collaborations. Charisse Hughes, SVP & Chief Growth Officer at Kellanova, is helping lead this evolution by embracing emerging technologies and creative partnerships to drive growth and brand love.
“Times have certainly changed, and we as marketers have had a front-row seat to digital transformation as a growth driver for our brands,” Hughes states.
Reaching New Audiences Through Trend-Driven Partnerships
Kellanova’s creative collaborations are redefining brand engagement.
Kellanova’s Pringles brand has become a beacon of cultural relevance through unexpected, highly effective partnerships. The Pringles x Crocs collaboration turned heads and set new records. This wasn't just a typical licensing partnership—it was a creative and fully integrated campaign that introduced consumers to a line of Mr. P-inspired clogs, slides, and even a Crush Boot with a built-in Pringles can holder. To top it off, the campaign also launched Pringles crisps inspired by Crocs.
The response? Over 1.6 billion impressions and a top-five ranking for Pringles brand campaigns. The Crush Boot? Sold out in just 1.5 hours, showcasing the powerful cultural resonance the campaign achieved with new audiences.
On the other end of the trend spectrum, Pringles x The Caviar Co. took social media by storm. Targeting a younger, TikTok-savvy audience, the campaign generated a jaw-dropping 10 billion views. Designed to amplify the luxe-snack narrative, it resonated so well that it organically earned a cameo on The Real Housewives of New York City.
“By continuously listening to culture, we spotted this trend at the peak moment to capture attention,” Hughes shares, highlighting the brand’s agile, consumer-first mindset.
Harnessing AI and Clean Room Technology to Drive Personalization
Kellanova’s innovation engine is powered by data and experimentation.
Staying ahead of the curve requires more than creativity—it demands intelligent insights. Kellanova is harnessing the power of AI to unlock new opportunities. In the UK, the Special K brand recently faced challenges from private label competition. The company responded with a Clean Room AI pilot that analyzed over 20 million addressable records, blending demographics, attitudes, and behaviors to create three new high-value audience segments.
The result? Targeted campaigns across Meta and Pinterest that led to:
- Sales lifts between 9% to 36% (up to 12x the industry average),
- Brand consideration up by 0.9 points (3x benchmarks),
- A meaningful reversal in household penetration decline.
This success is now shaping how Kellanova reaches audiences across global markets.
Empowering Direct Engagement with Pringles Poptopia
In a post-cookie world, personalization is more important than ever.
Enter Pringles Poptopia, a tech-powered, direct-to-consumer experience that elevates snack-time into a personalized moment. Every Pringles can now comes with a QR code that unlocks exclusive content tailored to the individual consumer. It’s more than novelty—it’s a strategic leap in building first-party data and streamlining operations.
The results? A 30% increase in first-party data collection, positioning the brand for long-term success in a privacy-first digital environment.
Redefining Creative Effectiveness Through Data
Understanding what drives action, emotion, and loyalty.
With countless channels and consumer touchpoints, effective creativity has never been more critical—or complex. Through its partnership with VidMob, Kellanova is now measuring creative effectiveness with new levels of precision.
“We found that [creative] drives almost HALF of total effectiveness,” says Hughes. This data is helping the brand understand what sparks emotional connections and conversions, enabling Kellanova to deliver content that resonates across every audience segment.
The Road Ahead: A Human-Centric, Data-Powered Marketing Model
Kellanova’s approach to marketing is a masterclass in blending art, science, and cultural intuition. By upskilling teams, integrating cutting-edge technology, and prioritizing consumer experiences, the brand is navigating an increasingly complex marketing landscape with clarity and confidence.
“At Kellanova, we’re hyper focused on reaching evolving audiences, driving growth and brand affinity by understanding consumers’ experiences to authentically represent and reach them in our creative, messaging, and the foods we create,” Hughes concludes.
What strategies are you implementing to get your company closer to its consumers?
To learn more about Kellanova’s innovative consumer marketing strategies, visit https://www.kellanova.com.