Why Quaker Oats chose digital over TV to reach a young audience

It is no marketing secret that finding favour among millennials can reap rich dividends for a brand. Be it clothing, entertainment, food or any other youth-centric sector, marketers are always on the lookout for innovative ways to reach out to the young consumer.

Quaker Oats, a market leader in its category too wanted to connect with the youth in an effective manner. Associating with Hotstar, the route decided on was the obvious digital way. With brand ambassador and celebrity chef Vikas Khanna in tow, what followed was a simple yet unique solution that helped the brand meet its desired objectives.

Khanna in the Digital Kitchen

With the insight that the target audience is increasingly steering away from TV and embracing digital, it was a no-brainer that Quaker Oats needed to be present where its consumers were. The association with Hotstar resulted in just that.

Research indicated that the brand’s audience were actively looking out interesting shows on digital platforms and binge-watching them on their mobile devices. It was also found that this particular audience group was one of fitness and health enthusiasts constantly searching for quick and tasty recipes for a healthy breakfast.

Hence, a non-intrusive yet seemingly effective idea was to launch a digital show with Quaker Oats at the centre of attention. Chef Vikas Khanna led the show ‘Kitchen, Khanna & Konversations’ on Hotstar on which he came up with delectable recipes featuring Quaker Oats.

To make the content even more interesting and relatable, celebrities like Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar, Nushrat Bharucha and other leading actors from the South like Vibhu Vishal and Raiza Wilson were invited on the show. The guests on the show had fun, lively and light-hearted conversations with Chef Khanna, shared their thoughts on healthy diet regaling their audience. The choice of guests who are pop culture icons further added to the youth connect.

A Tasty Campaign

Through this innovative campaign, Quaker Oats and Hotstar were looking to develop the idea to combine taste, health and entertainment to pervade pop culture. And they did so efficiently.

The show was targeted to those particular about leading a healthy lifestyle on Hotstar using appography. Users with health and fitness apps on their phones were identified.

Various ad formats ranging from mid-rolls and pre-rolls on Hotstar to billboards and display units were used sequentially to drive awareness and purchase intent.

The social media posts by the celebrity guests about the show further amplified the campaign among millennials across India.

Delectable Results

This one-of-a-kind idea served Quaker Oats very well. It saw a significant increased in key brand metrics, aided brand awareness and purchase intent. The campaign reached over 22 million users while the show was very well received by its audience and quickly became the Number Two English show on Hotstar, second to only Koffee with Karan.

The intended message that Quaker Oats is a healthy breakfast option, simple to make and very delicious was conveyed in a way that was much appreciated.