Karl Miller on marketing to cereal monogamists

As consumers, there are certain products that we develop deep and enduring relationships with over the course of our lives. So how do you market to an audience of cereal monogamists?  Consumption can be a fickle beast, making marketing for everyday products like cereal, particularly challenging. So how do you effectively market your brand to an audience that is increasingly complex, in a market that is increasingly saturated? This week on The CMO Show, Mark and JV break bread with Karl Miller, director of digital strategy at The Kellogg Company. With revenue in excess of 14 billion US dollars in 2014, and a mile-long list of products that retail for under five dollars, Karl faces an incredible marketing challenge from a digital perspective. "Cereal has about a 98% household penetration in the US," he said. "But that's really the challenge; getting our brands off the classic features and benefits that they've been communicating through TV ads for the last fifty to seventy five years at this point.  I'm beginning to focus in on what can often be viewed as softer play. We've got the opportunity to talk about the brand and what the brand does, and what the consumers are really looking for from an emotive perspective."