• Brandweek, Monday, August 31, 2009 10:34 AM

Jose-Alberto Duenas, Kellogg's marketing vp of ready-to-eat cereals, talks with Elaine Wong about his company's forays into social media with brands such as Special K and Pop Tarts, which has more than 776,000 Facebook friends. (Right now, it's sponsoring a Pop Art contest in which the consumer who designs the best T-shirt gets a chance to meet artist Burton Morris.)

Special K was the pioneer social-media brand for Kellogg, Duenas says. Its dialogue revolves around weight management, he says, and consumers are trading tips and pats on the back. "Support and encouragement from peers is very important," he says.

But not every brand is right for social media, Duenas contends. It's tough to start from scratch. "Consumers have to have a certain level of engagement with the brand," he says. "With Special K, we know the brand already has that level of communication and emotional engagement with consumers, so we've given them a new way to interact with the brand."

Read the whole story at Brandweek »