The saga of Diamond Shreddies continues, but squares need not beware. Toronto-based Kraft Canada unveiled a new component of its successful marketing campaign for the brand with a video at www.diamondshreddies.com, in which the ‘Shreddies president’ announces the release of a combo pack containing both Diamond and Square Shreddies.

The video was developed by Ogilvy and Mather, which collaborated with PR firm Strategic Objectives to develop a teaser campaign to promote the video prior to its launch on Sept. 22. A social media news release was issued to bloggers, various social media web portals and the media in order to build awareness and give the online community a sneak peek at the video.

‘Who better to announce this latest breakthrough in rotational technology designed to please everyone, than the not-really president of Diamond Shreddies?’ says Nancy Vonk, executive CD, Ogilvy. The president first appeared in the launch spot, in the Shreddies factory after the mishap insisting ‘Shreddies are supposed to be square.’

Mangala D’sa, senior product manager, Kraft Canada, tells MiC that ‘the goal of the next phase of the marketing campaign is to address all of our consumers’ comments we had been receiving via the Internet and our consumer response centre. We felt that we owed it to our consumers who have a strong desire for both Diamond Shreddies and Square Shreddies.’

A contest run in collaboration with canoe.ca is also acting as a promotion for the combo pack. Consumers can enter at the website to win a Shreddies Five Diamond Luxury Breakfast Experience, which includes an overnight stay at a luxury hotel, a gourmet breakfast including the new Shreddies combo pack, two pairs of Shreddies pjs and a year’s supply of Shreddies.

‘We felt our consumers had taken to the Internet, and this was the fastest way to reach them,’ D’Sa tells MiC.

The Combo Pack is also a limited edition box that invites Canadians to vote for diamonds or squares on the diamondshreddies.com site. Over 30,000 people have voted to date.
‘For reasons that can’t be explained, diamonds are ahead by a wide margin,’ says Vonk, adding that the Diamond Shreddies boxes flew off shelves twice as fast as anticipated.

The idea for the Combo Pack challenging the diamonds-to-squares ratio in Diamond Shreddies boxes came out of the countless letters Post had been receiving since the campaign launched.