[Promo Xtra] General Mills is using online venues to reach targeted audiences for its Yoplait and Betty Crocker brands. Mills’ Yoplait brand is running an eight-week campaign that follows the progress of six women, the “So Good Girls,” as they lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Meanwhile, General Mills is readying a series of podcasts supporting the Pillsbury Bake-Off, following the success of a podcast test for Betty Crocker Cookbooks. (One hundred Bake-Off finalists will compete March 19-21; an online sweeps running now lets consumers vote for their favorite recipe to win a trip to the finals and a chance at $1 million.) Betty Crocker’s fourth-quarter effort used podcasts to reach younger women and Hispanic families. The campaign, timed to the September publication of the 10th edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook and bi-lingual Cocina Betty Crocker, offered advice from two General Mills staffers.

Yoplait’s dedicated site, SoGoodGirls.com, has profiles and a weekly diary from each woman, in print and video, as well as video chats among the women. Consumers can submit their weight-management stories to be published on the site, and ask advice of fitness expert Nancy Kennedy, the Self Magazine fitness trainer who designed the diet and exercise program for the six So Good Girls.

The program began Feb. 14 and runs through April 11 via Publicis Dialog, New York. The name comes from Yoplait’s “So Good” ad campaign that shows women comparing the yogurt’s taste to other indulgences.

General Mills won’t know until early this month how many visitors have come to the site. It’s not using the site as a platform for consumer promotions, although visitors can send an e-mail telling friends about the program. The site was designed to encourage women who are involved in their own weight management, said General Mills spokesperson David Witt.

“We hope women realize that they’re not alone as they look for ways to feel better and improve their own health profile—SoGoodGirls.com is one accessible resource they can turn to,” said Yoplait Marketing Manager Mike Secor in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mills’ Betty Crocker division is still mulling the results of its podcast test that garnered 10,000 downloads late last year. Two versions, with three podcasts each, targeted very different audiences. The first, Red Spoon Diaries, followed Betty Crocker Cookbook editor Heidi Losleben for four months as she taught herself to cook using the iconic red cookbook. Losleben kept a journal, which was published on Bettycrocker.com and provided content for the podcasts. The podcasts didn’t include recipes, but Losleben talked about specific recipes from the book as she tried them. The second effort, for Cocina Betty Crocker, carried advice from Mills staffer Ursula Mejia-Melgar; seven-minute segments included recipes and cooking tips for Hispanics who want to learn mainstream American recipes.

Cocina Betty Crocker has 100 recipes from flagship Betty Crocker Cookbook, in English and Spanish (on adjacent pages). “We’ve been getting requests for years for a bilingual cookbook,” said General Mills spokesperson Pam Becker, mostly from Hispanic cooks who want to learn how to cook traditional American foods. The two series garnered a total of 10,000 downloads, and put Betty Crocker on ITunes’ list of the top 100 food podcasts. Minneapolis-based General Mills hasn’t run any brand-specific podcasts, Becker said.

Podcasts could become an important venue for big food companies whose broad portfolios lend themselves to recipe promotions. Kraft Foods has seen 130,000 downloads of its recipe-laden podcasts since it began testing the venue last summer (March PROMO). Kraft will publish new recipes throughout the year, following successful flights last summer and over the holidays.

General Mills is using online venues to reach targeted audiences for its Yoplait and Betty Crocker brands.

Mills’ Yoplait brand is running an eight-week campaign that follows the progress of six women, the “So Good Girls,” as they lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Meanwhile, General Mills is readying a series of podcasts supporting the Pillsbury Bake-Off, following the success of a podcast test for Betty Crocker Cookbooks. (One hundred Bake-Off finalists will compete March 19-21; an online sweeps running now lets consumers vote for their favorite recipe to win a trip to the finals and a chance at $1 million.)

Betty Crocker’s fourth-quarter effort used podcasts to reach younger women and Hispanic families. The campaign, timed to the September publication of the 10th edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook and bi-lingual Cocina Betty Crocker, offered advice from two General Mills staffers.

Yoplait’s dedicated site, SoGoodGirls.com, has profiles and a weekly diary from each woman, in print and video, as well as video chats among the women. Consumers can submit their weight-management stories to be published on the site, and ask advice of fitness expert Nancy Kennedy, the Self Magazine fitness trainer who designed the diet and exercise program for the six So Good Girls.

The program began Feb. 14 and runs through April 11 via Publicis Dialog, New York. The name comes from Yoplait’s “So Good” ad campaign that shows women comparing the yogurt’s taste to other indulgences.

General Mills won’t know until early this month how many visitors have come to the site. It’s not using the site as a platform for consumer promotions, although visitors can send an e-mail telling friends about the program.

The site was designed to encourage women who are involved in their own weight management, said General Mills spokesperson David Witt.

“We hope women realize that they’re not alone as they look for ways to feel better and improve their own health profile—SoGoodGirls.com is one accessible resource they can turn to,” said Yoplait Marketing Manager Mike Secor in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mills’ Betty Crocker division is still mulling the results of its podcast test that garnered 10,000 downloads late last year. Two versions, with three podcasts each, targeted very different audiences. The first, Red Spoon Diaries, followed Betty Crocker Cookbook editor Heidi Losleben for four months as she taught herself to cook using the iconic red cookbook. Losleben kept a journal, which was published on Bettycrocker.com and provided content for the podcasts. The podcasts didn’t include recipes, but Losleben talked about specific recipes from the book as she tried them.

The second effort, for Cocina Betty Crocker, carried advice from Mills staffer Ursula Mejia-Melgar; seven-minute segments included recipes and cooking tips for Hispanics who want to learn mainstream American recipes.

Cocina Betty Crocker has 100 recipes from flagship Betty Crocker Cookbook, in English and Spanish (on adjacent pages). “We’ve been getting requests for years for a bilingual cookbook,” said General Mills spokesperson Pam Becker, mostly from Hispanic cooks who want to learn how to cook traditional American foods.

The two series garnered a total of 10,000 downloads, and put Betty Crocker on iTunes’ list of the top 100 food podcasts. Minneapolis-based General Mills hasn’t run any brand-specific podcasts, Becker said.

Podcasts could become an important venue for big food companies whose broad portfolios lend themselves to recipe promotions. Kraft Foods has seen 130,000 downloads of its recipe-laden podcasts since it began testing the venue last summer (March PROMO). Kraft will publish new recipes throughout the year, following successful flights last summer and over the holidays.

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