General Mills Launches G-WIN Digital

General Mills is expanding its successful General Mills Worldwide Innovation Network (G-WIN) open innovation program to include emerging digital marketing technologies with the launch of G-WIN Digital. Through G-WIN Digital, the company seeks to connect with partners who have digital marketing technologies focusing on video, social, mobile and gaming.

 

“From the Betty Crocker radio programs in the 1920s, to sponsoring the first televised commercial sports broadcast in 1939, to the Betty Crocker iPad app today, General Mills has a rich history of using emerging technology to develop relationships with consumers,” says Mark Addicks, General Mills senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “Today, digital marketing innovation is essential for us to connect and engage with consumers when and where they seek inspiration.”

 

G-WIN Digital leverages the benefits of open innovation to discover, pilot and share emerging digital marketing technologies with General Mills’ portfolio of iconic brands.

 

 

 

An example of this approach is the Shazam-enabled Pillsbury Crescents “Holiday Ideas Made Easy” TV commercial. When consumers use Shazam to tag the Pillsbury Crescents commercial, they receive an interactive tag result on their mobile device which includes Pillsbury holiday recipe ideas and how-to videos, as well as links to Pillsbury.com, the Pillsbury Facebook page, and the Pillsbury Twitter account. 

 

General Mills is the first packaged foods company to leverage Shazam in a television campaign to deliver food content directly to people's mobile devices.

 

Prospective partners with emerging digital technologies can contact General Mills online by visiting www.GWINDigital.com. Submissions are evaluated according to several criteria, including application for General Mills brands, uniqueness and proof of concept.