When it comes to weight loss, women often feel overwhelmed by what they have to lose. Special K wanted to change that, so we changed the conversation about weight loss. Instead of focusing on the numbers on a scale, we asked women to think about what they might gain. We asked, "What Will You Gain, When You Lose?" We created a scale that focused on the positive emotions that come with reaching a goal instead of how many pounds women should lose. We then took our scale across the country and supported it on TV, online, print, OOH and social media. At every turn, we let women know that the Special K Challenge was here, and they could be successful by focusing on everything they have to gain.

The weight-management category is extremely cluttered in January. To break through, we changed the weight-loss conversation. Instead of talking about the pounds women should lose, we focused on the emotions they could gain. 73% of women start diets on Mondays, so we put a scale in the middle of Times Square on the first Monday of 2011. We then asked women to do the unthinkable – weigh themselves in public. Instead of showing a dreaded number, our scale showed positive emotions, like joy and satisfaction. Thousands turned out in NYC, Chicago and LA, and more followed along on Facebook.Television, cereal boxes and print raised awareness of the Special K Challenge. Online, a site allowed women to customize the challenge to their needs. Emails, Facebook, digital banners, and mobile apps provided support and encouragement.

Despite a declining category, Special K increased sales 2.8% over the previous year—the highest share in the brand’s history.The spots scored above norm on ad recall, brand linkage, likability and purchase intent. Online media placements quadrupled our impressions goal. The campaign amassed 65 million more impressions, exceeding our goal by 15 million impressions. This resulted in increased sales by 1 share point over the previous year, a tremendous sales increase in a declining category.