近十年來麥片製造商都持續致力於品牌的創新，身為Kellogg’s的子品牌，Special K也正在轉型成一個新的品牌。

Kellogg以子品牌Special K推出新產品「Special K營養熱麥片」，這項新產品針對的族群為偏愛實用天然原始榖物的消費者。大部分美國消費者熟悉的冷麥片原料為玉米、米及麥。Special K的新產品原料為藜麥及其他美國消費者所不熟知的榖物，能提供消費者飽足感及蛋白質與纖維素，且只擁有少於200卡路里的熱量。

與此同時，Kellogg將以不同的方式在英國市場重塑Special K。其麥片配方經過改良後削減了30％的飽和脂肪及11％的鹽，並提高80％的纖維含量。該公司改變其Special K的配方以防止其他的模仿者輕易複製Special K的基本成分，並計劃將Special K的配方保密。

即使冷的麥片在美國的銷售量低迷多年，Kellogg藉由將Special K品牌轉化成與減重及健康飲食相關為Special K打響名號。其"Special K Challenge"的廣告活動於2003年首次播出，強調有很多婦女減重都吃Special K（合理飲食）。其健康飲食的策略很成功，Kellogg也透過提供先進的體重管理網站，與節食者維持聯繫。

Kellogg也大量生產了副產品，包括2006年推出的Special K奶昔和餅乾棒、2009年推出的洋芋片，與去年推出的爆米花片。在1月，其生產線再次擴大並推出Special K的早餐三明治。

One of Kellogg's oldest brands, Special K, is also turning out to be one of its "newest" brands. That's because the cereal maker has continued to expand and actually reinvent the brand for a decade now—including some major just-announced wrinkles.

For one thing, Kellogg will use the Special K sub-brand to go more aggressively after foodies who are fans of "ancient grains" with a new product called Special K Nourish hot cereal. It will be made with quinoa and other grains that are unfamiliar to most Americans who've grown up on cold cereals made out of staples like corn, rice and wheat. Nourish will promote a satiety benefit, filling up consumers with 8g of protein and 5g of fiber per serving but yielding only fewer than 200 calories.

What's more, when it hits US stores in July, Special K Nourish will come in individual serving cups; consumers add water and toppings that arrive in separate compartments on the lids, according to CBSNews.com. Toppings flavors will include Mable Brown Sugar, Cranberry Almond and Cinnamon Raisin Pecan. Kellogg also will be marketing a separate line of Nourish bars in Dark Chocolate Nut, Cranberry Bliss and Lemon Twist flavors.

At the same time, Kellogg is reinventing Special K in a different way in the UK market. The cereal is being reformulated to cut saturated fats by 30 percent and salt by 11 percent, according to the Daily Mail, and to boost fiber content by 80 percent. It turns out that the company also is changing its Special K formula to stop private-label imitators from so easily copying the basic Special K ingredients. Kellogg plans to keep the new Special K recipe a closely guarded secret, the newspaper said.

"There are many copycat versions of Special K on the market—a phenomenon fairly unique to the UK—but our new recipe will really stand out from the crowd as a premium, tastier product," a company spokeswoman told the Daily Mail.

Imitators aren't the only issue Special K has run into in the UK. Last year, it banned a tv commercial for misleading viewers about the number of calories in a bowl, suggesting the figure was 114 calories—but failing to include calories from milk, which easily could add another 100. In the new formula, sugar and calories will remain about the same.

Even as cold-cereal sales in the US have been sluggish for years, Kellogg has earned some serious better-for-you chops for Special K over the last decade or so by transforming it into a brand associated with weight loss and healthy eating. Its "Special K Challenge" ad campaign first aired in 2003, promising weight loss for women who ate Special K (and a reasonable diet) a lot. The diet was a hit, and Kellogg has kept it relevant with modern dieters by providing a sophisticated weight-management website.

Kellogg has also been churning out spinoff products, including Special K shakes and bars in 2006, cracker chips in 2009 and popcorn chips last year. In January, the line expanded again with Special K breakfast sandwiches.

Special K still doesn't satisfy food police who criticize the corn syrup in the bar products, for instance. But with its latest SKU sporting quinoa, Kellogg is going to gain some credibility even with those folks.

摘譯自BrandChannel：

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2013/05/21/Special-K-Nourish-052113.aspx