Good Marketing is Like a Bowl of Chex Mix

Catamount Marketing the value of marketing mixWho doesn’t like Chex Mix? The salty, crunchy snack that’s still going strong today since it was first introduced by Ralston Purina in 1937. What do you think makes it so appealing? Seems everyone has a favorite ingredient in the mix, whether the pretzel sticks, or peanuts, or the assorted Chex cereal pieces themselves.

What makes Chex Mix so appealing and enduring after all these years is the “mix”. The synergistic impact of mixing the ingredients together in one cohesive brand is the Holy Grail of Chex Mix and that which allows General Mills to sell millions of dollars of the stuff in spite of the plethora of individual snack companies selling pretzels, peanuts, and cereal.

What are the three marketing takeaways from this sturdy Chex Mix model?

First, the “mix”. Rarely is a singular marketing medium and approach as powerful as a marketing mix – that which employs making connections and building brand awareness in the variety of places where people hang out and pay attention. Social media, direct mail, email, TV, radio, print, web, and mobile are all used by someone and while each of us may gravitate towards our favorite ingredient (pretzel stick, peanut, cereal), it’s the mix that finds us digging into the bowl in the first place. Identify your audience and how and where they consume media, and then say “hi”.

Second, listen to the audience. Since 1937 Chex Mix has witnessed and been subject to the same social, economic, political, and evolutionary changes their customers have lived through all these years. By all appearances they’ve been able to adapt and remain relevant by “listening”.

Third, trust. The appeal of your mix is defined by the appeal of your brand. After nearly 80 years, Chex Mix has steadily built its brand by consistently delivering a good product. When we tear open a bag of Chex Mix, we know exactly what we’re going to get and we can rely on its taste, crunch, and value. Trust is the operative word here.  As marketer John Jantsch defines it, marketing is getting people with a need to know, like, and trust you.

So next time you open a bag of Chex Mix, enjoy the treat for what it is, and revel in the mix.