• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, July 16, 2012

Sister brands Kraft String Cheese and Polly-O String Cheese have partnered with Crayola on a multi-platform back-to-school promotion.

Between July and October, the string cheese brands (plus their respective cheese Twists products) are featuring limited-edition packaging in which each individual cheese stick’s wrapper bears an image of a different-colored Crayola crayon -- making the cheese packages resemble Crayola’s iconic crayon boxes.

The packaging is a visually arresting way of promoting a special offer: a coupon inside each cheese package good for $3 off Crayola products.

“The goal is to ‘disrupt’ the string cheese shelf with unexpected packaging that leverages Crayola’s equity, in combination with a great consumer offer,” sums up Camille Vareille, brand manager, cheese snacking for Kraft Foods.

The string cheese and Crayola brands both target the moms of kids 6 to 12 -- specifically, moms who want to encourage their children to make smart eating decisions (e.g., healthy snacks), and to be creative and well-rounded, points out Vareille. The snacks and crayons also share a key usage occasion: both are typically enjoyed during the afternoon, after-school hours. 

In stores, the promotion will be supported with special displays, banners and shelf-talkers.

On the media/awareness-driving front, the efforts include:

* Web site cross promotions. The Kraft and Polly-O areas on KraftBrands.com, and an area on Crayola.com, are promoting the coupon offer/special packages, plus free downloadable kids’ activity pages hosted on the Crayola site, and links into string cheese recipes hosted on the Kraft site.

* Social media promotions. In addition to call-outs for the promotion on the Facebook and Twitter accounts of Kraft Foods and Crayola, the brands will offer 30 mommy bloggers the opportunity to use coupons and Crayola products as prizes in reader contests in posts about the promotion. 

* Paid, targeted ad placements on Facebook, as well as print ads in Kraft Foods’ Food & Family Magazine (approximately 1 million circulation).

Kraft Foods markets the Kraft-branded string cheese and Twists products west of Pittsburgh, and the Poly-O-branded products east of Pittsburgh (reflecting Poly-O’s brand equity in the eastern half of the country).