Oatmeal Community

"Become part of the Kölln world!" is written at the very bottom of the Kölln micropage. What does this have to do with a health insurance company? But let's start at the top of the packaging.

Last night—after a short Easter trip—we quickly went to the supermarket to fill the empty fridge. A box of Kölln brand oatmeal ended up in the cart. This morning at breakfast, a green-tinted spot on the top of the box greeted me. A short text with a QR code.

The taste and quality must remain—uncompromising! To ensure this, we have reduced our packaging. Read more here →

The closed box refers to a new size. This information is bracketed with a footnote at the bottom edge of the box, which states → NOW 500 g.

For people who do not regularly rely on this Kölln product, it may suggest they are getting a little more than usual. Under inflationary conditions, that would be naive, but it still happens in the rush of a quick shop. The sleight of hand used here is not my topic, though.

In my opinion, we are suffering from an imperative of digital communication culture, which does not always seem sensible.

For many years, I have regularly discussed with health insurance companies whether and how communication with their insured can be redesigned. The reason is the transformation from a cost bearer to the ideal of being perceived as a partner in health matters. All in all, it is not evident that they are serious about this. The main task remains the provision and billing of insurance benefits in the event of illness.

This is somewhat related to the phenomenon on the muesli box. For many years, product manufacturers, service providers, and brands have been trying to engage us in a conversation. Given the accepted networking of our life practices, this seems logical. Social media is ubiquitous. The networking of people, who should have engaged globally in conversation through this cultural hyperstep, was once a hope; until social networks had to start making money and lured us into their spiral of excitement. Since then, they have been spying on our online behavior to target us with advertising. This now has political implications.

The example of Kölln Oatmeal Chocolate illustrates this. Actually, we grind our oats ourselves. That's why the box sits somewhat forlorn on the kitchen table this morning, waiting to be observed.

On the box is a prominent green note about a ‘New Size‘ since at least 08/24/2024. With the box closed, the part of the text already presented above, in the spirit of uncompromising taste and quality, remains hidden. Unless one opens the box. A relatively small brown text around the bowl in the middle of the product indicates that it contains 20% fine chocolate. This is also the focus of Kölln on the micropage. There, numerous justifications detail how they have been ‘hit’ by a raw material crisis. ‘Climate-related environmental disasters’ are cited as the reason for an ‘extreme shortage’ of cocoa that needs to be compensated. The ‘only acceptable solution’ is considered to be reducing the weight per package.

Here is the translation of the micropage as I understand it:

We have created an industrially processed product that we can no longer afford in this way. The contribution margin is simply not what it was before cocoa prices increased. The so-called communications specialists hired have considered how the reduction of the box could be conveyed in a media-led discussion not entirely seriously. Loyal customers are to be placated, so we are not only following the imperative of a digitally supported conversation culture in the guise of one-sidedly addressed ‘brand news’ via a landing page. New customers are subtly suggested they might even get more for their money. This way, perhaps, we attract a comparable number of new customers if the loyal customers are not impressed by this message.

Regarding the message. Customers led via a QR code tab to a micropage to learn the uncomfortable truth do not naturally perceive this as a conversation. Conversations, listening, and varied forms of dialogue are as old as humanity itself and cannot be arranged easily via a cereal box. Therefore, the micropage and probably the omnipresent online offering refer to the invitation to the Kölln world. Wherever this may be. I suspect I may be welcomed into an oat community. I will not actually join there, but I fully expect Kölln to hunt me down on Instagram due to accessing the micropage and from the breadcrumb data placed there. Should I soon receive an ad for Kölln or another manufacturer of ‘Loaded Oats’ with too much sugar (22/100 g), I will follow up on that here.

Also noteworthy is the anticipatory approach. Based on past experiences, Kölln evidently expects a certain level of outrage among loyal customers who demand direct communication. They usually send emails today or leave online comments, which should then be responded to empathetically and individually. But loyal customers are more sensitive than ever. Every response to an outrage conveyed through copy/paste is sensed by the customers, which can quickly trigger further dissatisfaction. Therefore, it even seems more cost-effective to adapt the packaging to avoid real dialogue.

My Questions to You

• How do you feel about offers from brand manufacturers who want to engage you in conversation through the enjoyment of your products?

• How do you evaluate the strategy of companies to hide uncomfortable messages (like price increases or quantity reductions) behind QR codes and micropages?

• What do you think of the idea of a "brand community"—would you join one just because you consume a certain product? Do you regularly follow this kind of invitation on your favorite brands' social media offerings?

Doublethink

Doublethink describes the ability to accept and hold two contradictory beliefs at the same time. It is a form of cognitive dissonance where conflicting thoughts can coexist. In this case, it means compensating for the existence of a product suffering under the climate emergency through a communication of the emergency.

In a marketing context, as seen here with Kölln, doublethink is evident when companies transition from negative changes due to a ‘shortage of raw materials’ provoked by the ‘climate emergency’ to tasking someone with the questionably creative task of forming a team that spends several days ‘finding’ a new inscription for a cereal package and setting up a website in a data center.

Then there's the invitation to an oats community, understood merely as a subscription to a feed on TikTok and Instagram. These are all actions that only exacerbate climate change, as additional CO₂ is generated around the product that is not used to carry out true value creation.

Of course, it is entirely legitimate to produce and advertise a product. The question is whether we as a society should slowly let go of the notion that every product must create its own digital universe. Perhaps, in the spirit of sustainability, it would be more sensible for companies to focus on their core competencies: the production of high-quality food at a fair price. Communication could be transparent and direct without detours through artificially created digital experience worlds.

This form of modesty in communication would not only be more honest but also more sustainable.

Let's return once more to the health insurance companies mentioned above. If a health insurance company were sincere about progressing health competence and offering a successful conversation opportunity, that would be progress. This text aims to lay a track for how health insurance companies should definitely not set up such a conversation.