Annaul report, Help

Introduction

Kellogg’s Company is a multinational organization that manufactures snacks and cereals and is headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan. To prove it remains a leading food producer and to convince potential shareholders to invest, Kellogg’s 2012 Annual Report uses three communication strategies to attract investors:

· Clear, assertive tri-part thesis with each of the 3 strategy claims addressing “how,” “what,” and “why”

first, it features graphs and charts of annual financial highlights and growth from current and previous quarters to prove the successful ability to deliver new innovative and adaptive food products to consumers worldwide why?

second, uses shareholders to understand its company strategies and goals and now the company implements them effectively in different markets to emphasize transparency in the company; and

third, uses photos of the Pringles brand to show investors how the recent acquisition contributes to the successful growth and diversity of its product line.

· Assertive topic sentences (first of each body paragraph) that echo thesis (“how,” “what,” and “why”)

· Paragraphs focus on only topic sentence claim – NO TOPIC DRIFT.

· Evidence strongly supports claims and is accurate and specific—Minimum 3 precise evidential examples per body paragraph

· Argumentative evidence, not narrative. It does not simply repeat or agree with the report’s messages

· Correct grammar and punctuation are used

· Writing is clear. Minimal awkward sections

· Writing is concise, and not wordy or descriptive

1. Kellogg’s 2012 Annual Report uses graphs and charts of net sales, profit, dividends, cash flow, and cumulative shareholder return, to deliver new innovative and adaptive food products to consumers worldwide. For example, the annual report displays two cumulative shareholder return graphs. The company uses five and ten year accumulative shareholder return graphs to benchmark against other companies. This information shows the investors how the company fairs when it comes to competition. The company displays annual figures in a pie chart that shows how its revenue ($14.2 billion) is distributed between the different commodities such as cereals, snacks and frozen foods.

· Analysis- How do graphs and charts show the company’s ability to be innovative and adaptive?

· Why is innovation and adaptability important for investors?

2. Kellogg’s 2012 Annual Report uses powerful and simple language to emphasize transparency in the company. ‘Growth’ is a word that most investors love hearing and announcements about growth such as chances to raise growth in established markets and bringing growth in both industrialized and upcoming markets, makes the investors have the assurance to believe that Kellogg will always be successful. (Kellogg, 2012). The language used in the report is so simple and anyone can understand it and despite being simple the report is brief and covers all details so that the reader is able to understand and comprehend the redundancy.

· Examples of Simple and powerful language from AR

· Analysis- How does simple and powerful language convey transparency. Open and honest with investors.

· Why- is transparency important to investors? Trust.

· So what- the annual repost uses powerful and simple language to convey transparency, which is important to gain investors trust.

3. Kellogg’s 2012 Annual Report features various photos of its latest brand acquisition, Pringles, to show investors the company’s outreach to other countries. The sales of the company have remained high in all the markets in the United States and this is not all, the company also uses photos for another higher purpose. This purpose is to remind the shareholders of the diversity in the products it manufactures and how it has led them to be an international organization. When you peruse the magazine to the moving forward section, the company displays only five out of 101 photos that show the variety of Pringles flavors that are always delivered all over the world. “For example, on page 12 of the annual report show’s a photo of seaweed flavor Pringles which are popular China. Also, page 16 displays a photo of salsa flavored Pringles that are popular in Spain. These photos show how Kellogg’s is adapting its products to different consumers preferences taste all around the world.

· Why- why is global outreach important for investors? They get more revenue.

· So what- The annual report uses photographs of different flavors of Pringles to show the company’s global outreach which brings in more revenue.

Conclusion

· Restate Thesis- Kellogg’s 2012 Annual Report strategic use of graphs and charts, powerful and simple language and use of photos to……

· Which strategy was most effective? Why? The photo because it shows Kellogg’s is going global…..

· Summary sentence

“Because the common strategies were effective, the company would be successful in gaining investors.”

References

Kellogg’s Company 2012 Annual Report. Kellogg’s Press. Retrieved from,

http://investor.kelloggs.com/files/doc_financials/annual_reports/KELLOGG_12AR.pdf on June 25, 2014.

Tomson, K., Ziobro, B., & Paul, O., (2012). "Kellogg Recalls Mini-Wheats". The Wall Street Journal. McGraw Publishers.

Carey, S., (2010). "Snap, Crackle, Slap: FTC Objects to Kellogg's Rice Krispies Health Claim". The Wall Street Journal. Boston: Harvard University Press.