Review: The Great American Cereal Book

Over the years there have been several books published about cereal, but none is quite like the latest one to hit the shelves: The Great American Cereal Book: How Breakfast Got Its Crunch. If you are a cereal lover, then this is one book you will want to have around your home. This is not another historical narrative of the cereal industry, but a compendium of virtually every major American cereal ever made, complete with key historical points and many wonderful cereal box pictures. You will be fascinated with all the cereals, both familiar and obscure. It is so easy to open the book at almost any page and get lost in browsing. Interspersed among the cereal listings are several brief articles featuring highlights from cereal's amazing history. If you are looking for a book to feed your cereal passion, this is the one to get. It's fun, informative, and full of flavor!

Wheaties releases retro boxes

The last few years has seen several companies, including Quaker, Post, and Kellogg, sell limited edition vintage boxes to tap into cereal nostalgia. But, no company has done this more consistently than General Mills, which currently has another annual set available at Target. This week the company announced another effort, with the release of three retro boxes of Wheaties featuring three prominent athletes of the past: Muhammad Ali, Bruce Jenner and Mary Lou Retton. These boxes are largely reproductions of past ones.

I've talked a lot here about the Wheaties brand in the recent years, and it certainly has lost much of its prominence, even despite their mediocre attempt with Wheaties FUEL. This latest marketing campaign could be a significant boost, and if followed up with a steady stream of new hero boxes could re-establish the brand in minds of consumers.

(Source: Business Wire)

The digital cereal box

Interesting video from USA Today that features Mark Addicks, Chief Marketing Officer for General Mills. In the interview he talks about ways that they hope to engage consumers through digital content (via devices such as smartphones) on cereal boxes and other food products. The packaging becomes a "platform for content", and prize will be virtual. Done right, this could change the way we eat our cereal every morning, and certainly gives an advantage to the companies that can create digital media experiences.