Lucky Charms feeling a little less blue

There was excitement in the cereal world last fall, when it was leaked that General Mills would be introducing a Frosted Flakes version of its highly popular Lucky Charms. As I noted upon its release at the beginning of this year, this was more than just another variety, but an attempted direct hit at Kellogg's iconic Frosted Flakes brand with the use of an almost identical blue background, and an all-caps white typeface.

If there was any confusion with the two brands, that should now be lessened. I just spotted an updated version of Lucky Charms Frosted Flakes with a much lighter blue background and different lettering. These new boxes have begun to appear without any fanfare or announcement from General Mills.

So why did they go with this redesign so quickly after launch? Most likely Kellogg put pressure on them, warning them that it was too close to their Frosted Flakes design scheme (even though Frosted Flakes as a name is not a registered trademark). The less cynical might think this was intentional, to create less confusion between the two cereals.

In any case, scoop up some boxes of the original, dark blue version. They could be a collector items some day!

Copy if you're Lucky

There are more exciting things to report on here than every time a cereal manufacturer changes a color, shape or marshmallow. That happens all the time, and for the most part is just gimmickry.

So, last week's official announcement that Lucky Charms would be introducing a permanent, new marshmallow in the shape of a unicorn immediately generated an eye roll from me. This followed another announcement less than two weeks earlier that the hourglass marshmallow would be discontinued. Big news, huh?

Normally this would be overlooked (despite the fact that some people actually care about this), but there appears to be something else going on here. This is the second time in the last few months that General Mills is stealing a page from the Kellogg playbook and incorporating it into Lucky Charms. This seems to be more than just coincidence.

Late last year we reported on the new Kellogg's Unicorn cereal that is coming out this March. With all the hype over unicorns lately, we should not be surprised that General Mills wants into the action as well, hence the new marshmallow and new boxes highlighting a unicorn!

And, of course, there was the other Kellogg moment at General Mills when they recently introduced Frosted Flakes Lucky Charms, blue box and all, playing off of Kellogg's successful Frosted Flakes cereal.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it makes me wonder if General Mills has given up on true innovation, and now is just reacting to whatever other good ideas they see out there?

The new world of cereal mashups

One of the big stories right now in the cereal world, first reported back in November, is General Mills' introduction of Frosted Flakes Lucky Charms in the past few weeks. This new product has captured the imagination of many cereal lovers, bringing together two of the most loved tastes.

On the surface, this appears to be a major win for General Mills, hitting their rival Kellogg right in the jugular, going after big K's GRRREAT brand. Fortunately, for imitators, Frosted Flakes is not a registered trademark, but General Mills did not stop with just the name - they also tried to copy the feel of Tony's cereal by going with a blue-themed box and an all caps, white typeface.

But, despite the marketing coup, is this cereal really that special? It's just Frosted Flakes with marshmallows, or Lucky Charms with flakes, depending on how you look at it. Apart from the intrigue of this combination, it is unlikely that it will persist. Even most of the reviews I've seen have been far from enthusiastic for the taste.

What is really significant here is the way that this mashup represents a new level in the battle among cereal companies and for the wallets of consumers. This is no ordinary new variation, but the leverage of two hot brands to create a new super product. This may be a way for cereal companies to generate new interest in cereal, tapping into existing emotions and creating creative recipes based on familiar tastes. Many people mix their own cereals anyway - now it could be done for them!

What mashups would you like to see?

General Mills ramps up the winter cereal race

It's not only Gingerbread Spice Life that is catching people's attention as we get closer to winter. A number of sources recently revealed that General Mills will soon be making Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms available in limited edition varieties: Cinnamon Vanilla Lucky Charms and Hot Cocoa Cocoa Puffs. These will be available at Target, and should be fun comfort foods for the shorter days ahead. I'm sure we'll see others as well, including the annual appearance of Christmas Cap'n Crunch.

Further examples of how seasonal cereals are a great marketing strategy for cereal companies!

Burger King Gets Lucky

First it was Froot Loops, but now two months, later Burger King looks like it's serious about cereal flavored frozen foods with the introduction of the Lucky Charms shake. This time General Mills gets the nod, giving restaurant customers a reason to spend more by purchasing this novelty featuring one of their beloved cereals. Sure, it's a gimmick, but a smart tie-in for the both the fast food and cereal giants. Although, at 740 calories and 107g of sugar, if you eat too many of these you might not live enough to remain a customer.

What other cereal flavors would you like to see in a shake or frozen dessert?

10,000 boxes Lucky Charms marshmallows coming soon

General Mills' Lucky Charms is one of the best-selling cereals out there, and one of its most-loved features are the colorful marshmallows that accent the experience. It is not uncommon for people to eat the marshmallows only, or to consume the cereal pieces first in the bowl, saving the marshmallows until the end. General Mills' knows all this, and wants to capitalize on it.

A couple of years ago the company held a contest, where 10 boxes of marshmallow-only Lucky Charms were given awarded. Now, they want to play this up to a much bigger scale, with the plan to give out 10,000 boxes! Starting this month, look for specially marked boxes of Lucky Charms that will contain a special code printed inside the box. Visit their website, and if your code matches, General Mills will send you one of the rare, special boxes.

In the past, some have argued that Lucky Charms Marshmallows should be sold in stores, but this is far more valuable to the company. This generous offer creates tremendous buzz for Lucky Charms, and, at least in the short-term, will sell a ton of cereal as people frantically search to discover whether they will be the truly Lucky ones. Such brand energy is just what General Mills needs, and is one of the creative ways that cereal companies must come up with to restore the fun of breakfast cereal amid sagging sales.

Lucky Charms expand the rainbow

Last week General Mills released their quarterly earnings, and among many announcements indicated that they would be bolstering their cereal line with new products and stronger advertising. Well, the marketing efforts are already underway with such things as a new focus online. But, the marketing strategy that is getting the most attention is their new outreach to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community.

Obviously, the recent attention given to marriage equality and other LGBT rights is part of a massive social shift taking place around us. Regardless of where you stand on these issues, one cannot deny that change is happening before our eyes. As a result, more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon, trying to take advantage of the purchasing power of this segment of the population.

General Mills' tactic is Lucky Charms and the #LuckytoBe campaign, just in time for Pride month. Building on the rainbow marshmallows in Lucky Charms they are encouraging LGBT individuals to celebrate who they are, and this is being heavily promoted at Pride parades and online.

In many ways this is a bold and risky move for General Mills. This has the ability to both strengthen their  public relations among the LGBT and their supporters, and to alienate those who find these societal changes offensive. The company must believe that the trends are on their side. Interestingly, this is the second somewhat provocative marketing tactic from the company this year. At minimum the company is getting lots of attention.

From a purely cereal perspective, the use of Lucky Charms seems somewhat strange, at least on the surface. Why would they use what has been largely a kid's cereal in this campaign? The answer is in some market research that General Mills also recently announced. Apparently Lucky Charms is one of their strongest brands, and has become particularly popular with adults.

So, Lucky Charms is being re-branded, and will no longer be same. How will consumers and other cereal companies respond?

Lucky Charms cereal sifter

For those that love cereal marshmallows and find the actual cereal distracting, here is an invention for you! Tom Lombardi has created a simple way for you to separate the Lucky Charms cereal from the marshmallows. It's simply a custom cup with the perfect-sized holes on the bottom. LINK.
Stocking stuffer anyone?
(What will they think of next?!)

Charming

General Mills has announced a new charm to Lucky Charms, the first permanent addition in more than 10 years. For those of you who keep track of these details it is a yellow "magical hourglass" to give Lucky "the power to control time".

This comes at a time when there is growing concern about the use of artificial food dyes.

But, who cares as long it sells cereal?

(reference TwinCities.com)

Technorati Tags: cereal, General+Mills, Lucky+Charms, breakfastbowl

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

A reminder for cereal lovers to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than with a bowl of Lucky Charms!

Also, in the St. Patty's Day theme, the Cereal Bowl restaurants will be offering green milk this weekend, in both whole and skim varieties! Read Press Release.

Now, that's fun!

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Technorati Tags: cereal, St.+Patrick's+Day, Cereal+Bowl, Lucky+Charms, BreakfastBowl