Cereal and bloggers

Here's a list of significant blog postings from the last month or so pertaining to cereal:



Stunslinger wonders why no one has made a knockoff of Life cereal.



Kathy Wollard at Newsday explains why cereals clump and bob in milk.



Mother Tongue Annoyances probes into the why Grape Nuts contain neither grapes nor nuts



Human Core Dump examines the meaning of the various charms in Lucky Charms



Design Database found a photo of some wonderful cereal shoes



Namewire analyzes the recent joint marketing venture between Curves and General Mills



I Killed Captain Crunch provides some interesting background info on the Cap'n



Technorati Tags: cereal, blogs, breakfastbowl

Curves cereal

I reported on this back in February when stories started appearing on the blogosphere, but pulled the story when General Mills started threatening legal action against those who had leaked it. But, it's now official...

The Dallas Business Journal is reporting that Curves women's fitness centers and General Mills are teaming up to launch a line of health oriented granola bars and cereals. Other reports indicate that the new cereal will be available in Honey Nut and Whole Wheat flavors. The cereal itself sounds far from exciting, but the marketing is ingenious and will help General Mills compete against Kellogg 's successful positioning of Special K to women.

Technorati Tags: cereal, General+Mills, Curves, marketing, breakfastbowl

mymuesli - Cereal of the future?

I have long called for cereal companies to innovate. I believe we may have seen the best attempt at that so far not from one of the big American companies (i.e. Kellogg or General Mills), but from mymuesli of Germany.



mymuesli claims to offer "custom-made cereals" and tout it as "Fruehstueck 2.0" (translated as Breakfast 2.0).



Here's how it works: They have seventy different ingredients which can be mixed and matched in any combination you choose (apparently 566 billion combinations!). They create the cereal, package it in an innovative canister, and ship it to you (sorry, only in Germany right now!).



Wow! That's impressive.



I'd love to get my hands on some of that stuff. I have some contacts in Germany and I just might see if I can order some.



Cereal companies: Are you paying attention?





Technorati Tags: cereal, mymuesli, innovation, marketing, breakfastbowl

Is cereal getting sweeter?

With all the recent emphasis on low-carb foods and the controversy over sugared cereals targeted to children you'd think cereals were getting healthier. Maybe in some ways. But, maybe not in other ways.



An article in the TimesOnline reports on a study that finds food products, including cereals, actually contain more sugar than before. In fact "Some of the biggest increases in sugar have been in breakfast cereals." Even more health oriented cereals like Special K and All-Bran reflect this trend.



To be fair, this is a British study, and there is some evidence that recipes differ from country to country even for the same brand. Nevertheless, health conscious consumers must be concerned.





Technorati Tags: cereal, nutrition, sugar, breakfastbowl

Cereal Poll Update

The results from our latest Breakfast Bowl poll are in. My last question was: "Is cereal a good value for the money?"



Here are the results:



It depends (variety, brand, specials, etc.) - 56%

Yes - 29%

No - 15%





My take on the above results: Not really surprising. 29% seem completely undisturbed by current cereal prices. The majority, however, appear to be shopping with discernment. Considering that this blog may be "preaching to the choir", cereal companies should be concerned about the perceptions consumers have.



Now it's time for our next question. Following up on a previous poll, "What do you add to your cereal?"



LINK TO POLL



Technorati Tags: cereal, polls, breakfastbowl

Cereal box mosaic

Cereal history buffs will love this incredible new "coverpop" mosaic featuring over 1300 boxes of cereal from the past. Simply move your mouse over the mosaic to see incredible boxes from the past. Click to enlarge.



Lots of fun!



LINK



Technorati Tags: cereal, boxes, breakfastbowl

Cereal World and partnerships

Life has been quiet lately on the cereal front, but here is a recent development ...



I continue to watch with the interest the growth of cereal restaurants, like Cereality, The Cereal Bowl and a host of smaller copy-cats. This fresh concept is bound to see continued expansion.



But, growth has been far from explosive. Some have argued that the concept is not likely to take off outside of college campuses or airports. And, selling primarily cereal items is not a long-term profitable venture.



According to the Minnesota Daily, Cereal World, a Minneapolis restaurant, is soon to launch but in conjunction with the "Minnesota Popcorn Connection". While this combination provides branding complexity and confusion, it may be a worthy attempt for viability.



We'll keep watching.





Technorati Tags: cereal, restaurants, breakfastbowl

Cereal and bloggers

Here's a list of significant blog postings from the last month or so pertaining to cereal:



Tarks Place provides an informative compilation of cereal advertising slogans from over the years.



aiyenface examines the origins of the universe over a bowl of cereal.



Adan Berkowitz and eyeofhorus83 consider the changing shape of Trix, especially now that they have gone back to the original puffs shape.



Cereal Insider wonders why there is a lack of female cereal characters



TVDeuce.com can't stand Fruity Pebbles



djchuang doesn't believe that cereal restaurants will attain the same level of success as Starbucks.



You Look Great warns of the danger of uneaten cereal boxes in your home.







Technorati Tags: cereal, blogs, breakfastbowl

General Mills looking for innovation

My second post on General Mills and innovation in the last week. It looks like they may be getting it.

Their website has a new page calling for scientists, inventors and others from outside the company who might be able to partner with the company. They say:

"We are constantly looking for world-class innovation partners - partners with novel capabilities - who can help us meet the needs of our consumer today and help develop products that will meet their needs of tomorrow."

General Mills is more than cereal, but obviously cereal is a big part of their business and it is a highly competitive segment. Innovation is the only solution for the long-term.


Technorati Tags: cereal, General+Mills, breakfastbowl

Weekly Poll Update

The results from our latest Breakfast Bowl poll are in. My last question was: "How do you eat cereal?"



Here are the results:



In a bowl with milk, duh! - 91%

Directly out of the box - 18%

Added to other foods, like salads - 12%

In recipes - 3%

Other - 3%

NOTE: Multiple responses were permitted



My

take on the above results: No surprises.



Now it's time for our next question. In light some recent posts concerning the price of cereal, let me know "Is cereal a good value for the money?"



LINK TO POLL



Technorati Tags: cereal, polls, breakfastbowl