Post goes Fit

Continuing to note new cereals for 2013, it looks like Post is really going at it. Since going independent in the last year it is evident that they are serious about getting back into the cereal game.

The latest example is with one of their stodgy old brands, Grape-Nuts. It has long been a minor player, usually hard-to-find on the top shelf of most stores, and chosen by only the real serious health food nuts. But, as part of Post's quest for new relevance, Grape-Nuts has been getting a make-over. The message now is that Grape Nuts is the perfect cereal to "meet the demands of the today's modern, active lifestyle." In addition to its original formula and flakes, they just introduced Grape-Nuts Fit, a vanilla-cranberry cereal to fuel active people. In some ways this is similar to Wheaties Fuel, but less testerone-focused; although with double the protein.

This is a strategy that just might work for them!

C is for Cereal

Recently I highlighted a number of new cereals that have hit the market in early 2013. Here's another one I just discovered that is worth noting:

Post has entered into a licensing agreement to produce a cereal targeted at toddlers using a Sesame Street theme. Not the first time the children's TV show characters have appeared on cereal, but Post is maximizing the marketing impact, especially by going after toddlers directly.

C is for Cereal is an apple flavored oat and corn cereal, and the shapes are X's and O's. The disappointment, however, is that there are actually no C's. A somewhat confusing message.

New Year, New Cereals!

Just when it appeared that things were pretty mundane in the cereal world, 2013 could be a turning point. With the new year just beginning a number of new cereals are appearing on store shelves. January has typically been a good time for new cereal introductions, but this is one of the biggest launches I've seen in years, and coming from three of the biggest companies. There are indications of at least half a dozen new cereals, but here some of the most noteworthy:

Kellogg has introduced Cinnamon Jacks, a variety in the new "Jacks" brand. There have been special editions of Apple Jacks over the years, but it appears now that Kellogg wants to build on that brand with new flavors. Could we see such things as Chocolate Jacks, Berry Jacks, etc.?









One other interesting Kellogg addition is new Mini-Wheats Crunch. Here too we have seen a number of extensions, but Crunch appears to be a direct competitor to Quaker Oatmeal Squares. Same look, and even a brown sugar flavor.










General Mills is throwing a new twist into Cheerios. New Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch is the first time Cheerios will be mixed in with other cereal elements - not just O's any longer. Wheat flakes and almonds comprise the medley. [Feb 3/13 CORRECTION: It's actually not the first time. Four years ago they tried oat clusters. Medley Crunch is the first time flakes are in the mix].











Not be outdone, Post is making several additions to its most significant cereal brand, Honey Bunches of Oats, but the one that stands out is the new Greek variety. They are capitalizing on the recent Greek yogurt fad that is sweeping the nation. Yogurt in cereal is not new, but give Post credit for a strong marketing move.









Watch for these and more. Have you seen and/or tried any of these new cereals?

Some of these could be great candidates for Breakfast Bowl reviews in the near future!

What's Next for the Breakfast Bowl?

I'm pleased to announce an exciting new direction for the Breakfast Bowl beginning in 2013!

It's hard to believe that I've been doing this blog for over seven years. What started out in 2005 purely as an experimentation with the then burgeoning trend of blogging has turned into the world's leading blog on the topic of breakfast cereal. That actually sounds more impressive than it really is, as cereal is not a hot topic in most circles. Nevertheless, there are a number of us out there who are fascinated with the role that cereal plays in culture, both past and present. This is one attempt to explore those dimensions.

But, times have changed. First of all, the cereal industry is continuing to evolve. The recent economic struggles coupled with a highly competitive market has taken some of the creative edge out of this industry. There isn't nearly has much fun stuff to write on any more. Second, blogging itself is no longer the only venue for fans of a topic to learn and interact. Social media is taking on an increasingly larger role.

When I started the Breakfast Bowl my intent was simply to share news about the world of cereal, exploring those things that are shaping the industry and our enjoyment of this breakfast staple. Over time the number of interesting stories worth writing about has diminished, and increasingly I have used Facebook and Twitter to pass along the more obscure and less noteworthy aspects of cereal life.

The one thing I have avoided for these seven-plus years is providing cereal reviews. The enjoyment of eating at the breakfast table is a personal thing, as is taste. I deliberately did not want to take away from my readers' opportunity to enjoy the experience of finding and consuming whatever cereals they were interested in.

It is time, however, for a change. I will continue to pass along interesting tidbits of cereal news on my blog and through social media, and occasionally I will offer commentary on where I see the industry heading and what needs to be done to keep breakfast interesting for all of us. But, starting this month I will begin something new for the Breakfast Bowl: occasional reviews. I am not the first person to do this, but in light of the fact that most of the other bloggers who were doing full-blown cereal reviews are no longer regularly doing them (e.g. Cereal Wednesday) I am going to take that on.

So, watch soon for regular reviews of cereal on the Breakfast Bowl to complement and round out the types of things I have always done here. I will not be reviewing every cereal that comes out, but only those that are noteworthy and interesting. Occasionally, I may even dip into the tried and true, offering reviews of classic cereals we are all familiar with. Hopefully you will not only find these reviews fun, but also helpful as you try to make your own choices at the grocery store.

Despite the limited time I have to maintain this hobby, I am looking forward to this new chapter in the life of the Breakfast Bowl. Of course, none of it would have any significance if it were not be for the hundreds of people who follow this blog, or one of my social media sites. Thank you for sharing in this passion!

Cerealism

Every once in awhile I come across some creative individuals who take ubiquitous cereal and turn it into art. Some of it is actually quite good.

The latest is Cerealism (although the name has been used before), the work of photographer Ernie Button. He takes various forms of cereal and using close shots often with vivid backgrounds creates some amazing, and at times surreal, results.

Worth taking a look at!

http://erniebutton.com/?portfolio=cerealism
 

Hello?

Those of you following this blog will have noticed little activity here in quite some time. In fact, this has been one of the biggest dry spells in the seven years I've been doing this!

I would like to blame it on the fact that I am busy (which I am), but the truth is that there is little of significance going out there in the world of cereal right now. Normally there are some announcements, product introductions, or industry developments to track and comment on, but in the last months there has hardly been anything. Sure, I could have highlighted General Mills' annual run of monster cereals, but even this story is hardly noteworthy as it basically the same thing they've done in recent years.

I wonder if there are a couple of things going on here. First, could it be that the less than vibrant economy is finally taking its toll and stifling innovation? Or, is it that the big players are diversifying more and giving less attention to their cereal portfolio?

In any case, I am hoping to see some cereal excitement coming as we approach the new year. Maybe some holiday cereals, some innovative new brands or packaging, and perhaps some industry shake-ups?

I will be watching. Keep following me as these things unfold.

Coffee cereal

I've always wondered why someone hasn't come up with a coffee-flavored cereal. Well, finally someone has taken on the challenge!

A Maui-based food scientist has come up with Cappuccino Crunch a brand of four unique varieties (Kona Blend, Mocha, Cappuccino, and Chai Spice). At this point the company, Flavor Waves, markets these cereals only in Hawaii. But, who knows, if they go over well more of us might be able to have our coffee cereal alongside our morning coffee!

(Source: The Maui News)

Kellogg looks for loyalty

A big part of any company's success is customer loyalty. If people like your product and make it a habit to keep buying it you have a winner on your hand.

Earlier this summer Kellogg announced a Family Rewards program intended to get consumers to stick with their products because of the lure of rewards, prizes and special offers. Quite simply many Kellogg's branded products will contain a special code printed inside, You enter the codes on your computer or phone and collect points.

In a highly competitive cereal and snack food marketplace working to obtain customer loyalty is a big feat. I wonder, however, whether most customers could be bothered with the whole process. Sure there are some couponers, etc. who look for this type of thing, but I'm not convinced it will make a difference. In fact, I've seen or heard little buzz about it outside of Kellogg's own promotions.

Real customer loyalty comes not from promotions or gimmicks, but consumers who are passionate about a product. That comes from innovative, strong products backed by strong branding. Kellogg should be focusing more on that.

The first Breakfast Bowl contest!

It's hard to believe that it's September already! But, this is a great time to introduce a contest that will run through to the end of this month and give you the opportunity to win a unique cereal prize!

Here's what you have to do to enter:

Simply tell your friends via Facebook to "Like" our Facebook page, or via Twitter to follow us on Twitter.

The Prize: One winner will receive two packages of the new SexCereal (one for him, and one for her) with a retail value of approximately $22.00. This unique cereal could be a collector's item in the future!

The Story behind the Prize: I like to try the cereals I talk about in this blog, but rarely receive samples from manufacturers. So in light of our recent story about SexCereal I decided to try it and buy some myself. Unfortunately, there was a problem during shipping with one of the cereal packages, and the company responded promptly to fix the mishap and was gracious to throw in some extra packages for the trouble. So, instead of keeping it all to myself I'm going to share some with my loyal readers.

The Details:

1. To share the Breakfast Bowl via Facebook, post a "Public" message to your timeline telling people to visit our Facebook page, but be sure to tag The Breakfast Bowl page in your message (the simplest way is to start typing "@break..." and watch for our page to appear in the list and then select it). OR visit our page and click on the settings button next to the "Message" button, and then choose "Share", but again be sure the message is "Public" and we are tagged.

2. To share the Breakfast Bowl via Twitter, tweet a message that tells people to follow us at @breakfast_bowl. You must be using a public Twitter account.

3. You may repeat this on each social media network up to once per day through to midnight (Pacific) on September 30, 2012.

4. One winner will be chosen randomly from all entries (i.e. Facebook and Twitter promotions)

5. Open to all residents of the United States and Canada.

6. Big Life Foods, maker of SexCereal, is not involved in this contest.

UPDATE OCTOBER 2, 2012: Congratulations to @antonioortegajr the winner of our contest!

General Mills tries for gold

The Olympics and its wall-to-wall coverage are now over, but General Mills is wasting no time in capitalizing on the event and two of its premiere stars. Today they announced two new Wheaties boxes featuring high-profile gold medal winners Michael Phelps and Misty May-Treanor.

This is significant for several reasons. First, the timing is great. Second, it helps the flagging Wheaties brand. But, most significant, this is a big jump ahead of Kellogg who has Olympic sponsorship rights. General Mills can't actually take advantage of all the official Olympics branding, but with these two stars it really doesn't matter. This is big, and ultimately, could over-shadow whatever exposure Kellogg gained in recent weeks, but watch for a new Corn Flakes box coming soon featuring the popular U.S. women gymnastics team.

Let the games continue!