Cereal Toppers - the future of cereal?

I recently came across Cereal Toppers, which are dried fruit packaged and marketed for those wanting to add excitement to their morning cereal. There are five different fruit combinations, and the product is available in some grocery stores and online.

I think this is a brilliant, yet simple, idea that has tremendous potential for future innovation. For Cereal Toppers themselves this is a great way to break into the dried fruit market by finding a strong niche. I saw these for sale in a grocery store in the cereal aisle, and I can see people buying them who otherwise would have never considered buying dried fruit for this purpose.

What about a whole line of Cereal Toppers that extend beyond dried fruit? Chocolate? Nuts? Candy? Syrups? It would make it easier for people to create their own custom cereal combinations at home. It could start a whole new trend in breakfast eating. Successful marketing is critical to get the ball rolling.

Anybody listening?

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Technorati Tags: cereal, marketing, Cereal+Toppers, BreakfastBowl

Cereal poll update

It's been a LONG time since the last Breakfast Bowl poll. The last question was: "What do you think of Kellogg's Cereal Straws?"

Here are the results:

They "suck" - 35%
Great! - 34%
Who cares - 31%

Now it's time for our next question. It's January, and therefore dieting season. Cereals, which are high in carbs, have received much negative publicity in recent years. Kellogg, on the other hand, is promoting Special K as a diet.

So, the question is: "Is cereal a help or hindrance for weight loss?"

LINK TO POLL

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Technorati Tags: cereal, polls, BreakfastBowl

New Year ... New Cereals

The New Year has seen a proliferation of new cereals.

So far, Kellogg seems to be first out of the gate with a wide range of new cereals. There are new additions to their Special K and All-Bran lines, but there are some more noteworthy innovations that have caught my attention:

Wild Animal Crunch - A vanilla-chocolate flavored whole-grain cereal that ties into the growing ecological concern by partnering with Discovery Channel's Animal Planet show. UPDATE 01/21/0802/06/08 - There appear to be at leastare FIVEFOUR different boxes (each with different animals on the front) available for this one cereal.

Frosted Flakes Gold - This appears to be Kellogg's second attempt at a super-charged Frosted Flakes in the U.S., replacing the less than-successful "Tiger Power". This version is much bolder, and the box itself is quite impressive, with an almost foil appearance.

Grab'n Go cereal packs - Playing into the desire for greater convenience, Kellogg has taken two favorite, Corn Pops and Froot Loops, and placed them into individual serving pouches, ideal for people on the go, children's snacks, etc. It is hard to know whether this concept will catch on, but it is a worthy experiment (and better than cereal straws!).

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Technorati Tags: cereal, Kellogg, BreakfastBowl

Curves women

Last year General Mills partnered with Curves women's fitness centers to launch a line of fitness-oriented cereals and bars that are intended to compete with Kellogg's Special K line. In my opinion the new cereals are more of a marketing ploy than health food. Give them credit, however, for making strong connections with women. This continues now with a promotion they have been running, called "Real Change, Real Women" contest. Women wrote in with a personal story, and now the 12 finalists appear on a website where their stories can be read and voted upon. The winner will appear on an upcoming Curves cereal box.

It will be different having real women on the Curves boxes, especially since there was some controversy with the models on the original boxes. On the earliest sample sized boxes, it appeared to many that faces were "photoshopped" on to bodies, especially when an African American woman appeared to have a caucasian body. TIP: Those boxes are worth collecting!

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

Kellogg invests more in innovation

Bakery and Snacks.com recently reported that Kellogg will spend $40 million to expand its institute for food and nutrition research. The intent is more product innovation.

As someone who constantly calls for innovation in the cereal industry I applaud this investment. But, I am also cautious. Throwing money at research is in itself not going to promote cutting edge innovation. A culture of innovation is needed in companies like Kellogg, so that true breakthroughs can occur (not just new varieties of Froot Loops, etc.) As I have demonstrated on several occasions (example 1, example 2), there are innovators out there, but often they are small startups or fringe companies willing to step outside the "box" and take significant risks.

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Technorati Tags: cereal, Kellogg, research, BreakfastBowl

Cinnabon cereal

As I keep saying, innovation is essential in today's crowded cereal market. Consumers are looking for something unique, and desire products that create an emotional response.

Cinnabon, a well-known baker of cinnamon rolls, knows that many people cannot resist the flavor and scent of their baked goods. Now, they have extended their success to cereal, with two new Cinnabon Crunch cereals (in Cinnamon and Caramel Pecan flavors).

Kellogg has several cinnamon roll variety cereals, but let's be honest: Which brand has the most appeal to consumers?

One way the big cereal companies can regain their edge is to partner with other successful food brands to create new, exciting, and appealing cereals.

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Technorati Tags: cereal, Kellogg, Cinnabon, BreakfastBowl

Christmas gift idea

If you are looking for a perfect cereal gift for the special woman in your life, here is an idea: The Cheerio Necklace.

According to Perpetual Kid, cereal is "Good to eat, better to wear!".

The cereal charm is cast from an actual Cheerio, and made from sterling silver.

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Technorati Tags: cereal, Cheerios, jewelry, BreakfastBowl

Indiana Jones cereal

Cooltoyreview.com has posted a photo of a sample box for a new Indiana Jones cereal that Kellogg is expected to market soon in conjunction with the upcoming "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" movie to be released in 2008.

It seems like it's been awhile since there has been good movie-themed cereal. This should be a box to collect.

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Technorati Tags: cereal, Indiana+Jones, movies, BreakfastBowl

Black Friday relief

After a day of stuffing oneself with turkey, followed by another of non-stop shopping, something lighter is needed.

Here's a useless diversion that creates futuristic names of current cereals: Futuristic Cereal Name Generator.

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Technorati Tags: cereal, humor, BreakfastBowl

Cheerios Snack Mix

OK, it's not a breakfast cereal, but Cheerios' new Snack Mixes (in original and cheddar flavors) are worth noting.

With the growing struggles that the big cereal makers are having, they must find ways of strengthening their brands. Innovation is essential.

Cheerios is one of the strongest cereal brands going, and it is wise for General Mills to do all it can to keep it in the forefront of consumers' minds. They have already recognized that it is a perfect finger-food for children, and now reinforce that it has a role as a snack food. (With this latter emphasis, they have already done something similar with Chex.)

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Technorati Tags: cereal, General+Mills, Cheerios, BreakfastBowl