Crazy lawsuits

I've highlighted cereal-related lawsuits before, but usually these had more substance to them then this latest nominee for the Ridiculous Hall of Fame.

A California man launched lawsuits against Kellogg and Quaker for alleged deception in marketing Froot Loops and Crunchberries, respectively, as fruit-related cereals. Much to everyone's surprise, apparently neither of these cereals actually contain real fruit. We are all shocked!

The Froot Loops suit was dismissed, but the case against Crunchberries is moving forward. Maybe it will finally end stupidity across our country.

Not likely. We still have frivolous lawsuits.

Source: SFWeekly

Technorati Tags: cereal, lawsuits, Kellogg, Quaker, breakfastbowl

Cereal gains in a recession

General Mills announced today third quarter financial results which included increased sales and profits. Of particular interest is the growth of their cereal division:

"Net sales for Big G cereals grew 6 percent in the quarter, led by strong introductory sales of new Chocolate Cheerios and Wheaties Fuel, and gains by several established brands such as Multigrain Cheerios and Lucky Charms."

Obviously something is working for General Mills and confirms that cereal seems to do well in a recession, a point we noted several months back.

(Source: General Mills)

Technorati Tags: cereal, General+Mills, recession, breakfastbowl

Targeting Youth

The move is on to narrow the target of cereals. This is evident in Special K to women concerned about weight management, and new Wheaties FUEL for men. Of course, children have been targeted for decades. Kellogg UK is now taking a stab at the youth market, 16-25 with a new cereal called Krave (not to be confused with a Kellogg "Krave" product previously in the U.S.). Their strategy is not just with the chocolate hazelnut taste, but will be marketed with an extensive social media campaign.

That age group is a difficult one to tap into. It will be interesting to see how Kellogg fares in the U.K. and whether a similar niche is attempted elsewhere.

(Source: netimperative)

Technorati Tags: cereal, Kellogg, marketing, breakfastbowl

National Cereal Day: March 7th

Today is National Cereal Day.

Celebrate. Enjoy a bowl!

Technorati Tags: cereal, breakfastbowl

Wheaties goes for Gold

Coming off the Winter Olympics General Mills has secured three popular gold medal athletes for the covers of upcoming Wheaties boxes: Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, and Seth Wescott. Apart from the obvious benefit of taking advantage of the recent Olympic fever this is significant in other ways as well. First, these are highly popular athletes, especially among the younger crowd. Could this mean a shift of focus to that demographic? And, this is on regular Wheaties boxes, not the new Wheaties FUEL. Obviously General Mills hasn't abandoned the core brand, and may be trying to breathe new life into it. In fact, notice the overall design changes to the box, representing a much bolder look. Will all these enhancements further revive Wheaties?

Technorati Tags: cereal, Wheaties, Shaun+White, Lindsay+Vonn, Seth+Wescott, breakfastbowl

Post builds on nostalgia

General Mills is not the only company taking advantage of cereal nostalgia right now. In a store I came across a new line of Post Toasties cereals that are actually being referred to as Post "Classics". (Will there be others?) Toasties was the name of Post's version of Corn Flakes, which was discontinued in 2006. The new Toasties, however, also come in Frosted Flakes, and wheat and barley O's varieties. This is not the first attempt for Post at tapping into nostalgia.

The new Toasties boxes are not truly vintage, but they do have the feel. Nevertheless, they are getting it right by going for the emotional attachment consumers have with cereal. Hopefully they will dig into their recipe archives even more.

By the way, on the topic of vintage cereals, be sure to visit the poll on our main page to indicate which cereals from the past you'd like to see.

Technorati Tags: cereal, Post, Toasties, breakfastbowl

Cereal - Milk Saturation

Not truly scientific, but check out this graph at Urban Cartography which depicts "Cereal - Milk Saturation Over Time". According to our past poll most people tend to prefer crunchy over soggy, but this fun graph is a good reminder of the quest we all have for the perfect timing. The chart says 3 minutes is ideal, but of course we all know it depends on the cereal!

Technorati Tags: cereal, milk, breakfastbowl

Join us on Facebook

Keep up with the latest on cereal, and join in the discussions, by following this blog on our new fan page!

The Breakfast Bowl

Promote Your Page Too

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Cereal poll update

It's time for our next Breakfast Bowl poll. The last question was: "What do you think of custom cereals?"

Here are the results:

Love the ability to have the cereals I want! - 35%
Passing fad that won't survive - 30%
Store-bought brands are good enough for me - 22%
A good idea that might catch on - 14%

Not much enthusiasm yet for custom cereals, not surprising since most people haven't tried them yet.

Now for the next question. In light of my recent post calling for cereal companies to revive nostalgic brands from the past (even for a limited time), "Which of the following vintage cereals would you like to see and taste again?"

LINK TO POLL (see left column)

Technorati Tags: cereal, polls, breakfastbowl

General Mills nostalgia

For the third year in a row General Mills is selling limited edition vintage cereals through Target. This year's varieties include Trix, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms. This fits in well with other nostalgic marketing being done by other companies, such as Pepsi.

I continue to believe that this is a great marketing strategy, and one that should be expanded beyond just nostalgic boxes. Come on General Mills, Kellogg, and Post: Let's see some actual cereals from the past come back for a special treat. You'd sell tons of them!

(Source: Brandweek)

Technorati Tags: cereal, nostalgia, General+Mills, breakfastbowl