Thursday, February 23, 2006

The shifting cereal market

According to an ACNielsen survey (reported in FastCompany , March 2006, p. 63) sales of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals declined in the U.S. by 1% last year. But, China showed a 14% increase, and India a 32% increase.
 
It will be interesting to watch what impact this has on the global branding of cereals, and even the new types of cereals that could be developed to cater to these markets.
 

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Cereal trivia quiz

1. What is Cap’n Crunch’s first name?

2. Which athlete has appeared most often on a Wheaties box?

3. Name the three original flavors in Froot Loops.

4. How many cereal boxes can be made out of 1 pound of recycled newspaper?

5. What was the first Internet cereal?

6. Which cereal would even picky Mikey eat?

7. Name the four original shapes in Lucky Charms.

8. Which word has disappeared from the names of several cereals over the years?

9. Does a box of Post Grape Nuts contain any grapes or nuts?

1 0. What are Rice Krispies called in Asia?

11. What is the percentage of sugar in Apple Jacks? How about Nabisco Shredded Wheat?

12. What is the name of the green rooster that has appeared on Kellogg’s Corn Flakes since 1958?

13. Where, exactly, is the Honeycomb Hideout?

Sources: www.cereal.com , www.wheaties. com, www.americancerealcouncil.org

Answers:

1. Horatio

2. Michael Jordan (18 times)

3. Orange, lemon and cherry

4. Six

5. Quisp, introduced online by Quaker in 1999. To order: www.quisp.com .

6. Life

7. Pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars and green clovers. Only the pink hearts remain. Other shapes introduced since that first box in 1963 include blue diamonds, purple horseshoes, red balloons, rainbows, yellow pots of gold and green leprechaun hats.

8. Sugar. For example, Sugar Smacks are now Honey Smacks; Sugar Pops are now Corn Pops; Super Sugar Crisp is now Golden Crisp.

9. No. Grape Nuts contain wheat and barley.

10. Rice Bubbles

11. 54.6 percent (Apple Jacks) and 0.6 percent (Shredded Wheat)

12. Cornelius

13. We’re not sure, but we’d like to hang out there.


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Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Sir Grapefellow

Old cereal boxes are not only tremendous collector's items, they also provide tremendous snapshots of design, marketing and popular culture.
 
Within the last few weeks a rare box, General Mills' Sir Grapefellow, was sold on ebay (item 7214879849) for $435.00!
 
A true classic from the 70's.
 
 
 
 

 

Monday, February 20, 2006

Eggo Cereal

It could be the 100th Anniversary, but Kellogg has been aggressive in its recent release of new cereals and branding. A good example is the recent introduction of Eggo cereal, with Maple Syrup flavor.
 
This is the not first waffle cereal to be introduced (i.e. Waffle Crisp), but Kellogg is tapping into another one of their strong brands, Eggo frozen waffles. The connection is a sound one, and at minimum it should prompt people to try this new innovation.
 
Of course, the real question is: will they like it enough to keep buying it?
 

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Saturday, February 18, 2006

Happy Anniversary! 100 Years for Kellogg

Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of Kellogg, which began as the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company on February 19, 1906. While not the only player in the industry, there is no doubt that no other company has had as much influence on cereal becoming part of our culture.
 
In celebration of this important milestone, Kellogg has created an exceptional website: (www.kellogg100.com). There is detailed historical information, a wonderful gallery of photos and images, recipes and downloadable ringtones.
 
Congratulations Kellogg!
 

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Friday, February 17, 2006

Kellogg and "Bad Apples"

The onslaught against cereal manufacturers (and Kellogg in particular) over advertising continues (see "Activists sue over cereal ads" as an earlier example).
 
The Children's Advertising Review Unit of the Council of Better Business Bureau has told Kellogg to stop knocking apples, as they did in the "Race to the Bowl" ads for Apple Jacks. It is felt that children could get the wrong message from these ads and make poor eating choices. (Read the story in BrandWeek).
 
As I've stated previously, I understand the concerns, but sometimes these things fringe on the ridiculous.
 

 

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

New image for POPS

Keep your eyes open in the U.S. for a new brand image for Kellogg's "POPS", formerely known as "Corn Pops" (and originally 40+ years ago as "Sugar Pops").

Kellogg has been introducing a number of new products and designs in the last few months, and this is a noteworthy one since it is tampering with an established brand. My suspicion is that Corn Pops were losing their market share, and especially in light of generic brands, etc. Kellogg's is looking for ways to stand out on the shelves.

New POPS will appear in FOUR different box designs: Gaming, Hip Hop, Snow and Skate. Something for everyone?  


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Sunday, February 12, 2006

Cereal and bloggers

Significant blog postings regarding cereal from the last couple of weeks:
 
Jenco127 dreamt about eating bowl after bowl of cereal.
 
Satanic_owl has a less than favorable view on cereal breakfast bars.
 
used_n_rejected has some issues with certain cereals
 

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Thursday, February 09, 2006

Wheaties Olympians

With the Winter Olympics about to begin, Forbes has a look at 15 former Olympians who appeared on Wheaties boxes in the past and provides an update of where they are now. An interesting read with photos.
 
 

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Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Cereal at Starbucks?

StarbucksGossip reports that
 
"Starbucks is planning to test-market special Starbucks cups filled with Kellogg low-fat granola, ready for steamed milk or special add-ins (including caramel sauce)."
 
Another way to get your morning cereal fix. While Starbucks will never become a cereal restaurant, they are recognizing the growing interest in cereal at restaurants, and realize that cereal is a perfect complement for commuters, etc. needing a morning boost.
 

 

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Cereal taste test

CBS 3 in Philadelphia conducted their own limited taste test to determine how people responded to store brand cereals in comparison to name brand ones. Check out their story (and watch the video clip?)
 
While some test participants could tell the difference, in 50% of the tests they could not.
 

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Sunday, February 05, 2006

Yogurt cereals

As I've indicated in a previous post, there is a growing trend towards using yogurt in cereals. Slashfood evaluates reviews done by the Wall Street Journal and adds their own.
 
Is yogurt a fad? Maybe. But, it adds variety for cereal eaters, and a value-added distinction for major brands trying to retain or even gain market share.
 

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Thursday, February 02, 2006

Guard your cereal

The Oroville Mercury-Register reports a cereal burglar in Orland, CA.:
 
ORLAND -- A resident of the Arch Apartments reported to police that an unknown person entered his home through a window shortly after 10 a.m. Monday and removed cereal and milk. Resident Floyd Horn, 41, said nothing else appeared to be missing. Police took a report on the incident.
 
Obviously a cereal lover.
 

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