General Mills looking for love

Maybe it's not big news, but in these challenging times for cereal companies, attempts to turn the tide are at minimum interesting. Last week General Mills unveiled a new (or at least updated) logo, the sixth in almost 90 years. Changing the corporate logo by itself is hardly going to really impact cereal sales, but it is a sign of how the company sees itself, and how it wants others to see it.

At first glance, the changes might not be apparent. The big "G," which has been at the core of the company's identity remains. But, added to that is a bright red heart, all accompanied by a new tagline, "Making Food People Love." 

Obviously, the slight modification is a direct, albeit subtle, attempt to tug at consumers' emotions, humanizing a large, global corporation. But, in the end, not much has really changed. I doubt, for example, that most people will even consciously notice the change. Branding and logo expert, Armin Vit, minimized the significance of the change, saying that "a heart, coming from one of the biggest companies in the world, feels so inauthentic. Even if they mean it — and I’m sure they do — it’s like, no, just be a money-making company and leave all of our collective feelings at the door."

I guess the test will be if more love finds it way to General Mills.