Honey Nut Cheerios seeds of hope (or despair?)

It's finally spring, and with that General Mills is celebrating the arrival of the equinox with a marketing campaign mixed in with a dose of social responsibility. A couple of weeks ago the company launched #BringBacktheBees, a program designed to highlight the unexplained decline of bees in the world. To do so they utilized the best-selling cereal in North America, Honey Nut Cheerios, as the platform to get this message across. Specially marked boxes in the U.S. and Canada feature Buzz the Bee missing, with only a silhouette in its place. As part of the promotion consumers were invited to request a package of wildflower seeds so that they could contribute to nourishing the bees around them.

Apparently the seed giveaway has been a resounding success, even exceeding General Mills' goal. 1.5 billion seeds were distributed, and their website says they have none left. This is a feel good campaign that not only raises the profile of the cereal, but creates of lots of goodwill for the company as well.

Except, however, for some controversy. Apparently some environmentalists, as reported on Lifehacker, have urged people not to plant these seeds since many of them are flowers not native to the United States, and therefore not necessarily a good match for the bees. The fear is that this could actually cause more damage than good. General Mills countered these concerns on the Cheerios Facebook page claiming that "the seed varieties in the mix are not considered invasive."

Most of this "buzz" has been good, but it seems that cereal companies just cannot get it completely right nowadays!

New Year, New Cereals

January has typically been a prime occasion for cereal manufacturers to launch new products, and this new year is no exception. Here are some of the notable cereals to watch for in the U.S. this month (although a few hit store shelves a few weeks early):

Kellogg's Cinnamon Frosted Flakes - Kellogg probably has realized that they can do so much more with one of the most popular cereals out there, Frosted Flakes. While this is not the first variety ever introduced, it might be the most interesting.

Post Cinnamon Pebbles - Cinnamon has become a popular flavor in recent years, and Post (affirming what Kellogg's sees as well) is relying on that with its latest Pebbles iteration.

Kellogg's Keebler Cereal - Most people are not aware that the famous cookie brand Keebler is actually owned by Kellogg. This is not the first time the company has tried a Keebler cereal, but they are wise in making another attempt, and playing off a strong brand to attract consumers. The 2017 version claims to contain "real mini chocolate chip cookies."

General Mills' Girl Scouts - Announced back in the fall, General Mills is also expanding on its cookie offerings with a unique partnership with the Girl Scouts, and two fun cereal flavors.

General Mills' Very Berry Cheerios - This one has not been officially announced yet, but some sites such as JunkBanter and Cerealously have already come across it in stores. Not the first berry flavored Cheerios, but a bright new extension to this leading brand. The O's feature specks of real berry powders (i.e. blueberry, strawberry, cranberry and raspberry).

Review: 2016 Pumpkin Spice Cereals

Fall is now officially here, so it is finally appropriate to review the three new pumpkin spice cereals that have hit the grocery aisle in recent weeks. Pumpkin spice has quickly become the trendy flavor for this time of year, almost to the point of overkill. Nevertheless, at least so far, this has come to be the foundation of comfort foods preparing us for the cooler, darker days ahead.

Last year I reviewed the first ever such cereal, Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Pumpkin Spice. I was thoroughly impressed, and it remains one of the highest rated cereals I have ever reviewed. Apparently Kellogg has re-released this cereal this year (although I have not seen in any stores yet), but my intent this time is only to review the newcomers to the market: General Mills Pumpkin Spice Cheerios, Kellogg's Special K Pumpkin Spice Crunch, and Quaker Life Pumpkin Spice. This will be one review, but of these three cereals.

Taste. Of course, the whole point of these cereals is the taste. People crave the pumpkin spice flavors (usually comprised of such spices as nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves), and these products had better deliver. The challenge that cereal makers have is creating a recipe that highlights the special flavors, but without being overwhelming. For the most part, these three cereals do that, finding a good balance using varieties of existing high-profile cereals on the market. If I close my eyes and taste, the pumpkin spice theme definitely is there, but to varying degrees. Probably the most disappointing is the Cheerios, as in my assessment the cloves are much too pronounced (and I'm not crazy about cloves). The Life edition provided the greatest surprise, with a strong kick of spice on first bite. The Special K seemed to have the best balance of flavors, with the leftover milk in the bowl providing a great treat in itself. One other point of interest, the Cheerios was the only one of the three listing actual pumpkin puree as an ingredient. RATINGS: Special K (5), Life (4), Cheerios (3).

Texture. In many ways texture should not be a big surprise since two of the cereals (i.e. Cheerios and Life) are almost identical to their originally flavored sibling. The woven Life squares are lightly crunchy, but soften as they bathe in milk. Cheerios the same. The Special K version emphasizes "crunch," which is largely achieved by a light sugar coating of the flakes. Overall, it is the latter that shines - the crunchy flakes hold their own even after sitting in milk for 10 minutes. RATINGS: Special K (5), Cheerios (3), Life (3)

Experience. These cereals are all about the experience, which includes the taste, but incorporates so much more. As indicated earlier, they tap into our emotional needs as we enter autumn. So, to a certain degree they all achieve this, with their fall colors and images on the boxes. But, it is Cheerios that really stands out. The predominately orange box stands out, and more importantly the cereal itself (partly due to the fact that they use real pumpkin) has an orange tinge. Life and Special K don't go these extra miles. RATINGS: Cheerios (5), Life (4), Special K (4)

Nutrition. This discussion sometimes kills the fun, but in the end food should provide nutritional value, pumpkin spice cereals included. Life Pumpkin Spice comes closest to retaining the value of original Life: slightly more protein than many cereals, and a reasonable amount of sugar. The other two definitely work on sweetness, almost hitting 30% of weight in the form of sugar. Beyond that, they all emphasize whole grains, are fortified with vitamins and minerals, and are free of artificial flavors. RATINGS: Life (4), Special K (3), Cheerios (3)

Overall. If you want the full pumpkin spice immersion this fall, then incorporating one of these breakfast foods will be worth it. In the end, they all come out pretty close, but none can beat out Mini-Wheats Pumpkin Spice. If you have to choose from these three new ones just one go with the Special K. I would encourage you, however, to try all three, because, remember, these are limited edition cereals. In a few months they will no longer be available and you might miss the opportunity. Of course, by that time you will also be so tired of pumpkin spice in your life that you'll be ready for something different! RATINGS: Special K (4), Life (4), Cheerios (4).

(Review protocol here)

Surprise! The flavor this fall is Pumpkin Spice

For the past few years, the favorite flavor of fall has been pumpkin spice. What started as the traditional pumpkin pie has now been utilized by food manufacturers in everything from Starbucks' lattes to Oreo cookies. Surprisingly, consumers have not yet tired of the fad, and its popularity continues to rise.

Even cereals have got into the pumpkin spice craze, most notably last year with Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Pumpkin Cereal, one that we rated highly. For 2016 we are likely to see many more options featuring this comfort food sensation.

Earlier this year, reports emerged that General Mills would be introducing Pumpkin Spice Cheerios this fall. I can confirm from the company that this limited edition flavor will start showing up on grocers' shelves in August. They are claiming that it is "made from real pumpkin puree and a delicious blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove" and is "free from artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources."

While this is the only confirmed launch so far, there are strong signs out there that Kellogg and Quaker are getting into the action as well, although neither company responded to my request to confirm this or to provide more information. Online photos from Influenster and CandyHunting show a box of Pumpkin Spice Crunch Special K. Similarly, Influenster and CandyHunting reveal a Pumpkin Spice Life as well. These look legit, but we'll have to wait and see if these actually end up for sale.

UPDATE 8/1/16: Kellogg's officially announced the Special K item today, and also indicated that Frosted Mini-Wheats Pumpkin Cereal is returning this fall as well. They are introducing other fall flavors among various food products, including a Special K Apple Cinnamon Crunch.

Of course, you might not be craving pumpkin spice right now in the middle of summer, but soon enough the weather will cool down and the leaves will fall, and your breakfast bowl will be a place to celebrate!

Misleading the way to sales

As first pointed out on this blog 18 months ago, General Mills is playing some games with consumers when it comes to its relatively new Cheerios Protein cereal. While not really lying, they nonetheless manipulated the serving sizes on the cereal compared to regular Cheerios to make it look like the Protein variety has substantially more protein, when in fact the difference is minor.

Others have noticed as well, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), who recently launched a class action lawsuit against General Mills alleging false marketing. They point out the protein discrepancy, and reveal that Cheerios Protein also has more sugar.

The sad part in all of this is that in an effort to gain market share companies can sometimes resort to trickery to fool consumers (the recent Volkswagen debacle is another great example). General Mills and other cereal companies need to focus on true innovation if they want to increase (or at least hold on to) sales. They can do it, but these kind of shenanigans are not the way to go.

What do consumers want?

As cereal companies struggle to find the product and marketing strategy that will bring success, it often feels like they are throwing Jell-O at the wall to see what sticks: New products, new flavors and varieties, re-designed packaging, niche targeting, etc. Unfortunately, these seldom bring breakthroughs.

At the beginning of this year General Mills thought that non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) ingredients in Cheerios and Grape Nuts would attract consumers who had to choose between many different brands (including generic knock-offs) in the grocery store aisle. Naturally they would pick the non-GMO cereals and see General Mills as a trusted, safe brand. Right? Not so quick.

According to an AP report not long after the change, there is no evidence that sales of General Mills' GMO-free cereals have increased. While it could be argued that it is the right thing to do, and certainly many consumer advocates have praised the decision, the bottom line is that most people simply do not care. A couple of months ago, General Mills' shareholders reinforced this view by casting a vote 98% against a proposal to remove all GMO's from the company's products.

The point is that making a move like this is not the answer to the downturn in cereal sales. Consumers are not easily impressed with all these marketing maneuvers. For the small minority that are committed to eating non-GMO foods Cheerios might now be an option, but the reality is these individuals are likely buying other cereals from a brand with a stronger, more consistent health focus. Perhaps General Mills is already understanding this, as is reflected in their recent purchase of Annie's.

Again, it's innovation that is going to turn around the cereal industry. Hopefully this recent experiment at General Mills will reinforce the fact that grasping at straws rarely works.

General Mills and numbers

Cereal companies continue to look for an edge in today's competitive market. This means finding a way to stand out among the countless varieties of cereals on the grocers shelf. Recently, we've seen some creative innovation among some upstarts, but the big companies sometime appear a little more desperate.

A good example of some puzzling attempts comes from General Mills. Like all the big companies they've been trying to figure out how to have consistent revenue growth from cereal. It hasn't helped that they've recently had some public relations disasters which have not helped their cause. Their latest tactic is go for the nutrition conscious consumers, knowing that many are looking for cereals with more protein and less carbs. So, they recently introduced some protein-rich varieties of certain cereals, most notably Cheerios Protein, in two flavors, Oats & Honey and Cinnamon Almond. There are others as well, including a Fiber One Protein cereal.

It sounds good, except for one thing. In order to achieve this perception of high protein they've been less than forthcoming. They tout the fact that Cheerios Protein contains 11g of protein per serving with milk. That's all fine and dandy, but when you look a little closer at the numbers it's not as impressive as it might appear. First, that number does include milk. Factor that out (because you will probably use milk regardless whatever cereal you eat) and you are left with 7g of protein per serving. Still not shabby, but again somewhat misleading. A careful look at the Nutrition Facts reveals that these calculations are based on a 55g serving. What is interesting to note is that original, regular Cheerios have 3g of protein per serving. Obviously the new Protein variety has much more. Right? Not so quick. Regular Cheerios is based on a 28g serving, half the size. So, if you compare by equal weight measurements the actual difference is far less impressive, probably closer to a 1g margin. Looking at the Fiber One Protein cereal comparison with its original counterpart, the same game is being played.

To be fair, General Mills is truthful, both implicitly and explicitly. Cheerios Protein does have more protein, but the problem is that it's really not that significant. Oat-based cereals are already higher in protein than most cereals, so considering the real advantage of this new product this whole thing appears to be nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Consumers who don't take the time to read the labels or who are not well-versed in nutrition might be left with an impression that is well overstated.

It is shenanigans like this that is turning off many consumers to the mainline cereal brands. If General Mills wants to strengthen their market share a good place to start might be with less hype and a higher degree of honesty and transparency.

Non-GMO Cheerios

General Mills is wasting no time at the beginning of 2014 to continue doing everything it can to stay on the growing edge. The company announced that Cheerios will be made entirely with non-GMO ingredients, particularly their source of corn starch and cane sugar (i.e. there are no GMO oats). The move comes because they "think consumers may embrace it", and they want to do everything they can to stay in the good graces of consumers in this tough market. And, people do care as is evidenced by the debacle Kashi faced a couple of year ago over GMO ingredients.

To be clear, General Mills has not had a conversion experience. They admit they believe genetically modified seeds are safe, and they claim that they are not responding to pressure. It's purely a PR move, and while somewhat disingenuous, it is an important move on their part.

(Source: General Mills blog)

Controversial Cheerios

Cheerios is one of the most loved and venerated brands of cereal. At least until this week.

Cheerios has come out with a new TV commercial, "Just Checking", that is designed to highlight its heart health characteristics. The commercial is cute and even tugs at you heart a little.

There is one catch, however. The family featured in the commercial is biracial, and that has sparked controversy among a small, but vocal, segment of the population. So much so that comments on the YouTube page had to be shut down because of the nasty responses. The video has had over 3 million views there so far, and the number of thumbs-up exceed the thumbs-down by over 20 times. General Mills is standing by the commercial.



It's hard to believe that in 2013 an ad featuring an interracial family generates that type of reaction since it is a prevalent reality in American society. Nevertheless, it is a bold marketing move, and intended or not, Cheerios is getting tons of publicity.

Review: General Mills' Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch

General Mills' Cheerios is one of the most popular cereal brands on the market today, and the company knows it. From the original oat O's they extended the brand to now include 13 varieties, the latest being Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch. What makes this particular formula unique is that of all the current offerings it is the only one to include more than O's. Medley Crunch is a blend of the popular Honey Nut Cheerios, whole grain flakes, and clusters made with almond slices. So, how well does this new Cheerios stack up with the the others?


Most of the variance among Cheerios has been around taste, and they have an impressive array of varieties from which to choose, including chocolate, Dulce de Leche, peanut butter, and cinnamon burst. Medley Crunch seems to have been developed for more than just taste since at this level they are sticking with the tried and true Honey Nut Cheerios base, which have a sweet edge to them. I have never been overly excited about the taste of Honey Nut Cheerios, and adding the flakes and clusters doesn't really improve on it. The cereal is pleasant to the palate, but for me not a standout.

Texture is one area in which I am sure General Mills was trying to accomplish something special. And the idea of adding extra components certainly gives this cereal extra crunch, and gets beyond the limp texture of conventional Cheerios in milk. That said, this cereal is best right out of the box, and in this way makes for strong snack food. But, let it soak in milk and all the fun begins to disappear. The actual O's are still there and eventually degrade into their usual mush. Certainly the flakes and clusters stand up better, but in the end you have nothing more than three distinct cereals floating around your bowl.

 

Medley Crunch was not designed to stand out in any unique way, but provides consumers an alternative within the comfort of a very well-known and trusted cereal brand. And, that's about it. There just isn't much to get excited about here, unless you like the idea of having a cereal mix and don't want to be troubled creating your own.

I have never understood the nutrition hype behind Honey Nut Cheerios, and this Medley doesn't change my opinions. General Mills knows that the oat base behind Cheerios is nutritious and that there is some research which supports the role of the soluble fiber in oats in reducing cholesterol. For that reason they have utilized Honey Nut Cheerios as the vehicle to convey that message. Even the box of the new Medley Crunch has the heart shape with the words "Can Help Lower Cholesterol". So, this must be a health cereal. Right? Not so quick. First of all, the amount of soluble fiber is not that significant (the Nutrition Facts say "less than 1g" per serving). And, the high sugar content of this cereal (almost 30% of total weight) is far too high for this to be considered truly nutritious. Sure, there are no artificial flavors or colors, and it contains the typical fortified vitamins and minerals, but nutrition-wise this cereal is not as significant as the marketing would like you to believe.

As you can see from my comments and ratings above this is a fairly average cereal from my perspective. It's by no means a bad choice, but neither is this going to be a knock-out. I suspect in a year or two it will be replaced with yet another innovative Cheerios variety. As it stands now, this is a cereal lacking a clear identity, one of the hazards when you create a mix. Nevertheless, if you like your Cheerios, and want a slightly different texture for a change it's worth trying.

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!

Cheerios tries weight loss

Is it just that it's January, or does this represent a new focus for Cheerios? General Mills announced a partnership with Fitness Magazine for a cross-promotion with Multi-Grain Cheerios. But, instead of the previous heart-health benefit claims, now the cereal is part of an online weight-loss program. This puts MG Cheerios in more direct competition with Kellogg's Special K, which has a far more comprehensive branding for weight loss.

This all raises several questions. Does this represent a potential shift for Cheerios marketing (even though this is initially just a six-month promotion)? Why is only the Multi-Grain variety touted for weight loss? Will this cause confusion for the other Cheerios' messages, such as lowering cholesterol for the regular variety? And, will people really take this campaign seriously?

Source: MarketingDaily)

New Cheerios varieties coming

It's not only Kellogg gearing up for new cereal launches in 2012. General Mills has announced two new Cheerios varieties coming to grocers shelves, bringing the total number of Cheerios products to 13 (yes, you read that right, 13)! Multi-Grain Cheerios Peanut Butter brings together a strong breakfast combination, and Dulce de Leche Cheerios takes advantage of a popular Latin American flavor obviously with the intent of targeting that market. These are creative offerings, but two questions emerge. One, will they taste good (at least one review so far isn't impressed), and, two, how far can a cereal brand be extended before it loses its core identity? Obviously, General Mills believes that their expanded Cheerios offerings so far have been good moves. Time will tell how these two new cereals perform.

 

Cheerios and cholesterol - Take two

Only just months after the FDA reprimanded General Mills for cholesterol reduction claims with Cheerios, the company has turned up the heat, now claiming that "Cheerios can help reduce cholesterol 10 percent in one month". New boxes are beginning to appear in supermarkets boldly stating the claim, and a special website is devoted to the message.

This all comes as a result of a clinical study released in April by Provident Clinical Research that revealed these results.

There is no word as to whether the FDA will be content with this new health claim.


Technorati Tags: cereal, General+Mills, Cheerios, cholesterol, breakfastbowl

Cheerios and health claims

General Mills has been slapped by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because of health claims that appear on Cheerios boxes. The claim is that you could "lower your cholesterol 4 percent in six weeks", which is too specific for the FDA and treads into drug claim territory.General Mills countered saying that the claim has been on boxes for more than two years and is backed by a strong clinical study.

In a highly competitive environment cereal companies are doing all they can to stand out and gain an edge. In this case General Mills may have gone a little too far.

Sources: Reuters, General Mills

Technorati Tags: cereal, General+Mills, Cheerios, cholesterol, breakfastbowl

Banana Nut Cheerios

General Mills has further extended its leading Cheerios brand with new Banana Nut Cheerios. This brings to eleven the number of Cheerios varieties.

Brand extension is an important way for the big cereal companies to innovate and fight off the trend toward generic cereals. Kellogg has done this well with an ever broadening line of Special K products. And Post has found success in its Honey Bunches of Oats line.

But, Cheerios does it best.

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

More General Mills Halloween

For many years General Mills has been known for its "monster cereals" (i.e. Count Chocula, Boo Berry and Franken Berry). This year, just in time for Halloween, General Mills appears to have made some of their regular cereals a little more ghoulish. Actually the designs are rather cute and should catch people's attention. So far I've seen Trix and Honey Nut Cheerios boxes.

Anyone else seen any others?


Technorati Tags: cereal, Trix, Cheerios, halloween, breakfastbowl

More than O's

How do you build on a successful brand?

Extend it.

Without question General Mills' Cheerios is one of the most successful cereal brands, and the company has recognized this. From the original toasted O's recipe, the brand now encompasses ten different varieties.

The latest is Oat Cluster Cheerios Crunch, a combination of multi-grain O's and oat clusters. Crunchie clusters are popular right now (e.g. Post's Honey Bunches of Oats) so General Mills is picking up on an important trend.

I'm not into reporting on every new cereal that crops up. Many are far from exciting or being noteworthy. What captures my attention with this new variety is the way that these new extensions may be gradually straying from the original concept. Perhaps it is good marketing strategy in the short-term, but over the long-term if General Mills continues to extend Cheerios even further the brand could easily become diluted and meaningless.

How far can they go?

Technorati Tags: cereal, General+Mills, Cheerios, marketing, breakfastbowl

Cheerios beyond the bowl

Have you noticed how almost all cereal boxes on the front feature a picture of bowl with its cereal? Sure, the box contains what's depicted, but is it always necessary?

General Mills has introduced a new design for its flagship Cheerios line, and there's no bowl! Instead are an attractive assortment of O's, strongly reinforcing an already strong brand. It's a sharp look that will make Cheerios stand out on the grocer's shelf.

It's time for some other cereals to sport a new look!

Technorati Tags: cereal, Cheerios, 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