Branding

   Whenever I think of Branding, I often think of mascots. Since I was the mascot in high school, I may have a bit of a bias. However, when thinking of mascots in branding, I think of cereal companies. So, what are some cereal companies that come to my mind? What are their mascots? What is their marketing strategy? 

The first one that I think of is; Cheerios. Cheerios was introduced to the world on May 1st, 1941. However, at the time, it was labeled as CheeriOats, and then 4 years later, the name was shortened to CheeriOats. Cheerios was invented by Lester Borchardt and others at General Mills. Their marketing strategy is implemented quite easily. By seeing the iconic "O" shape, you admittedly recognize it quite easily. The other variety of Cheerios that they have is the heart-shaped pieces. This is especially quite popular during the Valentine's season. Their main branding strategy comes from the health benefits which states that due to their whole-grain make-up, it can promote good heart health. 

In 2023, we see a marketing campaign during American Heart Month in February, we see 2 best friends brought together from their original "Office" show. These friends are; Leslie David Baker and Phyllis Smith who played the very well-known characters; 

During this campaign, both of these actors spoke about their why with the relationships that matter the most to keep their hearts healthy. Leslie David Baker stated that; “I’ve loved Cheerios since I was a kid, and now I realize that Cheerios not only tastes good but it’s good for me. It’s one part of my heart health commitment for my family, friends, and fans.”

Honey Nut Cheerios was introduced in 1979, along with their bee mascot; Buzz. A 5th-grader named
Kristine Tong in Coolidge Texas won a national context when she named the bee; BuzzBee, which was then shortened to Buzz. Throughout time, many people have voiced Buzz. Originally, it was Arnold Stang in 1992, then Oliver Wyman, Jason Marsden, Billy West, Charlie Schlatter, and now Sam Heyn. 

Since 1999, Buzz has been a part of the Annual Macy's Day Parade. In this year, he was the only non-dog balloon. The balloon measured 37.2 feet tall. The main issue that they had faced was that the parade board didn't think that "he had enough of a personality to be recognizable." Once the character was more developed, they were able to enter into the esteemed parade. 

Not only is their marketing strategy targeted to people wanted to focus on their health, but they also have a baby-focused marketing campaign strategy. A product that makes me believe that Cheerios targets babies, is this cup; 

This specific cup can be bought for 14 dollars on the Bella Tunno website. However, there are multiple variations of this, where it shows primarily cheerios in the cup being dispersed to babies. 

In 1956, Bob Richards won a second gold medal at the Olympics for pole vaulting. After this amazing feat, he was the first ever to appear on the front of the box 2 years later on this cereal. Before that, the athletes were only shown on the back. This then spun their marketing strategy into a completely different domain, creating what is known as the "Breakfast of Champions" Wheaties' main marketing technique is through celebrity athlete endorsements. When entering their website, you are immediately ambushed by a story about 2 brothers who played with their other brother Derek in the same football game. September 27th, 2020 was the first time 3 brothers ever played the same game in the history of the NFL. We learn about their foundation, as well as their family history. Similar to Honey Nut Cheerios, we see that Wheaties was also produced by General Mills. Although this company doesn't have the stereotypical animal mascot, we normally see, their main pinpoint are the people behind the packaging, the consumers who truly work hard for their sport. 

Wheaties began in 1924 and is made up of wheat and bran flakes. It is also quite well known for its packaging. Their box is bright orange with a large logo as well as specific athletes. Out of the athletes, the one that has been featured the most on their box is; Michael Jordan, who has been on the cover a total of 18 times. In total, the Wheaties cereal brand has an 85-year history of having multiple athletes on each box. 

Most of their marketing strategy, not only comes from the athletes being featured on the box but also through the history behind the orange box. 

Featuring the little cereal monsters with enormous tongues and eyes comes the 3rd and last cereal that will be mentioned being; Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Cinnamon Toast Crunch was created in 1984. It is made up of many little squares of wheat and rice covered in cinnamon sweetness. When placed in milk, it creates a cinnamon milk mixture that people can enjoy after eating the cereal pieces. 

Cinnamon Toast Cereal is unique in the form of the many pieces of merchandise that it sells sporting the Cinnamon Toast brand. Some examples of this would be their Cinnamon Toast Crunch Creamy Cinnamon Spread, the Cinnamon Toast Crunch CinnaDust, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dessert Taco Shells, and the Cinnamon Toast Crunch icing. 

Some of their most unique products include some collaborations, such as; the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Crocs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles, and Cinnamon Toast Crunched Stuffed Puffs marshmallows. 

Due to all of these cereals being made by General Mills, I wanted to talk about their overall marketing strategy. Their strategy consists of lots of mobile media use. In an interview, Dan Stangler, who was the marketing manager for Wheaties, mentioned, "We understand our target consumer is actively involved in mobile Media around the clock." They use their website, online presence through social media, and SMS messaging to connect to the public and generate buzz better. 

Their strategy is mainly through building remarkable, memorable brands.