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Cheerios: Creative Brief An Overview Of The Cheerios Brand Jessica Lebel and Jackson Vickery
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Table of Contents Front Cover: 1 Table of Contents: 2 Client: 3 Target Audience: 4 Features and Benefits: 5-‐6 Current Brand Image: 7-‐8 Desired Brand Image: 9 Direct Competitors: 10-‐11 Indirect Competitors: 12 Advertising Goal: 13 Strategic Message: 13 References: 14
(Cheerios, n.d.).
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Client General Mills, one of the top cereal makers in the world, is known for cereals like Cheerios, Chex, Lucky Charms, and Wheaties. While Cheerios is one of its top sellers, General Mills strives to differentiate its company by creating new products and merging with new companies (“General Mills, Inc,” n.d.). In 1856, Cadwallader C. Washburn formed the Minneapolis Milling Company, which was started to help lease power rights to mill operators. It wasn’t until 1866 that Washburn opened up his first flourmill. From then on, Washburn built his company, Washburn Crosby Company, which eventually became one of the best flour companies in the world. Later, the company evolved into what is known as General Mills (General Mills, n.d.).
In 1941, Lester Borchardt, a General Mills executive, invented the original Cheerios. Although the first name for Cheerios was Cheerioats, the brand has since stayed true to its promise of healthy and wholesome oats that customers still enjoy today (Cheerios, n.d.). Today, General Mills is one of the world’s largest food companies. In May of 2014, the company accounted for $17.9 billion in sales in fiscal year 2014. This is largely due to the success of their products like Big G cereals, Hamburger Helper, Pillsbury, Yoplait, and Betty Crocker. The company continues to merge and find new businesses to invest in, like Annie’s and Parampa. General Mills has offices and manufacturing facilities in over thirty countries, including Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia (“General Mills, Inc,” n.d.).
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Target Audience The target audience for Cheerios is men and women aged 18-‐34 with families. The people who want Cheerios are looking for a food that is affordable, quick to prepare, and a healthy alternative to other items in the “quick meal” category (“Hot and Cold Cereals – US – August 2014,” 2014, August)
Research has shown that 94 percent of adults in the United States eat cereal, whether it is hot or cold. In a recent study, 42 percent of adults in the United States are eating more cereal than the year before (“Hot and Cold Cereals – US – August 2014,” 2014, August). With most young families not consuming expensive breakfasts everyday, cereal is a great go-‐to because it can be found at almost every grocery store in different price ranges. Also, with young families being on the go, cereal is a great go-‐to because it is quick to prepare and can be taken along. Lastly, while most young families struggle to find a healthy snack that can be eaten at any time of the day, cereal is a great alternative to other snacks in the grocery store. It was shown that 87 percent of the consumers that eat cereal agree that cereal can be eaten at any time of the day (“Hot and Cold Cereals – US – August 2014,” 2014, August).
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Key Features and Benefits
Product Feature Product Benefit
Heart Health Rich in the beta-‐glucan fiber that helps
remove cholesterol (Cheerios, n.d.)
Kid Friendly Dissolves easily in mouth, easy to grab
and swallow, low on sugar (1 gram)
(Cheerios, n.d.)
Vitamin Rich 11 vitamins and minerals, whole grain
oats (Cheerios, n.d.)
Variety There are 15 flavors of Cheerios
(Cheerios, n.d.)
Sustainable Boxes are made of recycled paper, and
cheerios facilities have reduced
energy(12%) and water use(31%) by
2006 (Cheerios, n.d.)
Owned by General Mills Huge company with credibility that has
made Cheerios for 70 years (General Mills,
n.d.)
Affordable Offer coupons on their website. $3.69 at
Walmart (Walmart, n.d.)
Quick to eat Quick to take to-‐go without milk as a
snack
Easy to purchase Found at almost all local grocery stores
Community Service Takes part in promoting education and
reading (Cheerios, n.d.)
Versatile They offer recipes to make with Cheerios
online (Cheerios, n.d.)
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Kid friendly
Cheerios“Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal”
Affordable
Heart healthy
Vitamn rich
Wide variety
Quick to eat
Easy to find
Established brand
Versatile product
(Cheerios.com, n.d.)
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Current Brand Image The current band image of Cheerios is a heart healthy family friendly product. On Cheerios.com, the first thing you see is the company introducing the “Family Breakfast Project” which implies it is important to eat breakfast as a family (Cheerios, n.d.). Below is a picture from a scene in the “Family Breakfast Project” video (Cheerios, n.d.).
(Cheerios, n.d.).
The video’s message is about how cheerios teamed up with a team from the “Family Dinner Project” to create the “Family Breakfast Project.” The actors said that eating breakfast together as a family sparks good conversation and brings you closer together (Cheerios, n.d.). Cheerios.com also has a web page titled “Why is Cheerios a Great First Finger Food?” appealing to mothers to buy Cheerios for their young children (Cheerios, n.d.). Cheerios has been branded with a character named “Buzz the Bee” who is a playful insect that embodies the Cheerios brand (Cheerios, n.d.). The subject of the cheerios latest 5 commercials is based around heart health (Cheerios, n.d.). One commercial is a kid telling adults that Cheerios helps lower cholesterol (Cheerios, n.d.). Cheerios.com has a heart healthy quiz to encourage people to learn more about how to help your heart stay in good condition (Cheerios, n.d.). Also, the front of the original Cheerios box has a cereal bowl shaped like a heart (General Mills, n.d.). This draws your attention to the fact that they are good for your heart.
(Cheerios, n.d.).
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On viewpoints.com reviews Cheerios received 94 percent out of 100 percent indicating that the 90 reviewers of the product really like it. One reviewer said that she feels comfortable giving Cheerios to her one year old niece when she comes over and wants a snack because it does not contain a lot of sugar. Other reviews said that they like Cheerios because of their nutritional value (“General Mills Cheerios Cereal Reviews,” n.d).
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Desired Brand Image
Cheerios is the healthy and affordable option for families who are looking for a go-‐to meal, whether it is eaten for breakfast or a snack. Cheerios also comes in a variety of different flavors like Honey Nut, Multi Grain, Apple Cinnamon, and Chocolate (Cheerios, n.d.). This provides every member in the family the option to choose which type of cereal they want. While Cheerios is known as cereal for being a healthy alternative and coming in a wide variety, it is also important that the Cheerios brand maintains a relationship with the family. As the children in the family continue to grow up, it is important to remember Cheerios as they continue on in their life (Cheerios, n.d.).
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Direct Competitors The top three direct competitors of Cheerios are Kellogg’s, Post Foods, and Quaker Oats (“General Mills, Inc,” n.d.). The brand image of Kellogg’s is focused on nutrition. The first thing on the Kellogg’s website is a page titled “Nutritious at its most Delicious,” which talks about the protein and grains in their cereal (Kellogg’s, n.d.). Kellogg’s points out that breakfast is an important meal that should help you get through the day. Kellogg’s has 23 different kinds of cereal putting them ahead of Cheerios in amount of variety offered (Kellogg’s, n.d.).
The image that Post Foods portrays is history and location. On this website, the company talks about how they are “North American Grown” and “True to our roots” by developing breakfast products for over a century (Post Foods, n.d.). Post Foods has 14 different cereals they have created (Post Foods, n.d.).
(Post Foods, n.d.)
Quaker Oats focuses on energy as their main image. They have a commercial from February of 2014 that says “It’s how we get go-‐getters like you going and getting,” (Quaker Oats, n.d.). This company is all about how Quaker Oats will fuel you for the day if you eat it for breakfast. Another image that Quaker Oats portrays is their wide variety in breakfast products. Their website has a slide show at the top and one of the slides says “Enjoy a delicious combination of fruits and nuts at home or on the go with Real Medleys
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Bars, Cereal, and Oatmeal. Quaker Oats only has 10 different kinds of cold cereal but their main product is hot cereal (oatmeal) where they have 15 different options (Quaker Oats, n.d.).
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Indirect Competition
Indirect competition for Cheerios includes Pop Tarts and Eggos. While these two items are also focused on the same demographic and are easy to prepare, they are an unhealthy alternative compared to Cheerios. Cheerios prides itself on being the cereal that’s healthy and full of wholesome oats, while these other two items are filled with artificial ingredients and preservatives (Pop Tarts and Eggo, n.d.).
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Advertising Goal Cheerios sets out to provide a product that is affordable, quick to prepare, and a healthy alternative to other breakfast items in their respective market (“Hot and Cold Cereals – US – August 2014,” 2014, August).
Strategic Message Cheerios is a well-‐known brand that focuses on the importance healthy eating and family values. (Cheerios, n.d.)
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References Cheerios. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cheerios.com Eggos. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.leggomyeggo.com General Mills (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.generalmills.com General Mills, Inc. (n.d.). Hoovers. Retrieved from http://subscriber.hoovers.com.www2.lib.ku.edu/H/company360/overview.html?companyId=10639000000000 General Mills Cheerios Cereal Reviews. (n.d). Retrieved from http://viewpoints.com Hot and Cold Cereals – US – August 2014. (August 2014). Mintel. Retrieved from http://academic.mintel.com.www2.lib.ku.edu/display/680566/ Kellogs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.m.kelloggs.com/en_US/home.html Pop Tarts. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.poptarts.com Post Foods. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.postfoods.com/ Quaker Oats. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.quakeroats.com/home.aspx Walmart. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://walmart.com