It’s no secret that cereal companies have been struggling in recent years. With the rise of health-consciousness and the popularity of breakfast foods like oatmeal and yogurt, cereal sales have been in decline. In an effort to boost sales, cereal companies have been turning to some creative marketing strategies – and it seems to be working.
Cereal companies have always been masters of marketing, but in recent years they’ve had to get even more creative to keep sales up. One popular strategy is to target kids – and not just with sugary cereals, but with healthy ones too. General Mills recently launched a new line of Cheerios targeted specifically at kids, with fun shapes and characters on the box. And it’s working – sales of Cheerios are up 6% since the new packaging launched.
But cereal companies are also targeting adults, with some success. Kellogg’s has been running a series of ads featuring well-known actors and actresses eating cereal for breakfast. The ads are designed to appeal to busy adults who don’t have time for a sit-down breakfast, but still want something delicious and nutritious. And it seems to be working – Kellogg’s recently reported that its adult cereal business is growing faster than its kid’s business.
Finally, cereal companies are also using social media to reach consumers. General Mills has had success with its #CheeriosChallenge campaign, which encourages people to post photos of themselves eating Cheerios in creative ways (like balancing them on their nose). The campaign has generated a lot of buzz on social media, and has helped boost sales of Cheerios.
It’s clear that cereal companies are facing challenges, but they’re fighting back with some creative marketing strategies. So far, it seems to be working – let’s see how long they can keep it up.
