Three Cheerios for effective cause promotion

General Mills generosity

A leading food company, General Mills has currently has 100+ brands in over 100 countries (Cheerios Can Help Reduce Cholesterol 10 Percent in One Month, 2009). General Mills has long been to giving back to the community in which they operate through charitable corporate contributions. One of the organization’s many effective cause-related promotions is Yoplait’s ‘Save Lids to Save Lives’ initiative for breast cancer. The organization recently committed to donating 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for each lid received and each code entered by the end of June (Save Lids to Save Lives, 2012). This type of philanthropy, which is tied to the purchase of a General Mills product, has done wonders to both align the organization with an important cause and increase General Mills product sales. However, it is their classic brand of whole wheat cereal that has been exceptionally successful at promoting a specific cause simply through strategic, persuasive advertising and public relations tactics. 

 

Whole grain goodness

Cheerios has been around since the 1950’s and has become synonymous with helping to lower cholesterol because of the soluble fiber contained in the whole grain ‘O’ shaped cereal. As we’ve learned, corporate cause promotion is the practice of raising awareness about a social cause in an attempt to leverage support. Cheerios is all about preventative health care and its link to heart health in particular has helped increase consumer awareness and support of this growing brand.

Communicating heart health

The cereal box says it all. Cheerios boxes display the American Heart Association’s certification, marked by a “heart healthy” check, which means that the cereal meets their criteria for cholesterol and saturated fat content. Additionally, Cheerios boxes display the heart-shaped bowl of cereal with some sort variation of a statement about how the whole grain oats help to lower cholesterol,which further helps to raise awareness about the cause. 

Through blatant advertising, Cheerios promotes its heart healthy attributes in many of its television commercials, such as this one of an older couple discussing how the cereal lowers cholesterol:

Although Cheerios is not officially an ongoing partner of the American Heart Association, their involvement with its charitable events throughout the years has created a constant implied tie that has become ingrained in the minds of its consumers. For example, Cheerios is one of the national supporters for the American Heart Association’s My Heart. My Life. healthy living initiative. There is a code found on specially marked boxes of Cheerios, and for each code entered, the cereal brand will donate one dollar to the Association from now until January, 2014 (Cheerios supports the American Heart Assocation, 2013).

 

When you land on the corporate website, you can’t help but be bombarded with cholesterol-related information, tips on how to live a healthy lifestyle and detailed information on how their line of cereal helps promote a healthy heart (Cheerios, 2013). Not only that, but the website targets toddlers and how Cheerios is both a healthy and “easy to grasp” finger food while they are developing feeding skills.

A common tactic for any cause marketing campaign is to publish research conducted on the issue and present motivating facts (COMM 4849 Fund Development and Corporate Philanthropy, 2013). A 2008 independent study is published on their website of Canadian pediatricians showed that 4 out of 5 pediatricians recommend Cheerios for their infant or toddler (A nutritious cereal for all ages, Cheerios* cereal is good for adults too, 2010), which further emphasizes the product’s heart healthy ingredients. Again, promoting heart health from an early age; a preventative measure. Further capitalizing on effective public relations tactics, Cheerios promoted the results of a research study via a press release with strategic quotes, such as, “Now when people enjoy the No. 1 cereal in America they can feel confident they are taking a positive step towards getting healthier by helping to lower their cholesterol”(Bloomberg, para. 5).

Cheerios Fuels Success

Many consumers associate this popular breakfast cereal, which tastes somewhat like cardboard in my opinion, to a healthy heart and it is commonly viewed as a healthy way to start your day. Cheerios has done such a successful job at aligning its brand with heart health and low cholesterol that the General Mills franchise has expanded to include 13 different varieties of Cheerios and is still growing. The brand capitalizes on effective public relations tactics by conducting research studies and disseminating press releases of the results. Cause support through advertising, such as the American Heart Association’s My Heart. My Life. healthy living initiative, helps to persuade people to donate money to the cause and eat heart healthy food. In addition, strategic advertising and messaging on Cheerios boxes, its corporate website and through commercials have helped to effectively promote its cause; low cholesterol and healthy hearts.

 

It is evident that Cheerios’s alignment with heart health has made it an increasingly profitable brand for General Mills and has also raised awareness for the cause. The cereal market is saturated and becoming associated with a worthy, health-conscious cause has provided Cheerios with a competitive advantage. Ideally, Cheerios will help to change negative, unhealthy behaviours into positive behaviours through its marketing initiatives by encouraging people to eat low cholesterol foods and become active. This change in behaviour will only further benefit Cheerios because more people will be inclined to purchase Cheerios due to its well-known tie to heart health as well as its support of the American Heart Association.

This cause has been adopted seamlessly into all of Cheerio’s promotional campaigns and charitable initiatives, which makes it hard for other cereal brands to attempt to replicate it. It has not created a financial burden for the brand, nor has it required additional time and resources - it has simply become part of its ongoing branding. All things considered, the benefits of continuing to align Cheerios with low cholesterol and heart health-related causes outweigh any potential hindrances.