Honey Nut Cheerios: Bring Back The Bees

Honey Nut Cheerios (HNC), a cereal brand, increased sales by launching a CSR campaign that removed its bee mascot from its packaging as a way to alert Canadian consumers to the declining bee population.

Advertiser: General MillsBrand: Honey Nut CheeriosAgency: Cossette Inc.Country: Canada

Objectives

Honey Nut Cheerios (HNC) was introduced in 1979 by the General Mills cereal company, most notable for its sweet honey flavour and recognized by its mascot "Buzz", the anthropomorphic bee.

HNC is the largest single cereal brand with the largest household penetration in Canada at 29.3%. By comparison, the next biggest brands Kelloggs' are Mini-Wheats at 21.3% and Special K at 18.6%.1

But a brand leader can have challenges:

  1. People's attitudes toward breakfast have changed due to a number of factors. For...

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