Cereal news: Good and bad

First, the bad: The current Post Honey Bunches of Oats campaign. It's hard to drive somewhere in Atlanta these days without seeing one of the horrendous bus shelter ads for Post. I pass three during my 10 minute drive to school. Why blanketing a city with a single boring, uncreative ad would get people to buy cereal is beyond me. From a copywriting perspective, "What are you waiting for?" is one of the least compelling headlines possible. Post is also running equally horrible TV spots, showing Post "employees" getting people on the street to sample the product. Ugh.



Post website

At the opposite end of the marketing spectrum is Target's Archer Farms brand cereals. The Archer Farms line already sported some of the best design and most creative flavor profiles of any store-branded foods I've seen. Publix design comes close, but their products are much more basic and conservative. This week Target quietly reintroduced its cereals in all-new packaging: slim, rounded boxes with resealable lids rather than plastic bags, and made from 50% post-consumer content. Ironically, I'd come up with a design for a cereal box several months ago that did away with the bag and had a spout for pouring, similar to a milk carton. Target's accomplishes the same thing, but with more pieces. It's about time companies realized cereal doesn't always have to be packaged in cardboard boxes with plastic bags (which are often frustratingly difficult to open).

Target is also earning some eco-friendly cred with its offer in this week's Newsweek. Readers who create an envelope out of Target's inside front cover ad and stuff it with old Target bags get a free "Retote," made from old Target shopping bags. I like the idea, but I'm not sure a) people will take the time to construct the envelope and b) the envelope could physically hold old bags.



Archer Farms site