Second Variety Of Wheaties Part Of Attempt To Strengthen Brand
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Garnett (l), Manning (c), Pujols (r) Part
Of Consulting Team For Wheaties Fuel |
General Mills today announced that it will introduce a second brand of Wheaties on September 9 (Wheaties). In N.Y., Andrew Adam Newman reports the cereal, called Wheaties Fuel, is part of a "multimillion-dollar effort to put more muscle in the Wheaties brand." General Mills "used a panel of only male athletes" -- including Colts QB Peyton Manning, Celtics F Kevin Garnett and Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols -- to "consult on both the nutritional profile and flavor" of the brand. From that, the company "produced three prototypes of Wheaties Fuel," and samples are "going out to about 1,000 'everyday athletes,' primarily Men's Health readers who volunteered online." Those readers by popular vote will "choose the winner," with the final formula announced via a "video that will be uploaded" September 9 to Wheaties' Web site. Newman notes Wheaties Fuel "for a few months ... will be available only online, and will be in supermarkets in January." Men's Health will "help the cereal maker to get samples to its demographic by handing them out at running and bike races." Wheaties also will "advertise in Men's Health for the first time in the September issue," while in a series of Web videos via Saatchi & Saatchi, the panel is interviewed "at breakfast tables and in gyms." Newman cites Information Resources data as indicating in the 52 weeks ending June 14, Wheaties sold 10.1 million boxes, a 14% drop from the previous year (N.Y. TIMES, 7/23).
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