Morning Hot Reads: Riding the Wave

AD AGE speaks to Kellanova CMO Julie Bowerman about "the Pop-Tarts mascot and what's next following viral bowl game." Kellanova marketers were "pretty confident" that its Pop-Tarts Bowl game activation would do well, but "even they could not predict that it would become the biggest earned campaign in the brand’s history." The marketing stunt "set a new standard for bowl game marketing," while "drawing the brand widespread attention on social media that it is still enjoying almost a week after the Dec. 28 game." Kellanova execs "did not comment on the strategy" in the days following the game, but Bowerman discussed "how the brand rode the wave of virality for its first sponsored bowl game."

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• Pop-Tarts Bowl showed bowl games can still be fun.
• Maize and blue merchandise is red hot ahead of Wolverines' title tilt.
• What would it take to make a world juniors for women happen?
• Ten years after taking the world by storm, Mo’ne Davis wants to bring pro women’s sports to her hometown.