General Mills spokesperson Gregory Zimprich said that
Wheaties "does not anticipate a large marketing campaign"
around the cereal featuring U.S. women's soccer players Mia
Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Briana Scurry, Michelle Akers and
Kristine Lilly appearing individually, according to Anu
Manchikanti of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Zimprich also
said that "previous reports that said Wheaties would snub"
the team were "false" and that the boxes "weren't in stores
earlier because it took some time" to sign deals with the
five players and to design the packaging (Minneapolis STAR-
TRIBUNE, 8/12). USA TODAY's Melanie Wells reports that
General Mills either signed the five players "when it
couldn't agree on terms" with the USSF to feature the entire
U.S. women's team or "because Quaker [Oats] got to the group
first." Quaker's product featuring the team has been "in
development for two months." Zimprich said that Wheaties
"always intended to honor these athletes. It was really a
matter of how, not if." The five players will "not appear
in their official uniforms because" General Mills is not a
USSF sponsor. Todd Magazine, VP/Marketing for Quaker's
cereal division, says that he "doesn't see Wheaties as a
competitor." Magazine: "We're focusing on younger
consumers. Initially, young girls" (USA TODAY, 8/12).
THE WWC BOUNCE: The U.S. WWC soccer team "netted more
coverage" in AD AGE's "SPINdex sample of influential media
outlets than any other marketing-driven story" during the
past month. The story of Chastain revealing a Nike sports
bra finished second in the "SPINdex" sample, and AD AGE
writes, "Regardless of [Chastain's] gesture's spontaneity,
... the story was brilliantly spun" (AD AGE, 8/9 issue).
