Cereal Wednesday: Wheaties Cereal

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It was in 1924 that the Washburn Crosby Company (the predecessor to General Mills) released their Washburn’s Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes in an orange box onto an unsuspecting public. The cereal was shortened to Wheaties after the suggestion from a wife of a company executive who won a contest in naming the new cereal to something pronounceable. At 83 years old, Wheaties definitely tastes its age. Unfortunately, unlike wine, as cereal gets older it doesn’t get better. The cereal is bland with a strong wheat aftertaste and it has a very high sogability factor.

The association of Wheaties with sports began in 1933 in south Minneapolis, where a sign board created by Knox Reeves declared it as “The Breakfast of Champions“. This sign being read on every radio broadcast of the minor league Minneapolis Millers, sponsored by Wheaties, initiated one of the most famous advertising campaigns to utilize testimonials. Some athletes who have been associated with the Wheaties brand include Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle. Lou Gehrig was the first real athelete to appear on the orange box in 1934, after a fictional character Jack Armstrong began the trend.

While the success of the sponsored broadcasts and athlete testimonials kept sales steady, the costs of doing such advertising rose. This forced Wheaties to eventually abandon the sponsored broadcasts and rely on the testimonials of athletes, managers, coaches, and even circus performers. However, the testimonials seemed to lose their appeal in the era of television.

In the mid-1950’s Wheaties made a crucial marketing decision… they abandoned sports and went after the children’s cereal market. They became associated with childhood targeted programming such as The Mickey Mouse Club. While their share of the child market grew, it was not enough to counter the loss of adult business.

In 1958 Wheaties returned to its sports oriented origins with a twist. They were no longer just associating themselves with sports… but becoming associated with physical fitness. By sponsoring pre and post game shows, founding the Wheaties Sports Federation, and hiring on two-time Olympic Pole Vault champion and fitness advocate Bob Richards, the focus had changed to promoting overall physical fitness instead of specific sports.

Wheaties continues to use superstar athletes as specific spokespeople for not only their product but their message of the need for good nutrition and physical fitness. While their cereal is pretty horrible taste wise, they get kudos for sending a positive message of fitness and nutritional health.

A totally true note of trivia regarding Wheaties… in 1937 a Wheaties Sportscaster from Des Moines, Iowa was voted as the Most Popular Wheaties Sportscaster. As an award, he was given a free trip to the Cubs spring training camp in California. While there, he took a screen test at Warner Bros Studio which eventually led him to become a film star. Later, he entered politics and became the 40th person to lead the nation. His name was Ronald “Dutch” Reagan.

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For more information you can visit the Official Wheaties website.

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