Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant - always yours

THE FOOD INDUSTRY ADAPTS 143
less relevant. A key to its strategy was the flexibility provided by
having multiple brands and products and the capability represented
by a creative kitchen.
General Mills has a heritage and culture that are oriented
toward healthier products and health appeals. The Cheerios
brand, fi rst introduced in 1941 as Cheeri Oats, was the fi rst
oat - based, ready - to - eat cold cereal and has a history of health
claims. In the early days General Mills stressed the whole oats
ingredient in Cheerios. More recently, it promoted its studies
that show that eating Cheerios regularly will reduce cholesterol.
And multigrain Cheerios, introduced in 1992, is vitamin
fortifi ed and contains fi ber. The Cheerios franchise is, with four
entries, by far the leading cereal brand, with some 12 percent
market share. It ’ s perceived healthy benefi ts undoubtedly have
made it relevant to at least some who are sensitive to healthy
foods. However, some have observed that the sodium content
of Cheerios is high (as is the case in other cereal products), and
some challenge the cholesterol claims. Nothing is simple.
There were a series of brands introduced by General Mills
that had healthy eating as their basis and provided platforms for
health - oriented offerings. Their stories all have a learning message
for fi rms responding to market trends.
In 1975 General Mills introduced Nature Valley Natural
Crunch Oats and Honey Granola Bar, a product with real
honey and brown sugar combined with rolled oats for a natural
nutritious snack that is high in fi ber and protein and low in
saturated fat. Since then Nature Valley has expanded the line
to include Trail Mix, Yogurt, Sweet & Salty Nut, and Roasted
Nut Crunch Granola Bars plus Granola Nut Clusters, and has
solidifi ed the brand ’ s natural associations with a thirty - year link
to the American Hiking Society. For some people, its level of
differentiation may be such that Nature Valley products represent
a subcategory.
In 1985 General Mills introduced Fiber One cereal into
the high - fi ber arena. Its name refl ected the fact that Fiber One