Kellogg promotes breakfast cereal with milk carton ads

Kellogg’s Hot Krumbly breakfast cereal, which is being promoted as the first cereal that can be eaten with hot milk without it going soggy, launches next Monday with a high-spend above-the-line campaign.

The product will be advertised on 4 million milk cartons to be distributed nationally through four major grocery multiples.

Max Law, who runs the milk carton advertising division of direct marketing agency Willox Holmes & Law, which is co-ordinating the promotion, claims the medium enjoys 33.6 impacts per carton. He estimates the Hot Krumbly cartons will be in circulation for between two to four weeks after the product’s launch.

Kellogg was one of the first companies to exploit the connection between breakfast cereal and milk for advertising purposes by putting logos on milk bottles. These remained in circulation for as long as bottles were re-used but lost their impact by becoming “like wallpaper”, according to Law.

Since then, the company has been one of the principal users of milk cartons for tactical promotions. Until now, these have tended to be limited trade promotions involving single retailers.

Kraft Jacobs Suchard was one of the first food manufacturers to consider wider use of the medium, and has run voucher promotions for Bird’s milk-based desserts on milk cartons. Marmite distributor CPC has also used the medium.