Seasonal holiday promotions begin in summer, way ahead of fall. “Pumpkin Spice” is everywhere, and Christmas displays are popping up already. All of these products are competing for buyers’ attention, and one of them certainly captured mine. While I was shopping at Target, I saw new boxes of Halloween cereal that stopped me.
A separate display in the main isle had limited-edition Kellogg’s and other brand cereals, each featuring different cartoon characters. My favorite was “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”— family-size, vanilla-flavored cereal with naturally and artificially flavored orange marshmallows.
Box design
The front of the Kellogg’s box was wonderful! It featured Charlie Brown, Linus, and Snoopy in a pumpkin patch, which brought back memories of the timeless Halloween classic animated feature. The back side of the box had another fun illustration with a word puzzle game. The challenge was to unscramble the names of the characters to reveal who was under each costume.
Promotion and tie-in
On the front, at the top, was a burst for a 1-month Apple TV trial. Promotion details on the back instructed: “Stream the Peanuts Classics and get a 1-month trial of Apple TV when you buy It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown cereal and follow the steps below.” Hmmm… streaming and eating cereal—sounds good to me.
Other flavors
I decided to take photos of all these cereals. They were transformed for Halloween—fun and creative. The illustrations were adorable: Apple Jacks (spooky apple); Rice Crispies (vampire Snap, Crackle, & Pop); Cap’N Crunch’s Halloween Crunch (vampire); and Halloween Fruity Pebbles (a witch and a vampire).
I loved this promotion
Halloween is big business. Catching consumers’ attention in a crowded field of competitors is what separates clever, imaginative marketing from the ordinary. This was a great promotion. I can’t wait to see if Kellogg’s can top it next year.
Good grief! What will they think of next?
Happy Halloween!
