It seemed like a better headline than the obvious, “Breakfast of Champions,” I guess, when discussing the new HefeWHEATIES beer. Is this an appropriate brand extension? I mean, just because General Mills (makers of Wheaties wheat cereal) and Fulton (a craft brewery that makes different types of beer, such as Hefeweizen wheat beer) are both located Minneapolis, does that make Wheaties Beer a good idea?
I have no idea. But since Wheaties is supposed to be a “healthier” breakfast option, aligning with alcohol is an odd choice. I get the whole “we gluten brands need to stick together” thought process, but it still doesn’t “stick” with me, sorry. For some reason, it makes me think of pouring the beer into my cereal bowl in lieu of milk. Or of chunks of cereal in my beer. Either way, ew.
In fact, I can’t think of a single time I’ve ever heard someone say, “You know what I wish existed? A beer made from my breakfast cereal.” What’s next? Lucky Charms Lager? This is perilously close to marketing alcohol to children.
I get that the beereal joint venture is innovative, and I also get that the public doesn’t always know what they want until it exists. But sometimes things don’t exist because they are bad ideas.
I doubt I’ll be hearing anyone say, “Give me a can of HefeWHEATIES” any time soon. Although stranger things have happened…
~ Denise Blasevick, @AdvertGirl & CEO, The S3 Agency
