Kellogg Gasses Up for Nascar Deal; Subs Tony the Tiger, Adds TV - Brief Article

Brandweek, Jan 29, 2001 by Sonia Reyes

In its highest-profile effort yet to trumpet its five years-plus Nascar sponsorship, Kellogg is upgrading its race mascot to the venerable Tony the Tiger and is backing the effort with TV, print and on-pack efforts.

Tony of Frosted Flakes fame, replaces Cornelius, the second-tier Corn Flakes rooster icon at trackside and will grace the hood of the No. 5 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, driven by Terry Labonte, a longtime Kellogg partner, for the February-November racing season. Tony's signature orange and black stripes will splash vertically on the car.

In turn, Labonte will appear in a humorous TV spot, via Leo Burnett, Chicago, breaking Feb. 18 on the Fox network. Creative plays off Labonte's penchant for perfectionism. As his crew preps the Monte Carlo, he says to them, "It needs to be more blue," like the Frosted Flakes box. Labonte then mentions Nascar's involvement with Kellogg, which finally gets Tony's approval as he roars his signature, "They're grrr-eat!"

The effort also includes a "Kellogg Racing Mini-car" promotion on Frosted Flakes offering miniature versions of the Monte Carlo on-pack in March and April with the purchase of two cereals.

In-store includes Monte Carlo show car visits to retailers nationwide that feature racing simulators and appearances by Tony and other icons Cornelius and the Rice Crispies' trio of Snap, Crackle & Pop.

Two print ads, via Summit Marketing, Atlanta, depict Labonte, the Monte Carlo and Tony in such racing titles as Winston Cup Illustrated and Winston Cup Scene.

Though Kellogg used Labonte and its Nascar sponsorship to launch its Honey Crunch Corn Flakes in 1996, Kellogg has never used TV to flag the affiliation, a Kellogg rep said.

Kellogg did not disclose media spending but spent $30.1 million February to November 2000 on Frosted Flakes, per Competitive Media Reporting.

Frosted Flakes ranks second in the $7.5 billion ready-to-eat cereal category, with a 9.3% sales jump to $343.6 million. General Mills' leader Cheerios, was up 2.6% to $372.4 million in an otherwise flat market, per Information Resources Inc.