Here are the 3 Best Ways to Build Your Brand Image with Cereal Boxes
The creation of cereal dates back to the 1860s and it has only experienced market growth since then. Americans used to eat meat for breakfast before the invention of cereals. However, with the Industrial Revolution post World War 2, cereals started becoming popular. Thanks to smart and innovative marketing by cereal brands, it replaced meat as the most popular breakfast meal for busy Americans.
Custom cereal box played a vital role in promoting cereals in the past and they continue to play their part to date. Brands use the marketing magic of cereal boxes to raise their sales revenue and keep breaking economic records. Only during the pandemic, the sales of cereals went up to 12% relative to the previous year, as most people stayed home. Brands keep refining cereal boxes to raise their marketing potential.
Know these fun facts about cereals to understand their origin, market value, and popularity among the masses:
1. Cereals used to be known as Granula which is short for granulates meaning ‘crushed’. The word ‘cereal’ itself came from the name of the Roman goddess of agriculture and harvest, ‘Ceres’.
2. James Caleb Jackson created the first breakfast cereal, Granula, in 1863.
3. The demand for cereals rose as Americans were pushed for a healthier food option for breakfast, rich in fiber and grains. Today, nearly 50% of Americans eat cereal as their morning meal. An average American eats around 160 bowls of cereal yearly as per a rough estimate.
4. A cereal company named Grape Nuts launched one of the first ready-to-eat cereals in 1897. People could eat this cereal without cooking. Today, there exists over a thousand different breakfast cereals in the world.
5. Cereals became a part of pop culture in the mid-20th century. The packaging of cereals started featuring animated mascots and popular movie stars and athletes.
6. Following the popularity of cereals among kids, brands introduced different mascots that quickly became popular with them.
7. Sunny Jim was the first mascot to appear on the cereal boxes back in 1902. Other famous mascots for cereals include Tony the Tiger, Katy the Kangaroo, Mr. T, Elmo the Elephant, and Newt the Gnu among others.
8. Battle Creek, Michigan, is known as the ‘Cereal Capital of the World’.
As stated before, cereal boxes have played a vital part in promoting cereals since their inception. Cereal brands use the power of packaging to date, to build their image and gain popularity among the masses. For this reason, packaging brands keep experimenting with cereal boxes to bring novelty and make them more enticing for clients. Let’s look into diverse ways through which brands typically use custom cereal box to build their specific market image that sustains:
Brands grasp the vitality of colors in luring buyers. They follow color psychology charts to choose the right colors and use them on the boxes. To select the ratio of different colors to be applied on the boxes, they seek the help of graphic designers of packaging brands. These designers help them choose a suitable set of colors and the specific ratio of each color to be used on the boxes.
Red, yellow, green, white, and orange rank among the most used colors for cereal boxes. Brands can also use other darker colors, however, their ratio remains low relative to these five colors. Each brand has to use the same ratio of different colors on its boxes to build a unique image. However, the color selection and ratio can change for other cereal types of the same brand.
The use of animated characters on the custom cereal box plays a major role in shaping a brand’s identity. As discussed before, kids make up the majority of the cereal consumers. Thus, to attract these kids, cereal brands have been using the power of mascots from day one to attract them. Any brand that wishes to build a unique image, has to introduce a cartoon character that gains fame among kids.
Brands use a particular method to create an instant bond between the character on the box and the kids. They keep the eyes of the character looking downwards to make eye contact with small children. This eye contact creates an instant bond between the two and urges kids to buy cereal from that specific brand. The color of these characters also plays a vital role in engaging clients so they must be chosen wisely.
Material quality also plays a vital role for a brand to create its unique image. Many clients identify their favorite cereal brands through the outlook and material quality of the boxes. For this purpose, brands mostly use fine materials like card stock, corrugated, and kraft in the packaging. These materials enjoy high market value for their texture appeal and provide the strength that cereal items need.
To give a unique texture appeal to the boxes, brands can also apply finishes. They can apply laminations on card stock or corrugated materials to give a smooth texture to their boxes. These brands can also pick materials like kraft for their rugged surface. As material quality plays a decisive role in creating strong boxes, brands must take this factor into sight. Thick packaging material protects cereals from physical damage and retains their quality. It also gives a unique texture to the boxes to create a specific brand image.
CPP Boxes has helped many brands over the years to build a brand image that results in their constant growth. Our custom cereal box made with a fine blend of colors and engaging graphics win the hearts of cereal lovers. We do not compromise on box quality and examine it through different packaging quality tests. Order our boxes today to upgrade your brand’s packaging and raise your market status.
