Despite controversial ad, Cheerios sticks to its marketing approach

Published August 20, 2013 at 7:19 pm

Early in the summer, Cheerios made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

A seemingly innocent advertisement caused customers across the nation to speak out—some were for the commercial, others were against it.

The commercial in question showed an interracial married couple and their child eating breakfast. Camille Gibson, vice-president of marketing for Cheerios, explained to the Associated Press that this is the first time the company has featured an interracial couple, and the decision was made to reflect the changing U.S. population.

Even with some negative backlash—Cheerios removed the comments section on the video of the commercial that appeared on YouTube—Gibson said that much of the feedback has been positive.

Cheerios stood behind its marketing approach, which can be a testament for companies of all sizes.

Author Laura Ries told the AP that it’s important for companies to take risks that are still in line with what their brand is about. In Cheerios’ case, the business knows that the cereal is often the first food of children everywhere, so featuring a family was important.

As businesses look toward web-based marketing options and other collateral to successfully advertise to their customer base, it’s important to listen to consumer feedback. If your internal reporting is telling you that one approach is not working, it’s probably time to make changes. Just make sure you don’t lose sight of your brand in the process.

Good marketing fulfillment will satisfy customers and a company. Finding the right balance is not always easy, but businesses must be creative in their advertising strategies to work toward achieving that goal.