Western Grocer Serving the industry since 1916
Brand ramps up campaign with dramatic experiential pop-up activation
TORONTO, March 9, 2017 – Building on the tremendous success of the inaugural Bring Back The Bees campaign, Honey Nut Cheerios is calling on Canadians to help plant another 100 million wildflowers across the country this year to help restore natural habitat for bees.
“Last year we gave away more than three times our original seed goal target, thanks to the overwhelming response by Canadians who wanted to help bring back the bees. This year, we’re hoping Canadians will help us plant another 100 million new wildflowers across Canada,” said Emma Eriksson, Vice President, Marketing for General Mills Canada, makers of Honey Nut Cheerios.
POP-UP ‘GROCERY STORE OF THE FUTURE’ 
To amplify the call for Canadians to plant wildflowers and help Bring Back The Bees, General Mills and Honey Nut Cheerios will be opening an experiential pop-up activation in downtown Toronto. It will offer consumers a glimpse at the grocery story of the future in a world where we fail to act – where we fail to support the robust return of our bee population, and the irreplaceable role they play in providing our farmers and our families with the food upon which we all rely.
On March 11 and 12th, consumers will be invited to walk through the ‘store of the future’ and experience a stark contrast between two very different futures: one without a healthy bee population, and one celebrating what’s possible if we join in the effort to Bring Back The Bees. Prior to the public opening, Honey Nut Cheerios will be offering media and influencers a preview of the activation, led by 14-year-old eco-activist and Bring Back the Bees Youth Ambassador, Hannah Alper.
The brand will create a 30-second and 90-second video about the experiential activation which will be promoted online beginning March 20th.
EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF BEE CHAMPIONS
A special focus is also being placed on kids in this year’s Bring Back The Bees campaign. “Last year, kids wanted to help so much that they wrote letters, made videos, and some even sent in their piggy bank savings hoping it would help the bees,” said Alper. “I’m excited to lend my voice to this year’s campaign and help tell kids how easy it is to make a big difference by planting wildflowers outside their homes. We’re really hoping that if the next generation of Canadians grow up caring about and helping the bees, it will make all the difference.”
Honey Nut Cheerios has also partnered with YTV, the #1 children’s network in Canada, to help spread the word about how to bring back the bees with a month-long integration which will be launching March 18. The partnership will feature bee-related programming as well as themed integration and segments on YTV’s popular Zone Weekend and Big Fun Movies.
FREE WILDFLOWER SEEDS
Honey Nut Cheerios is once again offering Canadians wildflower seeds free of charge through www.bringbackthebees.ca. To help promote the call to action, Honey Nut Cheerios has again removed its beloved mascot, Buzz the Bee, from its cereal packages for a limited time.
Even with the success of last year’s wildflower planting efforts, bee populations across North America remain unstable and there’s more to be done. And without healthy, vibrant bee colonies, one out of every three bites of food is in danger of disappearing.
“The fruits and vegetables we all depend upon for good nutrition are in jeopardy if we don’t maintain healthy, stable bee populations,” said renowned bee expert Marla Spivak, professor of Entomology at the University of Minnesota. “Planting wildflowers is a simple but tremendously important way in which Canadians can continue to help preserve and grow the natural habitat bees need for survival.”
A fully integrated marketing and communications campaign which includes promotional packaging, a TV spot and online video, a microsite, consumer sampling and PR will support the Bring Back the Bees program. In addition, the campaign will be supported by the brand’s retail partners all across Canada who will be helping Honey Nut Cheerios give away even more seed packs to Canadians in an effort to bring back the bees. The wildflowers seeds are being supplied by partner, Veseys Seeds.
Several agencies are supporting Honey Nut Cheerios with its Bring Back the Bees campaign. The national advertising campaign was developed by Cossette. All media planning and buying is being managed by Cossette Media, who is also responsible for promoting the campaign through Cheerios’ social platforms. Public relations is being handled by Veritas Communications and experiential is being managed by Mosaic. Packaging creative was handled by Hunter Straker.
The Bring Back The Bees campaign will run from March to June 2017. For more information, visit www.bringbackthebees.ca
About General Mills Canada Corporation
Established in 1954, General Mills Canada Corporation is based in Mississauga, Ontario. The company is dedicated to serving the world by making food people love. It’s most popular products include Cheerios* and Honey Nut Cheerios* cereals, Nature Valley* snacks, Yoplait® and Liberte* dairy products, and Old El Paso* Mexican products.
General Mills is a proud and long-time supporter of the Canadian Olympic team, Hockey Canada, Concerned Children’s Advertisers and United Way.
*Trademarks of General Mills or its affiliates
® Trademarks of YOPLAIT MARQUES S.N.C. (France) used under license.
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For further information, contact:
| Katie MacKay Veritas Communications kmackay@veritasinc.com / 416.955.4571 |
Mike Siemienas General Mills Media.line@genmills.com / 763-764-6364 |
