Cereal Storytelling

Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares are cereal killers.

That’s the joke in the brand’s recent “Must Cinnadust” campaign.

Videos follow the dark story of a Cinnamon Toast Crunch square who cannot stop eating its peers. Easter eggs in the scenery, such as recipe books titled Recipes To Die For and Having Friends For Dinner, capture the audience’s attention.

The ads are a continuation of Cinnamon Toast Crunch’s early-2010s commercials with a true-crime twist.

The short and sweet “Irresistibly Delicious” commercials of the 2010s showed cereal squares licking and eating each other. A simple blue backdrop, goofy faces, and comical belches catered to young children.

Now, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is attempting to reengage this same audience, who has grown up to be today’s true-crime-obsessed Gen-Z’ers.

A Nostalgic Narrative

Where some brands see shifting customer demographics as a threat, Cinnamon Toast Crunch sees an opportunity.

There’s powerful nostalgia in those silly cereal squares. And today’s marketing landscape creates an opportunity for campaigns with a deeper plot, character development and a mystery to solve.

This approach makes for a more engaging experience for customers and cereal lovers. The campaign has clear benefits to the brand, too.

Robust digital marketing efforts allow for better consumer targeting. A fragmented storyline that spans video and social media employs the marketing Rule of 7, boosting brand awareness. A sweepstakes giveaway captures consumer information for easy lead generation.

Here’s General Mills Senior Marketing Communications Manager Brandon Tyrell on the move:

“Our media strategy was built around how our audience consumes content today — fragmented, fast-moving and deeply social. The campaign isn’t meant to live in one place. It’s designed to feel episodic and immersive, almost like you’re uncovering the mystery piece by piece, no matter where you come across it.”

Successful campaigns use consumer-centric methods to reinforce the value your product creates with target audiences. Pay attention to how consumers engage with other media and marketing efforts and adapt your storytelling strategy accordingly.