Kellogg's Testing a Shorter, Fatter Cereal Box Design
Kellogg's is testing a shorter, fatter cereal box. But unlike some recent package changes that have short-changed consumers, this one doesn't futz with the amount of product inside. Says Advertising Age:
The new packaging contains the same amount of food, but the shorter, fatter design is expected to fit into pantries more easily. Ms. Miller said it will also save grocery-shelf space, allowing retailers to offer a wider variety of products. Since it involves an 8% decrease in materials, the new box design is also stands to burnish Kellogg's green halo.
Detroit will be the test market. The study will last about six months, Kellogg's says, before the company decides whether to roll it out nationwide. [via Doobybrain]
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17 Comments:
Being a native Detroiter I am flattered that the boys from the Big Rip want to test their adventurous cardboard cubes in the 313. I hope they advertise that it is a greener box as people eat that stuff up these days. I hope it works my dear sweet Michigan mother needs all the help her poor economy can get.
Timothyrows at 2:13PM on 01/27/09
This is more pantry friendly. Most people have problems with the tall box. It saves cubic space. Smart move.
The Kellogg's cereal story is an interesting one
John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor in Battle Creek, Michigan, who ran a sanitarium using holistic methods, with a particular focus on nutrition, enemas, and exercise. Kellogg was an advocate of vegetarianism and is best known for the invention of the corn flakes breakfast cereal with his brother, Will Keith Kellogg.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellogg's
I like the corn flake sanatarium connection.
JerzeeTomato at 2:26PM on 01/27/09
I am all for it. heck, I'd be fine with some standardization. Perhaps 10 inch boxes? (My kitchen has built in shelves, so if I buy a "humongo" box to save money - I end up pouring the contents into a few pieces of tupperware. I'd rather leave it in the box.)
DanaMc at 2:28PM on 01/27/09
Never gave cereal boxes that much thought...the big boxes fit just fine in our pantry! Perhaps this will be the new norm...
mhurst826 at 2:40PM on 01/27/09
That's a great idea. Less packaging is a good thing.
runnereater at 2:44PM on 01/27/09
Neato..I will have to start looking for these. My husband is like Jerry Seinfeld with the boxed cereal and nothing fits right on our pantry shelves.
deetroitMI at 2:53PM on 01/27/09
It's too bad Corn Flakes is laden with sodium and high fructose corn syrup.
havaloc at 2:56PM on 01/27/09
What I find interesting is that Kellogg's seems determined to keep the same amount of cereal in the smaller box. Most items now, it seems, are suffering from what has been termed the "grocery shrink ray" where items are in new packaging but contain less than their predecessors. Good for them to not deceive the consumers and also being conscious of the environment.
I noticed something similar with a box of Cheez-Its at the grocery store the other week; however, I am starting to become suspicious if it has become a victim of the "shrink ray".
tina_eats at 3:03PM on 01/27/09
Oh, thank goodness! The large cornflake boxes are 1/2 too big in height and width to fit conveniently into any of our cabinets.
peachypear at 3:40PM on 01/27/09
I wonder if we really need the box? Let's get rid of the 2 layers of packaging; a bag within a box. I save all the cereal bags and use them to store cheese, bacon, whatever, in the fridge.I try to reuse them at least 2 or three times beofre finally using them to discard something in my black bib.
Nana H
Nana Helen at 4:05PM on 01/27/09
malt-o-meal ftw!
sloppy at 4:31PM on 01/27/09
sloppy: word. i used to get those all the time when i was in college and they'd last forever. (i'm especially fond of malt-o-meal shredded wheat.)
missmanders at 6:37PM on 01/27/09
Yay Kellogs!
chanterelle at 6:46PM on 01/27/09
Makes a lot of sense, but cynical me believes it won't be long before the contents unceremoniously become 8 oz. as the box becomes a little thinner.
PerkyMac at 8:06PM on 01/27/09
Freaking genius! Love the new box dimensions! I hope other cereal-making parent brands follow suit. This is one of those simple design solutions that just makes me want to smack my forehead for not thinking of it before.
JustNancy at 8:42PM on 01/27/09
In psych class, they taught us that Corn Flakes were originally conceived as a cure for masturbation. (No joke.) Those Kellogg boys were weird.
piccola at 9:41PM on 01/27/09
Try this, cereal makers: Put a zip-lock style top on the plastic bag inside the box. Cracker makers should do the same.
There have been so many advances in packaging in recent years, but cereal and crackers stick with decades old packages that quickly lead to stale food.
If they won't use better sealing technology, at least make the bags easier to open w/o destroying them. They are just terrible.
Remander at 11:54PM on 01/27/09