There was a time, not so long ago, that every athlete in the land dreamed of seeing his or her face on a box of Wheaties, "the Breakfast of Champions." Wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin has been there. Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench has been there. Soccer legend Mia Hamm has been there.

Probably the most famous Wheaties box, though, was the one featuring Olympic decathlete Bruce Jenner, who won gold in Montreal in 1976 and of course went on to be the step-patriarch of the Kardashian family. In all, hundreds of athletes have been on a Wheaties box since the practice began in 1934. It’s not looking good for the athletes of tomorrow to get the same pleasure. In fact, most athletes of tomorrow aren’t likely eating Wheaties for breakfast.

General Mills, the maker of Wheaties and a slew of other cereals, may be responsible to 32% of the cereal market domestically, but Wheaties is only bringing in 0.5% of the market these days, according to CNBC’s Darren Rovell. Back in the ’60s, Wheaties was powerhouse as it took care of 6.5% of all cereals, he notes.

"Wheaties had a clear brand identity," stated Lloyd Moritz, the editor of cereal blog The Breakfast Bowl, on CNBC. "The problem was they rested on their laurels."

Rovell points out that Wheaties has made efforts to expand with Honey Frosted Wheaties in the mid-90's, Wheaties Energy Crunch in 2001, and the two-year-old Wheaties Fuel — but none of them caught on.Continue reading...

Are cereal boxes "platforms for content"? So argues Mark Addicks, the chief marketing officer for General Mills, who walks USA Today's Jefferson Graham through the addition of QR codes and augmented reality to the company's cereal brands. Betty Crocker, by the way, is another digital/social platform for the company. "There's never been a time like this," observes Addicks, a 23-year veteran of the company. "Because of the digital technology that resides in people's hands … we can now deliver content that engages and enhances the experience. Before, we had to rely on a 30-second TV ad."Continue reading...

Aaron Rodgers finally made his debut with a significant national advertiser during NFL Sunday Night Football, a game in which his team, the 5-0 Green Bay Packers, staged a come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons. But in keeping with the understated persona of the Super Bowl XLV MVP, Rodgers' appearance in his first commercial for State Farm Insurance saw him being humorously deprecating and not even recognized.

Rodgers' on-field performances in 2011 are being compared with some of the best to ever play his position. But so far, Rodgers has been practically an invisible presence in the endorsement game, especially compared with the upper-echelon quarterbacks such as the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning and New Orleans' Saints Drew Brees with whom Rodgers is being compared these days. Rodgers' go-slow endorsement strategy apparently has been by his own design.Continue reading...

Microsoft eyes Yahoo bid, Reuters hears.

Apple red-faced as new Siri feature sounds like 'buttocks' in Japanese.

British Airways ramps up London 2012 sponsorship.

Ford joins Boxtops for Education.

Groupe Aeroplan changes name to Aimia.

Pantene signs Liv Tyler for new campaign.

Tiger Woods brand rebounds with Rolex sponsorship.

Wheaties selects a new NASCAR driver to sponsor.

Yum! Brands charts turnaround for Taco Bell.

Well, at least General Mills thinks that Aaron Rodgers is worthy of an endorsement contract: The cereal maker is featuring the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl MVP quarterback on boxes of Wheaties for a month, along with the team's defensive star, linebacker Clay Matthews. But only in Wisconsin.

The Wheaties deal illustrates one of the most interesting marketing twists of the new, almost-delayed season of NFL football.

Rodgers did the Walt Disney World parade thing on the day after his team's Super Bowl victory in February, appeared on the David Letterman show and did some of the other PR duties usually attendant to a good-looking, articulate, "elite" quarterback after leading such a march to the championship.

But for some reason, Rodgers has been slow to catch on as a spokesman for national brands in the way that the league's other top field generals, past and present, have done.Continue reading...

NBA star Kevin Garnett is teaming up with Wheaties FUEL and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help launch the FUEL a Future campaign. For every adult who pledges to play one game of basketball with a child in their family or community, Wheaties FUEL will donate $1 per pledge to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The goal is to promote mentorship by engaging parents and other mentors to encourage kids to get active for a good cause.

For those who are huge fans of both Halloween and branded consumer products, Halloween costumes are a double pay-off. Sure, you can totally throw away that homemade Iron Man costume your mom made with her sweat and love in exchange for one from Target made by the sweat and low labor standards of a Chinese teenager. But you can also communicate your brand loyalty to the world by dressing yourself, or your child, as your favorite brand. Check out part one in our two-part look after the jump.Continue reading...

With all due respect to the Iron Man franchise, which pulled in an impressive $100 million brand bonanza for product tie-ins for Iron Man 2, it's not the only man of iron in branding circles.

Lest we forget, the Ironman triathlon series (a registered trademark, by the way) has become no less a place for brands to make their mark.

Official sponsor Ford brands individual Ironman events. The upcoming Ironman USA event being held on July 25th in Lake Placid, New York, is the Ford Ironman Lake Placid. Last weekend's event in Idaho, shown above: the Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene.

Ford is entering its sixth year as title sponsor of Ironman, and this year, the 2011 Ford Edge is being added as the official vehicle of the 2010 U.S. Ironman event series.Continue reading...