Dive Brief:
- The battle between Batman and Superman has entered the cereal aisle as General Mills debuts two new cereals in anticipation of the upcoming movie, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," to be released March 25.
- "Superman Caramel Crunch" features pieces in the shape of Superman's shield, and "Batman Chocolate Strawberry" pieces are shaped like the iconic Batman symbol.
- General Mills will officially release the two cereals at the Wizard World Comic Con in New Orleans this week.
Dive Insight:
If the plethora of "Star Wars" food products this year was any indication, aligning branding and promotions to capitalize on blockbuster films is a strategy that many manufacturers adhere to. General Mills played its part in that craze with its "Star Wars"-branded cereal boxes, including one with the Trix rabbit as Princess Leia, but it was by far not the only manufacturer to do so.
Comic book characters specifically tend to be popular for food marketing as the rise of comic book movies reignited the fame of these superheroes over the past couple of decades. Last year, Chobani debuted a number of products targeted at younger consumers that featured Marvel (and Disney) characters.
"We spent extensive time and effort to develop the flavors and look of these cereals, and their packaging, so that they will match the incredible quality of the characters they feature," Alan Cunningham, senior marketing manager of cereal innovation at General Mills, said in a statement.