The Kid in You

The Kid in You is an advertising slogan developed for Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats by the Leo Burnett Agency in the mid-1980s. The slogan was aimed at adults who were concerned with their perceived maturity but still wanted a sweet tasting children's cereal.

"The Kid in You" campaign, started in 1984, proved to be a brilliant response to demographic challenges facing the breakfast cereal industry in the 1980s. As baby boomers aged and consumers showed an increasing interest in nutritious alternatives to the heavily sweetened, child-oriented cereals that had driven growth for two decades, the breakfast cereal market became more complex and segmented. To maintain its lead in the industry, the Kellogg Company had to respond to the gap in the adult cereal market. It positioned Frosted Mini-Wheats as a product with broad-based appeal. The campaign was aimed at adults whose maturity made them concerned about nutrition but whose taste buds still craved flavor. Considered by critics to be a clever and appealing approach, the strategy was quite successful, and led to Frosted Mini-Wheats becoming one of the best-selling cereals in the United States.

In the 1960s, Kellogg's success with presweetened cereal brands remained high, and consistently strong brands such as Corn Flakes indicated that a solid market existed for basic cereals as well. Sugar Frosted Mini-Wheats, introduced in 1969, was a product that offered the fundamental nutrition of shredded wheat with the added appeal of sweet taste. The brand, with 'sugar' eventually removed from its name, became Kellogg's anchor product in the growing wheat biscuit category.

Consumer developments in the late 1970s and early 1980s further affected the cereal industry. Parents and other advocates for children began to complain about the negative effects of sugary cereals and linked children's consumption of presweetened cereals to obesity and tooth decay. Demanding accurate information about product contents, many consumers were dismayed to learn that sugar was the main ingredient in some of these cereals. Medical studies suggesting a relationship between diet and heart disease and cancer helped to stimulate increased interest in basic nutrition and natural foods, including such products as oat bran and whole-grain fiber. In response, cereal manufacturers rushed out oat bran cereals and other products aimed at a health-conscious market. By the early 1980s, cereal companies were responding to consumer preferences that had become complex and specialized. As a product that appealed to both adults and children, Frosted Mini-Wheats was a brand that could remain on pantry shelves even after children had moved away from home.

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