Honey Nut Cheerios is employing 100,000 bees and a local Florida beekeeper to showcase how the cereal is made with real honey.
The General Mills brand has long promoted that it is made with real honey and "we really wanted to physically show it," said Jared Pippin, senior associate marketing manager on Cheerios.
The creative setup from agency Saatchi & Saatchi began weeks ago, when a "living billboard" began to be pieced together in St. Cloud, Fla.
On Saturday, honey made by the bees living in the billboard is set to flow through the "Made With Real Honey" lettering on the exterior. Some people will get to try the honey or recieve one of the 40 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios made with the local honey. Plus, Joseph Burnett, executive chef at Orlando's The Osprey Tavern, is set to prepare dishes made with the honey.
The specialty Cheerios do taste a little different from the brand's usual signature blend. "Sensory experts say it's more floral," Mr. Pippin said of the special event honey. St. Cloud was picked because at this time of year it has a great wildflower population, Mr. Pippin said. He declined to say how much honey is in a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, citing proprietary reasons. Honey is listed as the fifth ingredient in the cereal.
Beekeeper Brent Dixon, who has been working on the project with Honey Nut Cheerios, can be seen in one of the videos provided by the brand Friday.
Content being created at the site will likely be used in campaign efforts in January, Mr. Pippin said. Honey Nut Cheerios is already highlighting the honey making process in a spot that began airing in October.
