General Mills Launches Social Media Campaign Around ‘Batman v. Superman’ Cereals
On Wednesday, General Mills released a pair of new cereals to join the marketing blitz in front of the wildly anticipated Warner Bros. film, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Named after the titular DC Comics heroes, Batman Chocolate Strawberry and Superman Caramel Crunch are already in stores in anticipation of the film’s release. The promotion is reminiscent of previous cinematic breakfast cereals such as the classic Star Wars C-3PO’s.
Speaking about the cereals, General Mills senior marketing manager Alan Cunningham said, “Superman and Batman continue to appeal to the generations of fans that have enjoyed them for decades, as well as new super hero fans experiencing them for the first time. So it doesn’t get much more exciting for us than having the the opportunity to feature these iconic characters on their two new cereals.”
Even with its historic roots, the promotion isn’t stuck in the past, as General Mills is heavily emphasizing social media involvement along with the cereals. Fans are encouraged to “choose your side” by using the hashtags #batmancereal or #supermancereal to publicly declare which of the two heroes they prefer. The company is also plugging the hashtag #superheroescereal for fans who wish to remain neutral.
DC and General Mills are also bringing the campaign into the physical world with a promotional appearance scheduled for Wizard World New Orleans. Attendees at the convention, which runs January 8-10, will have the opportunity to sample the cereal and also have their photo taken in front of a green screen which will in turn be used to make an animated Superman or Batman .gif for them to share on social media.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, and Amy Adams, is scheduled to be released on March 25, 2016. Check out the film’s latest trailer here.
