Earlier this month I was reading the online PR newsletter from Mumbrella and was intrigued by a story about the Australian Cancer Council, who are currently embroiled in a battle with Kellogg’s. They’re calling for the removal of cartoon characters such as Coco the Monkey, Tony the Tiger and Snap, Crackle and Pop from Kellogg’s packaging and marketing campaigns for sugar laden cereals to children.

My initial reaction was that this is ridiculous, as too did the 21 comments posted on the story. I mean, how can the Australian Cancer Council threaten Kellogg’s most beloved characters who have been around for over 50 years?

But then I started to think about this question from a marketing and communications perspective, and after visiting the Kellogg’s website it became quite clear to me there are two conflicting Kellogg’s brands: the serious health and nutritional adult voice versus the cute sugar-coated squeak.

I know this is a normal marketing practice for companies who produce multiple products to distinguish their marketing streams. However, these strategies normally change and adapt over time in response to social, political or scientific pressures. 

Kellogg’s say they are strongly committed to nutritional health foods that meet the most rigorous quality standards. Yet they still market high-sugar cereals to children?

In the UK last year, Kellogg’s were in hot water over their advertising Coco Pops on billboards with the tagline ‘Ever thought to eat a bowl of Coco Pops after school?’. Parent groups complained that this was trying to influence children to eat Coco Pops twice a day and replace their meals with the high-sugar laden cereal. The group lost their case to the UK Advertising Standards Authority. 

However, the outcome of the case is arguably less important than the controversy itself and its potential impact on consumers’ perceptions of Kellogg’s.

In this age when consumers so strongly influence brands, does Kellogg’s risk seriously damaging their brand by selling different products with conflicting values?