Why You Won't See Michael Phelps on the Wheaties Box†

Kellogg Signs Swimmer Before Big G's Traditional Unveiling

Advertising Age, August 28, 2008 — In a PR masterstroke, Kellogg Co. managed to spoil an every-four-year tradition for General Mills — the unveiling of Olympians to grace the Wheaties box. By the time Big G made its big announcement today, Kellogg had already one-upped the news by revealing that it signed the biggest of them all, Michael Phelps

General Mills Tries to Persuade†

Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2007 — General Mills Inc. is hoping a brand of dinner kits imported from China will persuade consumers to trade in their restaurant chopsticks for kitchen woks

General Mills Seeks Help From Iron Chef†

Batali's Frozen Pasta Will Appear in Aisles of Warehouse Retailers

Wall Street Journal, April 4, 2007 — General Mills Inc., maker of Hamburger Helper, is trying to find some extra help in the kitchen. For starters, it has turned to celebrity chef Mario Batali. Like other consumer-products companies such as Procter & Gamble Co. and Kraft Foods Inc., General Mills is craving fresh ideas from outside its own research-and-development group. Two years ago, General Mills began forming a world-wide "innovation network."

Think Small†

Every company wants to hit it big with market-shattering innovations. But the little changes, too, can make a huge difference.

Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2007 — When it comes to innovation, the conventional wisdom often tells companies to aim for home runs. But frequent singles can be just as important. Home runs, in this case, are radical innovations — breakthrough products, anything from disposable diapers to cellphones, that introduce a new core technology and provide much greater customer benefits than existing products.