Cheerios is a brand of breakfast cereal manufactured by General Mills, originally created in 1941. The cereal consists of simple oat-based rings and is marketed as a healthy and fast breakfast option.
Cheerios’ marketing is often targeted toward children using animated characters like a Honeybee. It is also sometimes used as baby food to help toddlers transition to solid food.
Now let’s take a closer look at the Cheerios target market and review the various groups of people who like this breakfast cereal and understand why.
Who is the Cheerios Target Market?
One of the best ways to understand the target market for Cheerios is to understand the reasons why people who buy breakfast cereals prefer Cheerios over other types of breakfast cereals.
Regardless of the brand they choose, if we can understand their need for Cheerios then we can divide this market into segments to study each segment on its own.
This gives us the following segments of the Cheerios target market:
- People who love the taste of Cheerios
- People who like cereals that are low in fat and low in sugar
- People looking for breakfast that is both nutritious and tasty
- People who are on a diet and are careful about what they eat
- Parents looking for a healthy breakfast option for their kids
- People looking for an inexpensive breakfast option
- People looking for breakfast food that is easy and convenient to prepare
Now let’s look closely at each of these segments of the Cheerios target market.
#1. People who love the taste of Cheerios
Taste is often the primary factor that people consider when choosing a breakfast cereal and the most likely segment of the Cheerios target market includes people who eat it for its taste.
Cheerios taste can be attributed to the fact that it is made with whole-grain oats which gives it a nutty taste. The cereal is also lightly sweetened with sugar and has a mild vanilla flavor.
For many people, the taste of Cheerios is what keeps them coming back for more and is the primary reason they choose this cereal over others.
#2. People who like cereals that are low in fat and low in sugar
One of the benefits of Cheerios is that it is a cereal that is low in fat and low in sugar. This makes it a good choice for people who are looking for a healthy breakfast cereal as long as they do not add extra sugar or sugar-rich ingredients to it.
People in this segment of the Cheerios target market are likely to be health-conscious and trying to lose weight. If they succeed in losing weight their loyalty to the brand – Cheerios – is likely to last.
#3. People looking for breakfast that is both nutritious and tasty
There are people in the Cheerios target market who are looking for breakfast cereals that are both nutritious and tasty. Cheerios can be a great option for them as it is a cereal that is high in fiber and vitamins while also being sweet and crunchy.
These people are neither loyal to Cheerios nor to a particular brand. What they are looking for is a breakfast food that meets their needs in terms of nutrition and taste. And so, they are just as likely to have other types of breakfast foods that are nutritious and tasty like oatmeal or eggs.
What this means for marketers is that these people can be swayed to purchase other breakfast cereals or even another type of breakfast food if they feel that Cheerios is not meeting their needs.
#4. People who are on a diet and are careful about what they eat
As we’ve already seen, Cheerios is a cereal that is low in calories and fat. This makes it a good choice for people who are on a diet or who are trying to lose weight.
In general, people who are interested in health and wellness are also interested in healthy breakfast options like Cheerios. They are likely to purchase the cereal because they perceive it to be a healthy food choice.
People in this segment of the Cheerios target market are often willing to spend more on a cereal that they feel is good for their health. They are also likely to be brand loyal if their experience shows eating Cheerios for breakfast helps them in their quest for losing weight and getting healthy.
#5. Parents looking for a healthy breakfast option for their kids
Parents are always looking for healthy breakfast options for their kids and Cheerios is a cereal that fits the bill. Cheerios is high in fiber and vitamins, and it is also a cereal that is low in sugar.
And if children do not like the taste of Cheerios, it is easy enough for parents to add some fruit, honey, or other ingredients to make it more palatable. Cheerios is also a cereal that can be easily portable, which is a plus for busy families.
#6. People looking for an inexpensive breakfast option
When it comes to Cheerios, one of the things that people like is that it is an inexpensive breakfast option. Cheerios, and cereals in general, are often very affordable which makes them a great choice for people who are on a budget.
Just add milk and Cheerios can provide a filling and satisfying breakfast that virtually costs nothing. This is why most grocery stores from Whole Foods to Aldi and from Sprouts to Lidl offer Cheerios or a similar type of cereal.
But Cheerios is not the only affordable breakfast option. There are many other cereals and breakfast foods that are also very inexpensive. So, Cheerios needs to find a way to stand out in the minds of people who are looking for an affordable breakfast option.
#7. People looking for breakfast food that is easy and convenient to prepare
People who are in a hurry in the morning or who do not have a lot of time to prepare breakfast often turn to Cheerios as a quick and easy option. Cheerios does not require any cooking and it can be eaten cold or hot.
Just add milk and Cheerios is a breakfast that is ready to eat. Cheerios is also a cereal that can easily be taken on the go, which makes it a great option for people in a rush.
Some people even keep a box of Cheerios at work so that they can fix themselves a quick breakfast while in the office just in case they did not have time to eat at home before leaving.
Conclusion
The Cheerios target market includes, first and foremost, people who simply love the taste of Cheerios. These people are easiest to convince to buy a box of Cheerios cereal, however, they tend to be brand loyal, and getting them to switch isn’t easy.
People who like cereals that are high in fiber and low in sugar are also likely to choose Cheerios just as those looking for breakfast that is both nutritious and tasty.
People who are on a diet and are careful about what they eat often choose cereals that are high in fiber and low in sugar making Cheerios a natural choice.
Parents looking for a healthy breakfast option for their kids are also a Cheerios target market as are those looking for an inexpensive breakfast option.
Finally, one of the benefits of eating cereal for breakfast is its convenience and so people looking for breakfast food that is easy and convenient to prepare are also likely to buy Cheerios if they like its taste.