Kellogg's NYC Café plans royal wedding viewing party with cereal-centric menu

Dive Brief:

Kellogg’s is celebrating the British royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19 with a themed breakfast and viewing party at the Kellogg's NYC Café on the same day, a news release announced.
The café will open at 5:30 a.m. EST in time for the royal wedding kickoff at 7 a.m., and guests can reserve a spot via OpenTable starting May 9. The event will feature a royal-themed cereal-centric breakfast and an opportunity for attendees to create their own cereal-box fascinator — the elaborate headpieces often on display at British royal weddings — with help from fashion designer Kelly Dempsey.
Kellogg’s has partnered with former royal chef Darren McGrady to create a multi-course breakfast menu using the brand's different cereals, including Stately Scones, Krispy Gems scotch eggs, Bars of Gold English flapjacks, Special Krown breakfast bowl, Imperial Pudding, Majestic (cake) Pops, Lemon Luster Wedding Cake and Frosted Flakes Cereal Milk Teas. Recipes and how-to videos are available at KelloggsNYC.com, and fans are encouraged to share their own royal celebrations on social media with hashtag #KelloggsNYC.

Dive Insight:

While Kellogg's has doubled down on digital marketing of late, the royal wedding effort shows how the brand continues to leverage its NYC Café to create unique experiences for its fans and and strengthen the relationship. Kellogg’s hosted a New Year’s Eve-themed party for National Cereal Day in March with actress and musician Hailee Steinfeld and cereal-themed cocktails and snacks. These kinds of events let consumers and brands engage in real time and encourage fans to post about their experiences on social media.

Kellogg’s has crafted a clever campaign around the highly anticipated royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with a British-themed breakfast aimed at the early-rising royal fans planning to watch the ceremony. The campaign is a good example of a brand linking itself to a highly popular, newsworthy event. The nuptials are especially popular in the U.S., because of the American-born royal bride, the first since actress Grace Kelly married into Monaco’s royal family in 1956. TV viewership is projected to go beyond the 23 million who watched Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011, according to The Guardian.

Kellogg’s is also playing up its relationship with the British royal family. The brand was the official cereal provider of the royal household for three monarchs, the company’s press release said. Queen Elizabeth is also said to be a fan of Kellogg’s Special K cereal.

Cereal marketers are under pressure to be more creative in their marketing as cereal sales have been on downward trend for several years. By creating campaigns with themed recipes, Kellogg’s is attempting to show the versatility of its cereal products, as millennials and Gen Z report preferring cereal as a snack rather than a breakfast choice.