Public Relations Seminar

Media Kit

Gluten Free Cheerios Launch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Olivia Crozier
April 26, 2015 Director of Media Relations
(207) 939-3645
[email protected]

News Release
Cheerios Offer Gluten-Free Varieties Nationwide in July
BOSTONCheerios is planning to release 5 of their most popular cereal flavors made
gluten-free. This cereal will be Cheerios only 100% gluten-free option. This new cereal aims to
appeal to the brands already loyal customer base as well as new customers who live a
gluten-free lifestyle.

Opportunities to taste the new cereal before it is released to the public will occur. Cheerios will
be releasing a food truck on a two-month nationwide tour, during which the public can sample
and rate the new cereal based on taste.

We want to make cereal that everybody has the opportunity to eat. Our traditional types of
cereals reached a large audience, but our new gluten-free cereals give us the opportunity to
expand our customer base. We are hoping to appeal to both the gluten-free and health
community by releasing gluten-free Cheerios options, said Jim Murphy, president of the
General Mills cereal division.

The gluten-free Cheerios will be released in July and will be available in supermarkets around
the nation.

For more information on Cheerios new gluten-free cereal options please contact (123) 456-7890
or [email protected]. For more information visit h
ttp://www.cheerios.com.

####

About Cheerios
Cheerios is a General Mills brand that has currently sells 15 different flavors of
their cereal nationwide. Since its release in 1941 as an alternative to cooked
oatmeal, Cheerios cereals has consistently ranked as the best-selling cereals in
the nation. As finger food for children or a cholesterol-lowering diet, Cheerios is
an iconic, nutritional cereal for all ages and diets.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Olivia Crozier
April 26, 2015 Media Contact
(207) 939-3645
[email protected]

Media Advisory

What: Cheerios will host an event called CheeriDAY to promote the five new gluten-free
Cheerios flavors. Jillian Michaels will be present and will be talking about the health benefits of
the gluten-free cereal. She will also lead two free workout routines for anyone in the audience
who wants to participate. There will be games, popular food bloggers hosting information tables,
and free samples of the product at the food truck. The event is free, but there will be
opportunities to buy Cheerios merchandise at the event.

Where: Boston Commons. Boston, MA 02116.

When: Sunday, May 24th, 2015. Memorial Day Weekend. 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Who: Cheerios will host the event. Specifically, the team in charge of the promotion of their
new gluten-free cereal. The event will be open to the general public but will be targeting the
gluten-free community as well as brand loyal customers.

Photo oppt: Shots can be taken of the Cheerios employees working the event as well as the
people attending the event. Jillian Michaels and the bloggers will also be available to be
photographed during the event. Photos can be taken at any time during the event.


Company Backgrounder

Company:
Address:

General Mills
General Mills, Inc.
P.O. Box 9452
Minneapolis, MN 55440
Phone: 1-800-248-7310

Company History: In 1886, Cadwallader Washburn built his first flour mills on the Mississippi
River. These flour mills were the beginning of General Mills, a company that began
revolutionizing the milling industry with flour. The company officially became General Mills in
1928, when they were first listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Focus of Business: General Mills is a company that is centered on making convenient,
nutritious and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. GM operates in over 100 countries on 6 continents
marketing more than 100 consumer brands.

Products: Baking products, cereals, dough, pastries, fruit, ice cream, meals, organic/ natural
products, pasta, pizza, snacks, soups, spices, vegetables and yogurt.

Management Team (Senior Leadership Team):

Ken Powell, General Mills, CEO

Company Mission:
General Mills revolves around making convenient, ready-to-eat, nutritious breakfast cereals and
other foods. Today, we are nourishing lives in more than 100 countries with products that make
life healthier, easier and richer. We are at the family dinner table, on a nature trail, or at a
special celebration in communities across America and around the world. (General Mills,
Mission and Values, https://generalmills.com/Company/mission-values)
Company Values:
Do the right thing

Play to win
Win as a team
Grow and inspire
Act boldly, move quickly

(General Mills, Mission and Values, https://generalmills.com/Company/mission-values)

Audience: General Mills has anticipated a rise in multicultural consumers, especially Hispanics
as well as a growing number of aging baby boomers and millennials. Marketing to this group
began by targeting mothers looking for a way to nurture their child. Baby boomers look to add
more fiber and probiotics to their diet, while millennials are completely at ease with technology.
General Mills is attempting to connect this group virtually, using social media.

# # #

For more information contact Maerenn Jepsen, Manager of Global Communications or
call 1-800-248-7310.


Fact Sheet
Cheerios brand of breakfast cereals manufactured by General Mills. Cheerios were introduced
on May 1, 1941 as CheeriOats. Cheerioats was invented in 1941, as the first ready-to-eat oat
cereal that didnt need to be cooked. It was created under the leadership of Lester Borchardt,
the director of research.

In 1945, Cheerioats was rebranded as Cheerios. Today, one of every 8 boxes of cereal sold in
America is a box of Cheerios and are sold in a variety of 15 other flavors.

Mission:
Cheerios believes in nurturing the whole child. Thats why every box contains the ingredients
young bodies and minds need to grow healthy and strong. Cheerios centers around being
healthy, renewable, recyclable, sustainable, nourishing, efficient.

Commitment to Reading:
In 2013, Cheerios gave away 11 million books to children in efforts to support every childs
potential. Of these, 8 million were bilingual and 3 million were chapter books.

Contact:
Diana Numon, Director of Marketing, 212-431-6289, [email protected]



Biography

Jillian Michaels is a personal trainer, founder of Sky Sport
and Spa, a sports medicine facility based in Los Angeles,
and the current celebrity ambassador of gluten-free
Cheerios. Michaels is also an entrepreneur who started
Empowered Media, LLC, a company that is devoted to
communicating with and inspiring people to achieve their
health-oriented goals.

Michaels is best known for her appearances as a trainer in reality series The Biggest Loser as
well as an appearance on the Emmy nominated show The Doctors. Other than her time on
national television, Michaels is an accomplished trainer who is certified by both the National
Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA) and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of
America (AFAA). Incorporating her professional training and personal philosophy, Michaels has
written New York Times three best-selling books and has released over 15 best-selling fitness
DVDs over the past 20 years.

Through Empowered Media, Michaels maintains her weekly podcasts and highly popular
website. Seeking unconventional mediums, Michaels also released a fitness data tracking and
motivational iPhone app and Wii fitness game. When Michaels is not on a motivational speaking
tour, she resides in Los Angeles with her partner and two children.



Description of Target Media

Magazines:
Womens Health: We will be targeting Womens Health magazine. This magazine
encourages readers to be the best version of themselves possible, which means feeling
better and looking younger with the best workout routines, easy eating plans and printable
guides. They would be a good target media for CheeriDAY because both General Mills and
Gluten Free Cheerios align with their mission and values.

Cosmopolitan: Although Cosmopolitan is an international fashion magazine, they put a big
emphasis on health and wellness much like Womens Health. We will be targeting them as
well.

Family Circle: Gluten Free Cheerios were made to be enjoyed by more people than the
Original Cheerios. Family Circle magazine directly aligns with General Mills mission to
make breakfast family time which is why they are part of our target media.

Moms Magazine: Moms Magazine is a community of parenting experts and moms just like
you providing advice and sharing real-life experiences. We already know that General Mills
strongly targets mothers who care about their childrens health. Having Moms Magazine be
part of our target audience, directly targets these mothers.
Television:
We will be targeting the commercial space on Good Morning America which is ranked as
the number one morning newscast. T
hey have a large amount of viewers who are women,
adults aged 25-54 and households which is a demographic that directly matches with our
target audience of mothers. CBS This Morning and The View also have demographically
similar audiences, which is why we will be targeting their audience as well. We will also be
targeting commercial space during the airing of The Doctors and Doctor Oz because
they target our health conscious audience as well.