Cheerios Cross-Promotion

by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 9/30/2002

Simon & Schuster is teaming up with General Mills to promote literacy through a Spoonfuls of Stories promotion on specially marked boxes of Cheerios cereal. Starting in November and continuing through the holiday season, more than five million Cheerios boxes will include miniature paperback editions of one of five S&S picture books: Rosie's Walk; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Sylvester and the Magic Pebble; Salt in His Shoes; and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

In addition, General Mills is donating $500,000 to First Book, the nonprofit literacy organization, and consumers will also be able to make monetary donations to First Book using a form printed on cereal boxes.