Buyers fear Kellogg’s Frosties will now be walking a marketing tightrope following the brand’s first rap from advertising watchdogs.
The brand suffered a potentially damaging blow this week after it was found guilty of exaggerating the sugar cereal’s healthy eating credentials.
A single complaint from a member of the public against a cinema ad which claimed kids should ‘eat right’, prompted the Advertising Standards Authority to outlaw the commercial.
Although it is the first time the 48-year-old brand has fallen foul of the regulator, buyers warned the ruling could signal tough times ahead for Frosties.
One said: “Brands like Frosties have been continually thrown
up at health debates and this hardly does anything to help.”
In the ad, brand ambassador Tony the Tiger came across a group of boys playing football in the streets of Rio. Seen carrying a packet of Frosties, Tony said “Not bad… but we can do better than that” before a voiceover stated: “Train hard, eat right and earn your stripes”.
Defending the complaint that the ad misleadingly implied Frosties was healthy, Kellogg said the brand had a history of supporting sporting activities and that the commercial encouraged children to participate.
It claimed sports nutritionists agreed that foods high in simple and complex carbohydrates, such as Frosties, were ideal for individuals participating in sport. It also argued that a 30g serving of Frosties without milk provided at least 25% of the recommended daily intake of six B-group vitamins and 17% of calcium and iron requirements.
However, information the manufacturer submitted comparing Frosties with other foods failed to impress the ASA, which noted that rival Weetabix had a fraction of the sugar.
Simon Mowbray