Kellogg's Changes Sexist Coco Pops Slogan After 10-Year-Old Girl Writes Them A Powerful Letter
Companies use many slogans to get people to buy their brand.
The slogans often incorporate your other senses, telling you to "follow your nose" or listen for the "snap, crackle and pop," adding a visceral feeling to the cereal.
The UK brand cereal Coco Pops appeals to both children and adults with its time-tested slogan,
"Loved by kids, approved by mums."
This time tested catchphrase has been known by so many, that when a little girl questioned it, you might think, "Why?"
…Hold on, what's Coco Pops?
Anyone else’s maw go raj if you open a box ae cereal when there’s already a box open?? Sorry hen I’m fancying coco… https://t.co/spFiP9XX4x— Paige Haynes (@Paige Haynes) 1549499007
why is maccys abroad SO much better than UK maccys ???!!! BBQ rib sandwiches and McFlurrys with coco pops and caram… https://t.co/U6RslGIC2U— mins (@mins) 1549564121
Being a kid and the biggest decision of my day was either Coco Pops or Frosties. Also not having to pay bills. #TheThingIMissMost— shiner_sam (@shiner_sam) 1549569724
weirdest thing happened was makin some coco pops as u do n a huge fuckin rock coco pop came flyin oot the box ? wit the fucj— new account, jordan_x2004 (@new account, jordan_x2004) 1549549672
As the tweets above clearly show, Coco Pops is a British variant of a cereal called Cocoa Krispies in the United States. The Kellogg's cereal started being sold in the United Kingdom in 1961, and has become the default name for the chocolate rice puff cereal in many other countries.
The slogan for the product in the UK seemed pretty innocuous, and Americans may find it similar to another cereal product by General Mills — Kix.
"Kid tested. Mother approved."
But both of these have a problem. The slogans pre-suppose that a mother is the caretaker. Yet this is not the case for many families.
10-year-old Hannah-Marie Clayton's mother often travels for work on an airline. Her father generally prepares her breakfast.
She didn't want him to feel left out. She also realized there are other kids out there who may not relate to the phrase.
A family could have the father be a single parent. Or maybe the child has two men as parents. There are many options that would mean there isn't a mother in the family.
Last year, Kix changed their slogan to
"Kid-tested. Parent-approved."
So Hannah-Marie, with support from her parents, wrote a letter to Kellogg's to have them do the same with Coco Pops.
She wrote,
"I feel that quote is sexist, men are also able to make breakfast.
"My dad does it a lot for me because my mum works away a lot and is not always there for breakfast.
"I would recommend instead of putting 'mums', put parents or carers. It would just mean a small change. In this world today we shouldn't just rely on women."
Surprisingly enough, Kellogg's agreed. They wrote a letter back stating,
"You recently shared your thoughts around the statement of 'Approved by Mums' on our improved recipe Coco Pops.
"I wanted to let you know that we've recently renewed our research and our new pack design will refer to approval from both mums and dads.
"Apologies for any offence caused and thank you for your feedback, which has played a part in our decision to change."
It's a great change!
Loved by kids, approved by parents. https://t.co/VqcxJiaY9Q— Diplomierter Armleuchter (@Diplomierter Armleuchter) 1549491888
Kids change the world: https://t.co/5ZdbuRZXnz— Kindness Club Book (@Kindness Club Book) 1549438977
Though some can't quite wrap their heads around why this is important to some,
Good Lord its a freaking box of cerial..don't people have anything better to do with their time?… https://t.co/pSQCf8HGCA— Michelle Frazier (@Michelle Frazier) 1549464914
Hannah-Marie's mother was very proud of her daughter, saying,
"I hope it shows her that you can make a difference no matter how big or small if you voice an opinion, even to a large corporation like Kellogg's. I think it's important to teach our children that."
The new phrasing saying "Approved by parents" has already started appearing on Coco Pops boxes in stores.