General Mills
Unlocking the power of an iconic brand portfolio by reconnecting with culture.
The work
Zeus Jones and General Mills' relationship goes back over a decade to the early 2010s when we helped General Mills, Inc. (GMI) pioneer a totally new model for brand strategy — one rooted in Purpose and driven by brand actions. At the time GMI adopted this model as the center of their brand-building practice, which drove innovation and growth for many years.
Our roles
- Brand Building Vision
- Process Development
- Capability Building
- Brand and Creative Execution
In 2024, General Mills decided to refocus and reinvent their brands once again—and again brought in Zeus Jones to help. As with many companies, the pandemic and post-pandemic years demanded a focus on business fundamentals—supply chain, performance marketing, distribution, etc. This was critical work for the time, but it came at the expense of brand-building and brand innovation. General Mills decided they needed to rediscover – and refocus on – the art of brand to drive growth for their portfolio of iconic, enduring brands that have deep meaning to consumers.
Tasked with making these brands more relevant than ever, General Mills turned to Zeus Jones – reinvigorating our long-standing strategic partnership to develop a comprehensive brand-building approach that would restore cultural resonance across their portfolio. Through a newly-created strategic framework and extensive training, we helped General Mills empower their teams to build brands that are as culturally significant as they are beloved.
The Opportunity
A new approach to making iconic brands enduring and distinct.
As a leader in CPG, General Mills manages an extensive portfolio of beloved brands. But an increasingly complex competitive, consumer and cultural landscape hindered growth in recent years. Iconic brands like Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Blue Buffalo and Nature Valley needed to find way to reconnect emotionally and build relationships with new, modern audiences – while staying true to what has allowed them to endure.
We saw an opportunity to redefine brand-building within the organization, working with our clients to create new models and processes to make their brands both enduring and distinct. Our goal was to equip General Mills with a methodology to create brands that resonate deeply, consistently, and meaningfully with today’s consumers.
Our Approach
Inspired by culture, connected to legacy.
Our solution was informed by several years of observations about how the brand landscape was changing. Some of the most exciting, interesting and fastest-growing brands are being built and managed in new ways. We call these "emergent brands" and took inspiration from them while building a framework for General Mills that was designed specifically for brands that have a long history and operate at a massive scale. This framework helps brands center themselves around an enduring human truth and find growth paths by observing and capitalizing on cultural shifts. We worked closely with the Brand Experience and Knowledge teams to not only build this framework, but create an entire process and curriculum for rolling it out to the entire organization.
This work culminated in a 3-day "Building Iconic Brands" workshop and a series of books and other materials to support the rollout. Through interactive exercises and real-life brand challenges, this workshop empowered teams to align their work with a renewed, culturally aware vision for each brand.
“We’re proud to be putting these new strategies into practice on truly iconic brands. In the last few years brand-building has felt like a lost art, so it’s incredibly exciting to see General Mills reinvest in branding for a new era.”
Christian Erickson, Chief Executive Officer and Partner at Zeus Jones
The Outcome
A new path to growth and cultural relevance for brands.
The Building Iconic Brands initiative is already making a difference across General Mills. Teams have rapidly integrated the framework into the brand development process, and Zeus Jones has been a key strategy partner in updating legacy brands like Cheerios and Nature Valley.
Our collaboration has paved the way for a long-term partnership between General Mills and Zeus Jones, including the formation of a growth lab dedicated to driving future brand innovation. General Mills is now positioned not just to meet today’s challenges, but to anticipate and lead future shifts in culture.
Our team
Alyssa Feuerer
Anna Evenson
Christian Erickson
David MacDonald
Denzel Boyd
Ilana Horwitz
Jason Zabel
Morgan Hay-Chapman
Sarah Youngquist
Steve McPherson
