WWE, Superstar John Cena Team Up With Post Pebbles Cereal
Jan. 8, 2013 – Beginning today (for a limited time), WWE Superstar John Cena and Bamm-Bamm will replace Fred Flintstone on the front of more than 8 million Post Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles cereal boxes as part of a promotional partnership between Post Foods and WWE. Pebbles Cereal, WWE and John Cena started their partnership in 2012 after WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson teased Cena about the brightly colored ring gear he wore, saying Cena looked like he was “running around like a big bowl of Fruity Pebbles.” This led to fans chanting “Fruity Pebbles” in arenas whenever Cena would enter the ring.
In January 2012, Post printed more than 3 million Fruity Pebbles cereal boxes featuring Cena, including a sweepstakes to meet the WWE Superstar. Partnering with John Cena to communicate the powerful taste of Fruity Pebbles cereal resulted in the highest redeeming on pack promotion in recent Post history.
“Given the strength and fit of the two properties, we knew that the partnership would be successful since both brands share common consumer demographics,” said Sharon Pupel, Director of Marketing at Post. “WWE broadcasts are largely a family viewing event with more parents watching WWE with their children than any other sports league.”
Post decided to build on the partnership in 2013 with WWE and John Cena. Cena is more prominent on the packaging and developed several other marketing initiatives, such as a sweepstakes via the PebblesMania.com interactive gaming site to win tickets and a VIP experience to WWE’s WrestleMania 30 in 2014. During the 2013 back-to-school shopping season, Post will produce another 5 million packages of Pebbles cereal featuring a fun photo app where fans can create picture of themselves with Cena. Other initiatives include tailgating-like experiences at three major WWE events in 2013, starting with Royal Rumble on January 27.
“It’s been a life-long dream to be on a cereal box and I’m proud to represent WWE as part of our partnership with Post,” said Cena. “It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by Post, and I’m looking forward to joining millions of families at their breakfast table across the country.”