Robert Opie Collection

I think I can honestly say that this museum visit has probably been my favourite of any museum I have ever been to. It was full of old packaging, advertisements, toys, games, clothes, furniture, food, cosmetics and basically everyday products and appliances which we use everyday and which are all branded, but we don't even notice as the names and logos are so familiar.

It was funny to see all the packs of traditional brands like Cadbury Roses, Johnson's Talc, Marmite, Kellogg's Cornflakes and Heinz Baked beans dating from the very first packaging to the one we are used to today. It was also interesting to see how although materials used for the packaging had usually changed from glass and tins, to cardboard and plastic, the imagery, colours and brand logo all remained consistent, building up in our head a familiar and trustworthy brand which we have grown up with and will continue buying as we have become confident and brand loyal.

I have decided to focus on the Kellog’s brand as I feel it is something we all grow up with from been a baby and no matter what your diet you cant escape Kellogg’s food.

Kellogg's was founded as the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company on February 19, 1906, by Will Keith Kellogg and his brother John Harvey Kellogg at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. The invention of Kellogg's cornflakes which started the whole corporation was in fact an accident. The brothers were part of a Christian group, the seventh day Adventists, who were strict vegetarians, had no alcohol, tobacco, or caffeine and believed that spicy or sweet foods would increase passions so ate only tasteless foods such as oats, corn and rice.

On August 8th, 1894 the brothers accidentally left some wheat out while they went to work and when they got back they found that the wheat had gone stale, but as they didn't have a lot of money they decided to continue to prepare and eat it anyway by forcing it through rollers, hoping to obtain long sheets of dough. However, what they actually got were flakes, which they toasted and the first cornflake was made.

On April 14th, 1896 a patent was filed for the cornflakes and from then on the invention has been accredited to the bothers. In 1906 the brand tried to mass market cornflakes and added sugar to them to appeal to a wider audience and they also started experimenting with other grains and in 1928 Rice Crispies were invented. Since then Kellogg's have invented many many more products, such as Frosted Flakes, Nutri-grain, Special K, Coco pop's, All Bran and Fruit n' Fibre. The company saw decline in it figures in the early 80's so decided to advertise the "health benefits" and convenience of their cereals and this led to a 26% rise in cereal buying among 25-49 year olds in the US and their profits rose from $3.7 billion in 1983, to $5.4 billion in 1988.

Kellogg's as a brand has a very wide and varied consumer base, both men and women, young and old, they make a product to suit everyone. Most children are brought up eating different cereals like Frosties and rice crispies, and many of the character cereals Kellogg's sell through a partnership with Disney and the Simpsons creators. Not only are the cereals endorsed by favourite children's characters's, they are sweet and tasty and many often contain free toys and offers, making them irresistible to children. For adults as well they are seen as a cheap, convenient and healthy start to the day for their children. As we grow up we usually stick with the products we have always eaten and grown up around, however Kellogg's also markets some of its products towards adults, such as Fruit n' Fibre, Special K and All Bran as they are seen as nutritious and Special K especially is marketed as a weight loss product, which appeals a lot to women.

On their website Kellogg's have a whole section devoted to their values and commitment to the environment as try to portray a very positive view of the company. They say the company has a commitment to integrity and ethics, pride in the brand and its heritage, seeks to serve and delight consumers through the quality of the products and services, promotes and protects their reputation, is committed to continuous improvement and are willing to change.

Kellogg's have also been trying hard to reduce their environmental impact across the world and becoming more green. By sharing transport they have cut road miles by 270000 between 2006-09, reduced global waste by 41.5% per tonne since 2005 and have goals to further this, reduced emissions by 10% since 2005, reduced water use by 17% since 2005 and all their packaging is recyclable. All these measures have been put into place as part of long term goals and a plan for Kellogg's to become more green and preserve its friendly, family loved appearance and so far it seems to have worked!