• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, February 7, 2012

The latest promotion for General Mills’ Big G Cereals combines a limited-time revival of ’80s packaging and tie-ins with Atari’s 40th anniversary.

This is the fifth year that Big G cereals have featured retro packaging exclusively in Target stores, each time picking a different decade to highlight.

“Our consumers love the nostalgic aspect – it takes them back to their childhoods,” says Tara Johnson, integrated marketing communications manager for General Mills, adding that the ’80s is experiencing something of a general revival at present.

Meanwhile, kids should get a charge out of the backs of the boxes, which feature Atari graphics such as Asteroids, Centipede and Missile Command, plus trivia, games and activities.

The participating brands (specific sizes only) are Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cheerios and Cocoa Puffs.

The promotion is being supported by banner ads on targeted sites; outreach through General Mills’ blogger network, MyBlogSpark; and a Twitter party timed to coincide with the boxes’ on-shelf debut on Feb. 7.

“The retro boxes always drive a lot of sharing, and Atari will add another layer to that,” notes Johnson.

People are also being driven to General Mills’ GrocerySavvy.com site, which offers recipes, coupons, promotions and product information. There, kids can play Atari’s Centipede game. (There’s also a link to Atari.com’s arcade, where games are available for purchase or free downloading.)

Those registered for GrocerySavvy’s “Insider’s Club” can also enter a sweepstakes offering prizes such Atari Arcade duo Powered joysticks (made to work with the iPad), Atari T-shirts and Target gift cards.

As previously reported in Marketing Daily, several Big G brands also are promoting free “Star Wars” characters inside boxes in grocery stores throughout the country, to tie in with the Feb. 10 theatrical release of “Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace 3D.”

General Mills CMO Mark Addicks recently told USA Today that he’s working with Google, Facebook, Apple and other tech companies to update the concept of offering premiums inside cereal boxes. One alternative: Let kids see “visual surprises” by scanning QR codes on boxes with smartphones.

Another possibility: using on-pack apps (already being employed for Betty Crocker and Yoplait products). "You point to a logo and things start to appear," Addicks explained. "Maybe some functional content will pop up on a cake-mix box, or you might see entertainment and games coming from a cereal box. What I'm hoping for is pure entertainment."