• Ad Age, Friday, August 29, 2008 11:30 AM

When General Mill unveiled gymnast Nastia Liukin and decathlete Brian Clay as the Olympic-faces-to-be on its Wheaties boxes Thursday, the bigger news was who wasn't going to be munching the Breakfast of Champions this year. That's because eight-time gold medalist Michael Phelps has been signed by Kellogg's to grace its Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes boxes.

The PR coup comes as Phelps rides an almost unprecedented wave of publicity. He has, for instance, agreed to appear on "Saturday Night Live" and MTV's Video Music Awards. General Mills spokeswoman Shelly Dvorak is quick to point out that although Phelps won't be on Wheaties boxes this year, he was in 2004.

A Kellogg spokeswoman declines to comment about how the deal was crafted and what role Phelps might play in the company's overall health-and-wellness initiatives. But Marta Cyhan, vp-global promotions at Kellogg, notes that Phelps "embodies the values behind" the company's Earn Your Stripes program, an initiative it has used to promote physical activity.

Read the whole story at Ad Age »