I remember as a kid studying the back of the cereal box, doing the puzzles or planning how I could eat 10 boxes of Fruit Loops in one sitting so I could have the required 10 proof-of-purchases to get the Tucan Sam walkman, or whatever. Or, I would read about the free prize buried at the bottom of the cereal bag, fail to contain my excitement, and ultimately dig my grubby 10 year-old hand into the cereal to sift out the trinket. Fun!
This morning, I opened up my $1.60 box of Jewel Apple Cinnamon Toasted Oats to be offered another kind of surprise — a free trip down guilt lane!
Front of box:
Back of box:
“Imagine all the things you could do instead of watching television! Unplug the tube and grab your family!“
That’s right: Jewel’s cheap-ass Apple Jacks knockoff (let’s not lie) not only taste disappointing, but make you feel like a disappointment.
I don’t know about you, but this back panel reeks of condescension. Also, is it really the child’s job to gather round the family and sign them up to volunteer at a soup kitchen? It’s as if the box designer was like, “Hmmm…what do I put on here to entertain the little nippers as they eat this sugar-coated wheat starch? Oh I know: Guilt and Shame.”
Bring back the free prizes!
Poor kids today. Their parents feed them crap like Apple Cinnamon Toasted Oats and plop them in front of the TV, and now even their cereal box is mad at them for it. Geez. Perhaps someone should put advice like that on the backs of their parents Starbucks cups. ;)