Buzz
Since the advent of dry, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, people have enjoyed them straight from the box or incorporated them into creative recipes, such as Rice Krispies Treats.
The challenge was that cereal consumption was largely confined to breakfast. Early 1990s research by General Mills revealed that just 7% of cereal buyers consumed it outside of morning hours. The company aimed to boost snack-time cereal consumption, hoping to surpass Kellogg as the leading cereal brand.
In 1993, after extensive research, General Mills unveiled Fingos, a hexagonal cereal designed to be eaten by hand, marking their bold attempt to capture the snack market.
The dilemma between snack and cereal
At first glance, Fingos didn’t stand out as a snack more than a cereal. Its uniquely shaped pieces—offered in toasted honey nut or cinnamon flavors—shared a similar nutritional and ingredient makeup as most lightly sweetened cereals. Slightly bigger than corn flakes but smaller than potato chips, Fingos could just as easily be poured into milk like any other cereal. The key distinction was General Mills’ push for consumers to enjoy it dry.
Advertisements described it as a “cereal designed to be eaten with your fingers,” backed by a $34 million campaign, one of the biggest promotional efforts for a cereal debut.
“We’re redefining cereal advertising to change how people think about using cereal,” Barry Davis, the marketing manager for General Mills’ Big G cereals at the time, explained to The New York Times.
By marketing Fingos as a dry snack, General Mills aimed to counter the trend of consumers skipping breakfast or choosing healthier options like yogurt. They believed encouraging people to snack on cereal throughout the day would compensate for the decline in traditional breakfast consumption.
Entering the snack industry
Despite challenges in the breakfast sector, it remained highly profitable. The dry cereal market was valued at $8 billion annually, with over 210 cereals competing for the attention of 97% of households that bought cereal. Capturing even 1% of this market would mean an $80 million success, potentially helping General Mills, with its 29.5% market share, surpass Kellogg’s 37%.
To boost Fingos’ appeal, General Mills created a uniquely designed package with a wider top for easy hand access. They also introduced single-serving packs in vending machines, a space typically dominated by snacks like potato chips. The box featured a cheerful, animated character voiced by Steve Mackall, who channeled Robin Williams’ Genie from 1992’s Aladdin.
“How wholesome am I?” the Fingos mascot quipped. “Read my hips,” it added, playfully highlighting its nutritional details.
With 110 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving, Fingos wasn’t marketed as a health snack, given the saturated market. Instead, its unique cereal-snack hybrid identity set it apart. Focus group results supported this strategy, with only 1% of participants choosing to eat it with milk.
Got milk?
Focus group success didn’t translate to reality. When Fingos launched nationwide in spring 1993, consumers were confused. If it was a snack, why wasn’t it in the snack aisle? If it was cereal, why market it like chips?
The biggest issue with Fingos was that consumers didn’t need encouragement to eat cereal dry. This habit applied to almost every cereal. Ignoring its appeal with milk didn’t enhance its snackability.
Fingos flopped, consuming its $34 million marketing budget and leaving little for General Mills, which discontinued it by 1994. Luckily, they had Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs in development, a product that remains popular today under the name Reese's Puffs.
Interestingly, Fingos had an awkward translation in Hungarian. Fing means fart, which would have branded the snack as farto if it ever reached that market.
