The CEO of Kellogg’s is under fire for endorsing a tone-deaf campaign aimed at low-income families, sparking widespread backlash.
Recently on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, CEO Gary Pilnick discussed Kellogg’s 2022 ‘Cereal for Dinner‘ campaign, featuring popular cereals like Corn Flakes and Fruit Loops, with a message encouraging consumers to ‘give chicken the night off.'”
“The cereal category has always been quite affordable, and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure,” said Pilnick. “If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do, that’s going to be much more affordable.”
Pilnick nonchalantly dismissed concerns about the campaign’s potential negative impact on consumers when asked if it might ‘land the wrong way.’
“We don’t think so. In fact, it’s landing really well right now,” he replied. “Cereal for dinner is something that is probably more on trend now, and we would expect [it] to continue as that consumer is under pressure.”
However, users on social media pointed out the wealth disparity reflected in Pilnick’s comments, discussing the impact of inflation on rising food costs, and expressed concerns about the health implications of frequently opting for cereal as a dinner substitute.
“This fool [is] making four million bucks a year. You think he’s feeding his kids cereal for dinner?” said one TikTok user.
“I wonder if he thinks cereal is a nutritious enough dinner for his own family?” wrote an X user, who shared a screenshot of Pilnick’s $4 million annual salary.
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