Cheerios inspires Canadians to support Olympic athletes through new and interactive digital cheer platform

TORONTO - The Olympic Games in Beijing are quickly approaching, and Cheerios is putting the power of cheer in the hands of fans across Canada. Once again, athletes will be performing without the cheers of Canadian fans in the stands and now more than ever they are feeling the pressure and stress of representing our country. To help empower Team Canada and support Canadian athletes as they go for gold, Cheerios Cheer Cards are going digital. For the first time ever, boxes of Honey Nut, Multi-Grain and Yellow Box Cheerios will feature a QR code inviting fans to submit digital cheers to inspire and motivate Team Canada athletes.

"There are no other fans like Canadian fans when it comes to the Olympic Winter Games," says Mark McMorris, two-time Olympic snowboard medalist and one of Cheerios' partnered athletes. "I'm fortunate to be able to represent Canada and knowing everyone is tuned in and has my back is amazing. The support gives me the ultimate motivation, even if they can't be in the stands, it's powerful knowing they're watching and cheering me on from home."

Athletes motivate us, inspire us and entertain us, and in exchange, fans have the power to help them be their best. Which is why, alongside McMorris, Cheerios has partnered with Canadian winter athletes Sarah Nurse, Charles Hamelin, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Connor McDavid and Jane Channell to ensure they - and all Team Canada athletes - receive words of encouragement, uplifting messages, and positive support from their fans.

"Behind every athlete, there are thousands of passionate fans," says Jeevan Grewal, Brand Experience Manager of Cereal and Snacks, at General Mills Canada. "For the past 12 years, we've fostered a connection between athletes and fans through our Cheer Card program. This year, we wanted to find a way to deepen that connection and enable fans to share their cheer in new ways. We hope that they still feel the love and support from afar."

How to become a Champion of Cheer

1. Look for specially marked boxes of Yellow Box, Honey Nut and Multi-Grain Cheerios in grocery stores nationwide, while supplies last;
2. Scan the QR code and be transported into an interactive experience. Here, you can play interactive games, learn more about the athletes and ultimately, send your written or video cheer;
3. Your message or video will be directly sent to athletes and may be amplified by Cheerios on social media.

Cheer with Cheerios digitally

General Mills partnered with Blippar to create multiple AR experiences for some of their top selling brands. The AR experiences launched with their "Cheer" Campaign in support of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games.

AR allows customers to engage with their content in a fun way. To make the experience as easy as possible, they used QR codes on the front of packaging to drive customers to a landing page. This is where they can decide if they want to learn more about General Mills' 2022 Sponsored Athletes, participate in 1 of 6 unique fully interactive trivia and games, or send a Cheer to athletes.

The campaign is being promoted on-pack and through a variety of media channels, including television and social media.

Power of Cheer: An immersive experience in Olympic village

Going one step further, Cheerios is bringing fans' cheers all the way to Beijing through a custom 'Cheer Booth' set up in the Canadian Team's Athlete Lounge at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Village. This unique space will be covered in words of encouragement from fans across the country. Within the booth, athletes will be immersed in Cheer: seeing, hearing and experiencing the messages and videos from Canadian fans.

Extended partnership

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and General Mills Canada Corporation, the Official Cereal and Cereal Bar of Team Canada, also announced its partnership renewal through the end of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. For over a decade, Cheerios has inspired Canadians to share words of encouragement and over 100,000 Cheer Cards have been sent to Team Canada athletes.

"Now more than ever Team Canada athletes need the cheers from Canadians across the country as they make the final push to the Olympic Winter Games," said Jacquie Ryan, COC Chief Brand and Commercial Officer and the Canadian Olympic Foundation CEO. "We are thrilled to extend our long-standing partnership with General Mills and look forward to the new interactive digital platform for fans and athletes to connect and of course filling our cupboards with those iconic Cheerios boxes."

To learn more about the program, visit @CheeriosCA.