GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Cereal giant Kellogg Company plans to capitalize on the newfound mass appeal of two American traditions this spring when it places one of professional bass fishing’s brightest stars, Clark Wendlandt, on a special collectors edition Kellogg’s Corn Flakes box with NASCAR great Terry Labonte.
The limited edition box featuring 2000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Angler of the Year Clark Wendlandt and former NASCAR Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte will hit Wal-Mart store shelves this month. This special packaging is the first major promotion to build on the synergy between these highly popular sports that are known for attracting extremely loyal customers.
“We believe that fans of both sports will be pleased with the collectors box,” said Irwin L. Jacobs, chairman of Operation Bass, the company responsible for running the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. “Both sports are very popular throughout the nation, and they appeal to a similar demographic group. The pairing of Clark and Terry offers consumers the best of both worlds.”
While NASCAR is one of the most popular spectator sports in the nation, fishing boasts more hands-on appeal. Fishing, in fact, ranks as the fifth most popular participation sport in the country with more than 55 million Americans annually wetting a line – that’s more than the number of people who play golf and tennis combined.
Wendlandt, a 35-year-old Texan from Cedar Park, started fishing competitively in 1987 after graduating from Texas A&M University. He rose steadily through the professional ranks and won the All-American Bass Championship in 1992. In 1997, he joined the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. That same year, he won the tour’s Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title for the first time. He won his second title in 2000 before joining the newly formed Kellogg fishing team. Wendlandt, the father of two children – Emily, 7, and Katie, 4 – is the only angler to ever win the title twice.
Now in his ninth year behind the wheel of the Kellogg Chevrolet, Labonte holds the NASCAR record for consecutive starts at 655, stands seventh on the all-time money-winning list and is a two-time series champion with 21 career victories.
Last year Wendlandt was featured on boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Frosted Mini-Wheats after clinching the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title with a seventh place showing at the $1 million Forrest Wood Open in Florence, Ala., on June 23.
“It’s absolutely fantastic to be featured on the Kellogg’s box with a driver like Terry, who has won the NASCAR Winston Cup championship twice,” Wendlandt said. “It’s a great honor for me and the sport I represent.”
Besides Wendlandt, who has earned a record 12 Wal-Mart FLW Tour top-10 finishes, 1999 Angler of the Year David Walker of Cannon, Ky., has been featured on Kellogg’s packaging. The new Kellogg’s Corn Flakes box featuring Wendlandt and Labonte is the fourth Kellogg’s package in two years to feature the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year.
“Kellogg’s featuring Clark and Terry on the same box is a clear testament to how far competitive fishing has come,” Jacobs said. “Kellogg and other major sponsors have recognized the untapped marketing power of the sport in terms of its loyal fan base and wholesome, family-oriented appeal.”
The 2001 Wal-Mart FLW Tour is the most lucrative bass tournament series history. Each event features custom NASCAR-style Ranger boats emblazoned with sponsor logos and matching Chevy Silverado tow vehicles. The boats and trucks are each dedicated to a single sponsor for maximum impact.
Sponsors of the $4.45 million 2001 Wal-Mart FLW Tour are ALPO Pet Foods, BFGoodrich Tires, Black & Decker, Chevrolet, CITGO, Coleman, Conseco, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm, Kellogg Company, Land O’Lakes, Lowrance, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Pepsi, Plano Tackle Systems, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers Cruncher Bar, Timex, US Bank, Visa, Wal-Mart, Weed Eater, Wrangler and Yamaha Outboards.
With sales of nearly $7 billion, the Kellogg Company is the world’s leading producer of ready-to-eat cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including toaster pastries, cereal bars, frozen waffles and veggie foods. Kellogg products are manufactured in 20 countries and marketed in more than 160 countries around the world.
For more information, visit the Kellogg Web site at www.kelloggs.com.