Wheaties

Big companies like Kellogg's and General Mills have taken many steps to try to boost flagging cereal sales. They've launched new brands (Tiny Toast), removed artificial ingredients, and even opened a gourmet cereal café in Manhattan's Times Square.

But cereal sales remain, well, pretty soggy, largely because young consumers in particular have shifted to quicker on-the-go breakfast options like protein bars or fast food. In one survey, 40% of millennials said cereal is too difficult to eat because it requires preparation (add milk), two hands (rather than just one for a breakfast burrito), and the need to clean up afterward.

Wheaties, once a standout in the cereal market for boxes featuring iconic sports heroes, is one of many cereal brands that has been dying a slow death for years. And sure enough, General Mills, which owns the "Breakfast of Champions" brand, has attempted some bizarre marketing initiatives with the hopes of gaining Wheaties some attention in today's noisy marketplace. Not long ago, the company introduced a limited-edition Wheaties-theme craft beer, called HefeWheaties.