Molly Baz, the cookbook author whose recent billboard for breastfeeding brand Swehl was deemed too spicy for Times Square, is following up that controversy with a new sponsorship.
Baz, in a timely alliance with Kellogg’s, will become the first pregnant woman to appear on a cereal box, specifically Special K. The partnership allows the breakfast staple to drift off the intense publicity around Baz for its ongoing campaign, “Special for a Reason,” with a goal of spotlighting “various inspiring individuals and sharing their stories,” per a news release from the company.
At the heart of the work, from agency Leo Burnett Chicago, is the image of Baz on Special K boxes for a limited time. The popular cook, recipe developer and content creator is wearing a bright red tracksuit with her name sewn on the front and a giant K on the back. A crop top sweater shows off her pregnant belly as she digs into a bowl of cereal.
Athletes to everyday people
Like its competitor, Wheaties from General Mills, Special K may be better known for featuring high-profile athletes on its packaging, ranging from figure skater Nathan Chen and Paralympic snowboarder Mike Schultz to Simone Biles and her gold medal-winning gymnastics teammates from the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
But the foray into everyday—albeit newly internet famous—folks is a shift for Special K’s prized real estate, with a brand statement saying that the campaign with Baz aims to “serve as a role model for the empowerment of expectant mothers nationwide.”
Baz says she’s a longtime fan of the brand, “a diehard Special K girlie,” according to the news release.
“If you know me, you know I am a freak for cereal,” per Baz’s statement. “Cereal got me through pregnancy in a very real way.”