Baz designed the packaging with her husband, saying she’s “thrilled to use this moment as a billboard and platform where we can celebrate the mind-blowing miracle of pregnancy and motherhood that is happening around us all.”
Moms past, present and future
On the back of the cereal boxes, a written statement from Baz says pregnancy “and the journey it entails should be celebrated for all that is it: exciting, scary, messy, uncomfortable, unpredictable, beautiful and transformative. So does Special K. But this isn’t about me—this is about all mothers: past, present and future. This box celebrates all of us.”
And in copy that subtly references the recent hubbub, either intentionally or not, Baz suggests that women “get those big, beautiful preggo bellies out in the open for the world to see ‘em!”
Special K previously featured a pregnant woman in its marketing, which ran afoul of the Advertising Standards Authority in the U.K. The 2019 TV spot from Leo Burnett implied that its folic acid content could help prevent birth defects in fetuses, per the ASA, which banned the ad for exaggerating health claims.
Kellogg’s execs said at the time that Special K, if consumed daily, could be an important way for women of childbearing age to maintain folic acid levels.
As part of “Special for a Reason,” Kellogg’s will donate $25,000 to nonprofit group United Way. The money is earmarked for the organization’s Women United program that supports women and girls.