It’s so easy to look at a piece of news or a brand’s latest move / innovation and form a ‘view’ on it by only looking at one side of the picture.

We recommend that you read the latest piece in The Grocer on Post Cereals’ Honey Bunches of Oats launch in the UK, in which Alex Waters is again quoted this time in reference to the possibility that Weetabix owners Lion Capital are looking to acquire Post to build a US presence – which emphasises the strategic opportunity for the brand not just of its potential relevance to consumers through a multi-occasion cereal but also of the impact that a UK presence could have for this US brand that’s potentially up for acquisition.

We think this is a great example of the tactical use of a brand for both brand growth and business strategy.

Ever since we opened our New York office, both our UK and NY teams have been even more interested than usual in brands which exist and/or launch on both sides of the pond.

A recent example of this is Post cereal’s Honey Bunches of Oats launch into the UK, going up against existing giants such as Nestle and Kellogg’s.  In such a seemingly saturated market do we think this new sugary cereal has a hope of gaining any traction in the UK? And how will its different communications on ‘health’ fare against the UK’s health norms on pack?

In this article from The Grocer you can find Alex Waters, President of The Value Engineers North America, sharing his thoughts on the launch and the brand’s absolute need for differentiation to succeed in the UK.

So…how do you think Honey Bunches of Oats will do?

Following up from yesterday’s PR news in The Times we have further good news today: our director Alex Waters has been quoted in this weeks The Grocer commenting on the Young’s partnership deal with GO3 and David Beckham’s brand endorsement.

“Beckham’s presence would succeed in livening up the “bland” frozen category, agreed The Value Engineers director Alex Waters, although he questioned the superstar’s food credentials. “People are now beginning to understand omega-3 is brain food but this is undermined by the link to Beckham, who is more about athletic prowess,” he said. “He has huge pulling power, though, and is still a bankable endorsement for brands.”

Read the full article on The Grocer online.