To draw attention to the disappearing bees, we did the unthinkable for a packaged goods brand. We made our beloved bee mascot disappear off the Honey Nut Cheerios box and OOH ads for the first time in the brand’s history.

We also ran a powerful video hosted on Youtube that would spark conversation, and kicked off the campaign at Canada Blooms – Canada’s largest spring garden event.

And we didn’t just stop at putting a spotlight on the problem. We also offered a real tangible solution by pledging to give away 35 million free wildflower seeds through our website – one for every Canadian – so that Canadians can plant the seeds for a bee friendly habitat.

Spokesperson Media Tour: World-renowned entomologist and TED Talks star, Marla Spivak, was enlisted as our campaign spokesperson. Championing the cause and lending credibility to the brand, she toured media in Toronto and was interviewed by several national outlets prior the official launch of the campaign.

Canada Blooms Activation: Tapping into a passionate and eco-friendly 50+ audience, we created a unique brand presence and media moment for Honey Nut Cheerios at Canada’s largest garden show. Seed packs were also sampled and media and consumers previewed the campaign video.

“Buzzmaker” and Media Outreach: In the week leading up to the campaign launch, packages containing key campaign information, seed packs and Honey Nut Cheerios cereal boxes were sent to key influencers across Canada. The campaign video was also shared with them in advance. At launch, a press release was distributed and interview opportunities with our brand spokesperson were offered.

The missing bee generated plenty of buzz.

From Time Magazine to NBC, facebook to twitter, commuter radio to breakfast television, everyone was talking about Honey Nut Cheerios and the missing bee. And people weren’t just talking they were joining in.

Within just 10 days 35 Million seeds were distributed through the website, full 2 months sooner than projected, making Honey Nut Cheerios raise their goal to 100 million seeds.

The campaign generated over 200 online and offline news stories, 250 Million social impressions and over 4 million video views. All in the first 10 days.