General Mills Chief Brand Officer Brad Hiranaga: Marketers have 'the opportunity and responsibility' to impact growth and good

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When General Mills Chief Brand Officer Brad Hiranaga found himself the center of attention at his teenage son’s basketball practice, he wasn’t sure why. 

His son’s friends had never cared about Hiranaga’s job: “They would be like, ‘Whatever, your dad makes cereal.’”  

But that day, the seemingly humdrum world of selling cereal collided with pop culture in a partnership with ultra-famous celebrity Travis Scott. 

Reese’s Puffs had just debuted a special-edition cereal box (Travis Scott action figure depicted on the cover) in partnership with the musician. The $50 boxes sold out in 30 seconds. 

“Any commercial I've ever made — never had a kid talk to me about that,” Hiranaga says. “I know I'm doing something right when those kids are really interested.”

As the top marketer at the 150-year-old parent company to brands like Lucky Charms and Häagen-Dazs, Hiranaga hopes to stay true to the roots of storied brands like Wheaties and Cheerios, while being splashy enough to appeal to new customers. 

“It's so easy to lose relevancy,” Hiranaga says. “[It’s] a constant job to make sure that you're understanding what your brand stands for.” 

Partnerships like the Travis Scott-Reese’s Puffs team-up illustrate Hiranaga’s focus on having General Mills brands intersect with — and often create — culture. 

“Everything is partnership-driven nowadays,” Hiranaga says, adding that finding a great partner is about navigating your way into culture while staying true to your brand’s purpose. True opportunity lies in mixing genres like sports, retail, music and gaming, he says. 

Some of Hiranaga’s buzzy brand moments have come from collaborations. On International Women’s Day, Betty Crocker launched its “BettyLab” platform, which combines kitchen experiments with chemistry lessons (think: testing the pH scale in lemonade). It also announced a team-up with the Barbie Dream Gap Project, “a global initiative to give girls the resources and support they need to continue believing in themselves.” One goal of the collaboration was to continue building girls’ confidence in science, technology, engineering and math. 

Hiranaga points to how expectations of a company’s role in society have changed in a post-COVID world: “Brands have become more focused on understanding consumer challenges and more intentional about solving real problems for them.”

Below, he shares more of his story.

1. What has had the most impact on your perspective as a marketer?

My love of brands and passion for learning was sparked as a kid in Portland, Oregon. Having Nike, one of the world's best brands, in my backyard had a lasting impression on me.

Growing up in a bi-cultural family from Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest also had a lasting impact. The importance of appreciating differences and similarities between cultures, communities and perspectives was ingrained at an early age, and social responsibility played an integral part in both cultures. This helped shape my perspective as I stepped into the marketing world, realizing early on that it’s about more than just marketing—it’s about making real, human connections with the people we serve.

Jumping ahead to the ambiguity and raw emotion this past year cultivated for nearly everyone, as marketers, we were forced to show up every day with intentionality to really identify consumer needs and help solve problems for them. And that is something that will have a significant impact on the way I continue to lead and build brands as a marketer.

2. What’s changed the most about your job as a marketer over the course of your career?

The most significant change I’ve experienced in my career as a marketer happened over the past year. The onset of COVID-19 created so much fear and uncertainty. And then shortly after, when racial injustice came to the forefront following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis—right in the backyard of many General Mills employees—nearly everyone was left to adjust to a new normal way of life at home and at work, while trying to navigate the reality and emotional impact of racial injustice.

The dual pandemic, major digital and technology acceleration, and a slowing economy began to accelerate what people needed and expected from brands. The experiences people wanted quickly evolved to those that created the most value for their lives. Consumers turned to brands for simple solutions like what to eat for dinner, to larger societal issues like speaking up and taking action against racial injustice. Throughout the course of a year, brands have become more focused on understanding consumer challenges and more intentional about solving real problems for them.

We are in such a pivotal time where the role of a marketer has evolved to creating experiences that drive better culture, better business, and a better world. Marketers have the opportunity and responsibility to impact both good and growth across an organization, which makes it an incredibly exciting and inspiring time to be a part of this industry. 

3. What’s the hardest part of a marketer’s job today?

Finding the balance between meeting consumer needs today while investing in longer-term growth opportunities. Marketers have the responsibility to continuously drive results today while creating the future in a changing, uncertain world. It cannot be one or the other—it requires an “and” mindset to do both well.

In organizations, marketers have the deepest knowledge of the people they serve, set the aspiration for the brand to achieve its purpose, and know-how best to drive growth. So, we’re faced with the unique opportunity to create a collective desire—helping everyone in the organization head the same direction by connecting silos and creating uncommon collaborations. When we show up this way, we ignite growth in our brands and in our people.

4. Tell us about the marketing campaign you’re most proud of working on in your career.

Six years ago, we launched a Totino’s pizza rolls campaign on 4/20 in Denver, Colorado, following the legalization of marijuana. The campaign, Pizza Rolls are Better when Baked, showed the power of an idea rooted around a consumer and brand truth. The team embraced the paradox and made Totino’s a brand that could shape culture and be commercially successful, which gave us the confidence to keep innovating how we build brands.

While the 4/20 idea, activation and results were awesome, what I’m most proud of is that it pushed our marketing organization to take a big step forward and increase the possibilities of our marketing. The creativity from the Totino’s team paved the way and created space for all of our brands to modernize our marketing—raising the bar to create culture instead of just ads. 

5. What’s a marketing campaign you wish you’d thought of and why? 

Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign. As I mentioned earlier, growing up in the Pacific Northwest next to Nike’s headquarters had a lasting impression on me. Partially because I loved Nike products and was always sporting their logo, but also because of the deeper meaning and purpose behind their brand.

As a marketer, I appreciate how Nike’s “Just Do It” platform has evolved over the years while still remaining true to who they are as a brand and standing behind the purpose to move the world forward through the power of sport—breaking barriers and building community to change the game for all. With the fight against racial injustice that came to the forefront over the past year, I admire how the brand further evolved its platform to take a stand, making the commitment to strengthen its focus of Black History Month through investing in the community and creating platforms for athletes to raise their voices. And this year, they’re taking the focus off their product, and turning it to advocacy and action—listening to Black athletes and using the platform sport creates to drive meaningful change.

The brand and “Just Do It” philosophy is just as relevant today as it was at its inception over 30 years ago, which I think is a testament to the impact they’ve been able to have by remaining genuine and true to their core mission—something for all brands to aspire to achieve. 

6. What’s your must read, watch or listen for all marketers?

I have two must-reads to share. The first is Good is the New Cool by Afdhel Aziz. Not only do I admire Afdhel for the human he is and the way he shows up in the world, but this book is the gold standard for how marketers should be integrating good into the heart of their brands. 

The second is The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It’s a book about kindness and compassion that intertwines a simple philosophy about understanding humanity and life—all relevant and important reminders after this last year. It is good for ages 5 to 105, and I’ve loved reading it to my boys and sharing it with my teams. 

7. What’s an under the radar brand you’re watching and why?

NOCTA. It’s a debut collection of Nike’s sublabel with Drake that instantly sold out once released late in 2020. Drake’s collaborative brand with Nike includes stylish and tactical gear that is already getting ingrained into street culture. I always learn a lot from the way new youth brands are launched and gain cultural appeal so quickly. I am also interested in how big brand companies are able to be intrapreneurs and innovate to create new brands with new business models, go-to-market strategies and kick-ass marketing.

 8. Name a product you can’t live without (that doesn’t connect you to the internet) and tell us why.

In all truth, one of my favorite products and brands is Lucky Charms. They are magical. And they are delicious.

Since Lucky Charms coincidentally happens to be a General Mills product, I’ll mention one more. My Patagonia jacket. While my family lives on Maui, for some reason I’ve lived in Portland, Seattle, and Minneapolis, so having good gear for the rain and snow is critical to happiness. I love their coats, and as a marketer, I love their mission—to save our home planet. When a company can combine remarkable products, a purposeful brand, and lofty ambition for good, it creates loyalty for life. 

9. Finish this sentence. If I weren’t a marketer, I would be…

An aspiring, but likely unemployed, actor. I love the arts and expressing myself creatively, and I grew up playing the piano and drawing. I tried theater in high school during my senior year, and I was cast as the peddler in our school’s production of “Oklahoma!” I thought my acting career was on the fast track to Hollywood … until the director cut my solo after she heard me sing it. Queue my career in marketing.

10. Finish this sentence: The marketer I most want to see do this questionnaire is…

Aisea Laungaue, Partner, Chief Strategy Officer at Anomaly LA.

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