Buzz the bee mascot for Honey Nut Cheerios has gone missing. The cereal character is out to save the real bees.

In a superb example of cause marketing with an inspired product tie-in, General Mills temporarily removed the picture of the bee mascot from boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios in Canadian stores.

Cereal boxes show a white silhouette in place of the Buzz character. It’s part of a campaign called BringBackTheBees.ca designed to raise awareness of the worldwide deterioration of bee colony health. The move quickly drew extensive media coverage in both Canada and the U.S.

“As a marketer, when you look at what’s really driving liking to the brand, Buzz is right up there with the product and the honey,” says Emma Eriksson, director of marketing for General Mills Canada in a company blog post. “So, to take Buzz off the box was a bold–and a little bit scary–move. But it’s worth it to draw attention to the cause that bees are disappearing.”

General Mills will give away 35 million wildflower seeds to Canadians interested in planting them. Consumers who participate also will be entered to win one of five garden makeovers.

A Simple Call to Action

“We wanted one simple action that all Canadians could get behind,” Eriksson said. “We learned that bee nutrition is a fundamental issue and that getting people to plant wildflowers could have a huge impact. It’s an easy, tangible way they can help – and it can be a fun, family activity as well.”

A third of our food is made possible by the natural pollination of bees. In the winter of 2014, Ontario beekeepers lost 58% of the province’s honeybee population. After the winter of 2015, 16% of all Canadian bee colonies were lost, 38% in Ontario.

The cereal maker has a natural link to bees because of its honey ingredient, but the larger issue is the world’s food supply, she said.

For added authority, the blog post quotes an entomologist who supports the initiative. “The goal of planting 35 million wildflowers will go a long way toward helping provide the natural habitat and food supply that is essential for healthy, sustainable bee colonies,” said Maria Spivak, professor of entomology at the University of Minnesota.

A Comprehensive Campaign

The BringBackTheBees campaign also features a new TV commercial, an online video, and a dedicated website, according to Adweek. GM will also give out 50,000 Veseys wildflower seed packets at the Canada Blooms festival.

“General Mills’ decision to draw attention to the issue of declining bee populations marks the continuation of its commitment to purpose-based marketing, which means brands will go beyond traditional statements such as product benefit in order to align with what’s really important to consumers” Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer of Cossette, the agency supporting the campaign,  told Adweek. “By taking the bold step of removing a well-established brand symbol from its packaging, General Mills is further challenging marketing’s conventional thinking to underscore its point.”

The campaign may be in General Mills’ self-interest to at least some degree. As Mashable noted, General Mills relies on pollinators to grow the grains that make Cheerios and bees to make the honey that coats them.

Bottom Line: General Mills Canada’s  decision to temporarily remove Buzz, the mascot for its Honey Nut Cereal, from cereal boxes is a bold and innovative way to publicize the plight of bees. Although most marketers may lack the deep resources of General Mills, they can examine its campaign as a leading example of cause marketing.