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Image courtesy of kelloggs.co.uk.

According to a press release on the Kellogg’s UK website, the company "has developed high-tech method to stamp out imitation cereals by branding Corn Flakes with the company logo."

The famous signature will be burned on to a certain amount of individual flakes in each box using lasers. The energy density of the laser will give the surface of the branded flakes "a darker, toasted appearance without changing the taste."

So although it is meant to prevent "fake flakes" fraud, it also looks very cool, and one might get curious about whether this is really about protecting intellectual—or better yet, eatable—brand equity, or if the whole change is just a smart marketing move. Branding a formerly unbranded product in your bowl.

However, I can also imagine lots of people who might hate starring at hundreds of Kellogg’s logos every morning while still half-asleep. Knowing Kellogg’s they will have consumer-researched the move beforehand. But there might be a big difference between being exposed to the new flakes once in a 6 pm focus group compared to looking at them hundreds of times at 6 in the morning.

So hopefully the whole concept will not die the New Coke or Crystal Pepsi death, because at least from a branding perspective it makes a lot of sense, and one that others might want to follow using similar innovative production techniques.