General Mills Drops Betty Crocker Rewards

General Mills puts its muscle behind Boxtops for Education instead

General Mills is phasing out its Betty Crocker Rewards program to concentrate on the broader Boxtops for Education program.

For 44 years, Mills has put Betty Crocker points on product packages for shoppers to collect, then redeem via print catalog or online, for dishes, silverware, kitchen appliances and accessories, and decorative items. Mills will print its last catalog this year, and starting in 2007 will accept points online only for a limited selection of merchandise until its inventory runs out. The company expects to sell through most of its inventory this year.

Meanwhile, Boxtops for Education gains momentum with monthly sweepstakes awarding bonus points to schools randomly chosen from all schools that submitted boxtops that month. The umbrella campaign encompasses most of General Mills' brands, including Progresso, also gets occasional brand-specific promotional overlays. Snack brand Bugles is reprising its Crunch to the Finish sweeps that awards 100,000 bonus points and a trip for four to an October NASCAR race in Charlotte, NC.