General Mills is planning to significantly increase its brand investment to keep it front and centre for consumers, which the company reported as it also unveiled tepid Q4 numbers.

The maker of Cheerios, Nature Valley and Blue Buffalo reported a bigger than expected slump in profits, thanks to its North American retail segment, but Canadian performance was robust.

Net sales for Canada were up 5% for fiscal 2024, while total net sales of $19.9 billion were down 1% from the prior year.

In the CPG’s prepared remarks, president and CEO Jeff Harmening says it has “stepped up the remarkability of our brand communication over the past four years,” adopting what he calls more modern marketing to engage with consumers.

“In fiscal ’25, we plan to significantly increase our brand investment to keep our brands front-and-center for consumers, featuring relevant campaigns and partnerships,” Harmening says.

For example, he mentioned that General Mills is sponsoring Olympians and Olympic Committees in key markets like Canada, as well as Great Britain and Australia to rally around athletes.

Stateside, it promises collaborations with NFL star brothers Travis and Jason Kelce, and comedian Pete Davidson to boost the fortunes of its Big G cereals and Totino’s pizza.

General Mills says it is also “doubling down” on its iconic brand assets, like the Pillsbury Doughboy, in a bid to inspire families to make memories together. The company promises it will highlight ingredient superiority in campaigns that support the premium positioning of Blue Buffalo pet food and Häagen-Dazs ice cream brands.

While Harmening acknowledged that its overall competitiveness fell short of expectations in fiscal 2024, driven by challenging consumer sentiments, he said its efforts to strengthen brand building, innovation and in-store execution helped drive improved volume and market share trends in the second half of the year.

General Mills also hiked its media investment at a low-single-digit rate in fiscal 2024.

On Wednesday, Harmening said it has strong marketing support in place, and will have a meaningful increase in spending on brand communication. For example, new ads are coming for Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness pet brand, which he calls “fantastic.”

Lastly, General Mills is increasing its coupon promotions, which is a “highly effective” tactic, according to the company’s insights.