How WK Kellogg Co. put Michigan's "Cereal City" on the map

More than a century after W.K. Kellogg transformed breakfast in America, his company's Michigan roots remain firmly planted in Battle Creek, a city still known around the world as "Cereal City."

As the nation prepares to celebrate America's 250th birthday, CBS News Detroit visited WK Kellogg Co. to explore how one of the country's most recognizable food brands helped shape both a community and the cereal industry.

Inside the company's archives, corporate archivist Virginia Angles preserves more than 120 years of Kellogg history, including some of the marketing ideas that helped make the brand a household name.

One of her favorite stories is "Wink Day," a 1908 promotion that encouraged shoppers to wink at their grocer to receive a free sample of Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes.

"People went shopping, they winked, and they received a free sample of Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes," Angles said. "This is a landmark moment for us, in my opinion, because after this, everyone knew the name, Kellogg."

The company continued to pioneer creative advertising over the years.

Chief Growth Officer Doug VandeVelde said W.K. Kellogg embraced bold marketing even during difficult economic times.

"He was the first person to put a moving billboard in Times Square," VandeVelde said. "This was during the middle of the Depression, where everyone was saying, 'We can't spend any money on marketing,' and he said, 'No, we're going to double down.'"

Kellogg also helped popularize cereal-box prizes, a tradition that introduced generations of children to toys tucked inside breakfast boxes.

The company recently revived the promotion after a decade-long break with a "Toy Story 5"- themed giveaway.

While the archives preserve the past, researchers at WK Kellogg Co. are focused on developing future products.

At the company's research and development center, scientists carefully evaluate cereals for texture, flavor and how they change from the first bite to the last.

"We start to see what happened in the beginning, middle and end," Senior Director of R&D Operations Noe Rizo said during a tasting demonstration.

Battle Creek's cereal heritage is celebrated each summer during Cereal Festival, which features a parade, a 5K race, live entertainment and thousands of free bowls of cereal.

Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Stacy Flathau said serving cereal to the community has become one of the company's signature traditions.

"You know we work really hard," Flathau said. "We hustle for about four or five hours to make sure everybody gets a bowl of cereal that wants one."

For Flathau, a third-generation Kellogg employee, the connection is also personal.

She said one of the defining experiences of growing up in Battle Creek was stepping outside and recognizing the smell of cereal drifting from the nearby production facilities.

Residents who have lived in the city for years can often pinpoint exactly which cereal is being made, she said.

More than 100 years after W.K. Kellogg built his business in Southwest Michigan, Battle Creek's identity remains closely tied to the cereal maker that helped put the city on the map.