Sing a song of breakfast, tra-la-la.

What crosses your mind when you hear the words red beans, yellow peas, and popped sorghum? Probably not anything to do with music. And certainly not breakfast.

Kashi needed to tell an audience that these odd ingredients, combined just right in their new cereal, formed a complete protein. Big news for healthy eaters.

VML Kansas City saw these crunchy bits as the bits and pieces of a perfect harmony. They turned to a composer and sonic specialist to develop signature sounds from each ingredient – notes that would sing the soul of the cereal.

The composer rattled, shook, smashed, and spilt the ingredients and invented strange instruments to evoke new sounds from them. Then he spun the recorded sounds into an original melody. VML captured everything on film.

It was an instant hit – with 2.7 million plays in two weeks. Music professionals admired the creativity. Revered music publications all over featured the story as people heard the harmony found in every bite of the cereal.