This is not complicated. Consumers know the technology exists to make cereal bags easy to open with two hands (no scissors, no knife) so that they can be rolled closed to stay fresh.
Consumers know because Nestle-manufactured cereals in Costa Rica open like this (lovely):
While some (but not all) Kellogg cereal bags in Costa Rica open like this (aarggh):
I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: brand perception is about the sum total of all the experiences a consumer has with your product or service. Screw up on packaging and you have an unnecessary negative point against you in the consumer’s mind. The fact consumers feel they can’t do something as simple as opening a cereal bag makes them feel bad about themselves.
Brand managers revolt: when somebody in the organization wants to cut production costs at the expense of basic brand experience, prove the negative experience makes your brand seem less good and take it high up. I’ll try to contact Kellogg’s Central America office to see what is being done about this one.
Stupid cereal falling out of the bag into the box everytime I close it, making that last bowl oh-so-stale.