Out of the Box: Beach sampling suits snack foods.

While cereal promos center on that valuable piece of real estate known as the box, Kellogg is venturing farther afield for its snack foods.

In March, the company repeated a Spring Break sampling push for Rice Krispies Treats Squares by hosting a “CoolOut Cabana” in vacation haunts such as Panama Beach City, FL, with four living rooms set up on the beach. Students availed themselves of free phone calls and e-mail, movies on big screen TVs, a hot tub, and all the free Treats Squares they could handle – about 800,000 in all. Kids played foosball, air hockey, and Sony PlayStation games and participated in Treats contests. The College Kit, Hanover, NH, handled.