General Mills buys Cheerios Super Bowl spot

General Mills is returning to the Super Bowl, this time to advertise Cheerios.

The company won't say how much it'll pay to air a 30-second ad during the big game, to be held Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. But such spots have cost about $4 million.

General Mills has been casting Cheerios as a family food and the company says the Super Bowl is one of the biggest family events of the year. Company officials say the ad will "tell the story of family love."

"For us, it just made sense that the brand would have voice during the game while all the families are connecting around their game-day traditions," said Camille Gibson, who oversees marketing efforts for Cheerios. "Our goal is to encourage more families to share breakfast together and increase Cheerios' share of breakfast consumption. With the number of families that watch the big game, it's a great opportunity for us."

The spot will likely first air on some shows the week before the Super Bowl.

General Mills last advertised during the Super Bowl in 1996, touting Wheaties cereal.