Armwood Editorial And Opinion Blog: Just Checking - Cheerios' Interracial Ad Spiked Its Online Branding by 77% Rotten apples didn't spoil spot. Ridiculous attacks by fringe crazies can be a big blessing for a politician when he or she is the target of such vitriol—and it appears the same is true in the world of brands. Per Kontera, the YouTube trolls who spewed ugliness and/or hatred under the comment section of Cheerios' "Just Checking" video—which depicts a mixed-race family—seemingly did the cereal a marketing service. From May 28 (when the spot launched) to June 5, cross-Web brand exposure was up 77 percent compared to the week before, according to Kontera's research.