The Daily Scoop: ‘Corn Kid’ helps Green Giant breathe new life into old brand

Green Giant came back with a bang, releasing national advertisements for the first time in six years with the adorable 8-year-old influencer, Tariq, also known as Corn Kid, who went viral for professing his love of all things corn, Adweek reported.

The “That’s Giant” campaign features new Dino Veggie Tots in a commercial that focuses on Tariq and his mom, with a brief flash of the Jolly Green Giant’s computer-generated hand grabbing a tot for himself.

“It’s vegetables!” Tariq exclaims in the ad while holding a veggie tot.

Why it matters:

For us, we really like this collab!

Corn Kid and Green Giant are continuing and deepening an already successful partnership in a new way.

Tariq’s great brand appeal and affinity for Green Giant’s products make this a natural partnership — he is, after all, practically the spokesperson for all things corn. It’s an easy jump to encompass other vegetables.

Vegetable brand king, Green Giant, debuted the green giant mascot in 1928. The Jolly Green Giant, which has evolved over time, is still going strong to this day as a beloved character.

The choice to scale back on the Jolly Green Giant’s presence and focus on Tariq was an intentional strategy of simplifying and streamlining messaging.

“We often see heavy-handed approaches to bringing heritage brands into the current zeitgeist, and in this particular case, we felt like less was more,” GYK Antler Creative Director Cristin Barth told Adweek.

Coupling the brand legacy that is Green Giant with Tariq’s own influential following – especially with Millennial moms – makes sense. As a Millennial mom following Tariq’s adorableness on the interwebs, it’s a veggie-tastic thing to see.

Bringing in new elements to classic brands can help breathe fresh life into them and bridge gaps between consumers and even connect with new ones. How will your brand make things more interesting?

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Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading and building an authentically curated life that includes more than occasionally finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR story idea? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com.