After a few agency shuffles in the subsequent years, Green Giant chose Boston-based GYK Antler for its agile size and collaborative skills, DeFrino said.
The focus under the B&G Foods ownership has largely been on R&D and product innovation, with the brand latching onto current food trends—found anywhere from fine dining to quick-service restaurants—and studying consumer behavior pre- and post-pandemic.
Green Giant has rolled out product lines like riced vegetables and restaurant-style side dishes, mostly with digital and retail efforts from GYK Antler, to meet shoppers who are cooking more meals at home.
The time was right to vault back into broad-based marketing with the new kid-friendly Dino Veggie Tots and more restaurant-style SKUs, DeFrino said, especially since the brand can lean into its OG status while plant-based products continue to be a buzz-worthy topic.
Not a one-hit wonder
This isn’t Green Giant’s first partnership with Tariq, who waxed poetic about an ear of corn on Recess Therapy last summer and launched a million memes. The brand worked with the grade-schooler around the holidays, with Tariq helping to develop veggie-centric recipes and presiding over a donation of 90,000 cans of product to City Harvest in New York.
Tariq also appeared on the Today Show as a Green Giant ambassador and rode on the brand’s float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The exposure resulted in 2.5 billion earned media impressions during the holiday period, per the brand.
And though there’s an ephemeral nature to viral stardom, Tariq has grown his fan base since his initial break into the public consciousness. He now has 1 million TikTok followers, and he’s pursuing an acting and voiceover career.
He stars in one of the ads for “That’s Giant,” dressed as a dinosaur and gobbling up Green Giant’s new finger food. The spot emphasizes convenience and fun since consumers are looking for more ways to incorporate veggies into their diets without it feeling like a chore, DeFrino said.
GYK Antler dropped behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot, where Tariq plays the commercial director, and a second spot focusing on the elevated restaurant-style veggies. Though the Jolly Green Giant is only partially visible in the campaign–sneaking a Dino tot and grating parmesan onto beans–there’s talk of revealing more in 2024, with DeFrino promising yet another new incarnation of the character.