Dive Brief:
- French’s yellow mustard is turning green for the first time as part of a campaign and limited-time product tied to the release of Illumination’s upcoming “Minions & Monsters” movie, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive.
- In a new animated spot, the pill-shaped Minions — mustard yellow themselves — are at work in a French’s factory before Goomi, a bite-sized new monster character, takes over the controls and gives the condiment a green hue reflecting the color of his skin. The resulting product is available online and will hit select retailers nationwide on June 1.
- French’s this week ran an experiential pop-up in Los Angeles that allowed visitors to “push the button,” as Goomi does in the ad, to transform the brand’s mustard in real time. The full campaign features a mix of media elements, including cinema, over-the-top and social media ads, along with influencer, retailer and digital integrations.
Dive Insight:
French’s is dropping into the world of the gibberish-speaking Minions ahead of the latest “Despicable Me” franchise installment, which arrives in theaters July 1, and as summer cookout season kicks off in earnest for Memorial Day weekend. Along with the tie-in ad and product, the McCormick-owned condiment maker launched an online experience where visitors can explore recipes and behind-the-scenes content around the partnership.
The lead spot is a custom piece of animation that sees the Minions working the French’s factory floor and goofing off in equal measure. Their shift is disrupted by Goomi, a green monster with a tentacle-like nose who serves as the chief antagonist of “Minions & Monsters.” Goomi is eventually restrained, but not before he can turn a batch of French’s green, complete with new packaging bearing his mug.
French’s Goomi’s Green Mustard, beyond being a mouthful to say, achieves its green effect with spirulina instead of artificial dyes. The taste is no different than classic French’s, according to the announcement. Other condiment brands have experimented with over-the-top colors to better appeal to kids. Rival Heinz’s EZ Squirt line from the early aughts featured ketchup variants like Funky Purple and Blastin’ Green, the latter of which was developed as a promotion for the first “Shrek” movie.
French’s full multichannel campaign will appear across streamers including YouTube, Netflix, Peacock and Amazon Prime Video, social platforms like Meta and TikTok and retail media channels. It features creator engagement, social-first storytelling and experiential marketing, such as the recent pop-up at The Grove in Los Angeles. Agencies UEG, Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis, Rye Workshop, Dentsu X and Colle McVoy are behind the movie tie-up.
Major changes are underway at French’s parent McCormick, which plans to combine with Unilever’s food business in a deal valued at $44.8 billion. McCormick saw net sales jump 16.7% year over year in Q1 and beat analyst estimates on earnings.
