French's Mustard Launches Limited-Edition Green Variety Tied to 'Minions: The Rise of Gru'

Key Takeaways

• French's yellow mustard is turning green for the first time as part of a tie-in with Illumination's upcoming film "Minions: The Rise of Gru," including limited-time products, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive.
• In a new animated short, pill-shaped Minions — who are themselves mustard yellow — are working in a French's factory when a new mini-monster character named Goomi takes over the controls and dyes the condiment green to match his skin tone. The product is now available online and will hit select national retailers starting June 1.
• French's hosted an experiential pop-up in Los Angeles this week where visitors could "press the button" like Goomi in the ad and watch the brand's mustard change color in real time. The full campaign blends multiple media elements, including cinema, OTT and social media ads, and integrates influencer, retail and digital channels.

Deep Dive

French's is tapping into the gibberish-speaking Minions world ahead of the latest "Despicable Me" sequel hitting theaters on July 1, just as the U.S. Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer grilling season. In addition to the co-branded ads and product, the McCormick-owned condiment maker is also launching anonline experience platformfor visitors to explore recipes and other content.

The main ad is a custom animation showing Minions working hard and playing in a French's factory. Their rhythm is interrupted by Goomi, a green monster with a tentacle-like nose who is the main villain in "Minions: The Rise of Gru." Goomi is eventually subdued, but not before he turns a batch of French's mustard green and swaps in new packaging featuring his likeness.

French's Goomi's Green Mustard, despite its tongue-twisting name, gets its green color from spirulina rather than artificial dyes. According to the announcement, its taste is no different from classic French's. Other condiment brands have also tried eye-catching colors to appeal to kids. Competitor Heinz's EZ Squirt line in the early 2000s included ketchup variants like Funky Purple and Blastin' Green, the latter of which wasdeveloped to promote the first Shrek movie.

French's omnichannel campaign will span streaming platforms like YouTube, Netflix, Peacock and Amazon Prime Video, as well as social platforms like Meta and TikTok and retail media channels. The campaign includes 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 jointly responsible for the film tie-in project.

French's parent company McCormick is undergoing major changes, with plans tomerge with Unilever's food businessin a deal valued at $44.8 billion. McCormick's first-quarter net sales grew 16.7% year over year, andearnings beat analyst expectations。