The Green Giant Plants Himself in Times Square

By Heather Taylor

Most tourists head to New York City to visit the Statue of Liberty in her emerald splendor. Now, they’ll get to snap selfies with another green icon taking over Times Square. Iconic vegetable brand Green Giant, and its beloved harvest mascot, made his larger than life debut in billboard ads at the north end of Times Square on Thursday May 9, 2018.

In a city full of famous locales, how did the Green Giant wind up in Times Square? The truth is Times Square is just as iconic as this vegetable-loving mascot. There’s plenty of foot traffic, which the Times Square Alliance reported welcomes 135 million pedestrians every year. The median time spent in Times Square is 81 minutes, with 8 minutes spent looking up at billboards. As far as social media postings go, the area gets a lot of love on social networking sites with 243,358 people in Times Square posting about their experience there every day.

Sherwood Outdoor, which controls iconic sign locations at the North end of Times Square and is famously known for the world-famous Coca-Cola sign, allowed the Green Giant to make a spectacular entrance to the Crossroads of the World via new 35-by-95 foot LED displays.

Character aside, other Green Giant products will be featured in the displays. Jordan Greenberg, Vice President & General Manager for Green Giant promises that the interactive billboards will also feature the brand’s popular line of Veggie Swap-Ins™, including Green Giant Veggie Spirals™, Green Giant Riced Veggies, Green Giant Veggie Tots, and Green Giant Mashed Cauliflower.

Brian Turner, President of Sherwood Outdoor, is thrilled to welcome the legendary Green Giant brand into Times Square. “Advertisers that choose this rare and iconic long-term branding location set themselves apart from all the rest of the shorter-term digital signs displayed throughout the world’s most recognizable advertising venue. Green Giant will now leave a lasting impression on the more than 135 million pedestrians that pass through Times Square this year.”

We can’t help but love that the M&M’S spokescandies are positioned in close proximity to the Green Giant’s billboards, too. Who knows which brand mascots will head to Times Square next?