Teman Evans, General Mills’s global chief of design, is proud to introduce Pillsbury’s revamped mascot, logo, and jingle.
The rebrand was prompted by a 1% year-over-year decline in General Mills’ most recent quarter and data showing that inflation is driving more consumers to eat at home, Fortune reports. Evans made a bold move by deciding to update Pillsbury’s iconic Doughboy mascot, Poppin’ Fresh. As one of General Mills’ billion-dollar brands—alongside Cheerios, Old El Paso, and Betty Crocker—Pillsbury typically adheres to a strict policy against altering its branding.
But the GM exec knew a change was needed in order to generate “growth,” he explains.
“We have what we call a leaky bucket. Our brands
lose about 40% of their consumers every year,” Evans said at Fortune’s Brainstorm Design conference in Macau on Dec. 5.. “And if we just recruit that 40%, we’ll stay flat. To grow, we have to recruit beyond that 40%.”Knowing that his job security depends on the company’s growth, Evans knew that “Flat is not acceptable.”
While inflation has caused concern for many companies and consumers, Evans saw an opportunity in the growing trend of families opting to eat at home rather than dining out. This led to the development of a new design strategy inspired by Pillsbury’s fresh brand tagline: “Roll with the real.”
“Every day is messy, it’s unexpected, so we need to roll with it,” Evans said of the idea behind the new tagline. “You need to be ready for anything at any time, so we’re going to be ready to roll.”
After strategizing, Evans led a comprehensive rebrand of Pillsbury, revamping every facet of the company’s marketing, including a refreshed barrelhead logo, a new jingle, an updated typeface, and a modernized mascot.
The iconic Pillsbury Doughboy now sports a slimmer figure, longer legs, and more defined eyes. Notably, his signature white tie has been swapped for a bold blue one, marking a significant shift in his classic look.
“There was a shift from that stark white to a warmer, doughier white,” Evans explained. “We also started to round out those serifs, so then they were like those soft baking rolls that consumers love.”
Another way the new brand evokes Pillsbury products: A ligature that blends the two ‘L’s” in the logo together, “like the melting together of cinnamon rolls.”
The updated mascot, created with 3D animation, offers greater flexibility, enabling him to do more than just stand beside the company’s food—he can now touch and interact with it. Poppin’ Fresh is slated to star in new TV commercials, feature in social media stickers, and even make an appearance on the Jumbotron at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium.
“This new, dynamic brand world that’s full of motion allows us to show up in different forms of media, [and] has reinvigorated the Doughboy to be relevant for the future,” Evans said.
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