Tyson Foods Co-Branding With Green Giant May Bring in $100 Million

In early September, Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale began shipping packages of fully cooked chicken strips co-branded with Green Giant “create-a-meals” to supermarkets nationwide.

The co-branding could bring in $100 million over the next two years, says Bob Corscadden, director of retail marketing for Tyson Foods. Green Giant is a division of Pillsbury of Minneapolis, Minn.

Labels on the cooked chicken strips tell customers that the chicken is “perfect” with the create-a-meal vegetable packages, Corscadden says. After the Tyson product is marketed nationally, Green Giant will begin using similar labels on the create-a-meal packages. The Green Giant labels will inform shoppers that they can purchase the Tyson chicken strips to go with the create-a-meal and not have to cook or season chicken at home.

Jeff Sandore, vice president of retail marketing for Tyson Foods, says a similar co-branding effort with McIlhenny Co. of Avery Island, La., the company that makes Tobasco pepper sauce, began last April. A fully cooked wing product from Tyson Foods is labeled as “Tobasco flavored chicken.”

The wings and Tobasco are being marketed in the South and southwestern United States, areas where Tobasco is popular. The co-branded product isn’t available in Arkansas.

Corscadden says the co-branding is a win-win situation. People who already like Green Giant meals and Tobasco sauce will be introduced to Tyson foods and vice versa.

“It’s great for us, and it’s great for them,” he says.

Sandore says Tyson Foods may have other co-branded products available in the near future. The company also participates in co-promotion and co-merchandising, both of which concern advertising efforts but not co-branded labels on products.

tttttttttt—Bill Bowden