CJ CheilJedang is taking its instant rice brand to some of the most visible locations in the United States as it looks to expand the appeal of Korean food beyond traditional Asian cuisine.
The company said Wednesday that it has launched a new global marketing campaign for its “bibigo Sticky White Rice,” the U.S. name for its Haetban White Rice product. As part of the campaign, advertisements ran on digital billboards across New York’s Times Square and Broadway, as well as major locations in downtown Los Angeles, from Aug. 31 through Sept. 6.
The campaign comes as CJ CheilJedang seeks to establish instant rice as an everyday food option for American consumers rather than a product limited to Asian meals.
Bibigo Sticky White Rice sold more than 100 million units in North America last year, according to the company. Growing interest in wellness and alternative sources of carbohydrates has helped boost demand for rice, while consumers are increasingly using ready-to-eat rice alongside meat or as an ingredient in a wider range of dishes.
CJ CheilJedang is also targeting a shift in eating habits in which American consumers combine rice with familiar local dishes. The company sees this broader usage as an opportunity to move bibigo beyond its traditional association with Korean and Asian cuisine.
The campaign, titled “Sticks To Anything,” is built around the word “Sticky” in the product’s U.S. name. Rather than simply highlighting the texture of sticky rice, CJ CheilJedang uses the word to convey the idea that the product pairs naturally with almost any type of food.
The company began building interest online ahead of the outdoor advertising push. A teaser video released on Bibigo USA’s official Instagram and TikTok accounts on Aug. 19 featured a giant ball of rice moving through U.S. cities, including Houston, Texas. The video had surpassed 20 million views as of Sept. 8, while Google searches related to the campaign and bibigo more than tripled following its launch.
The campaign will continue through the end of November in two phases.
The first phase, “Sticky Rice Wall,” launched Sept. 8 and features five videos pairing sticky white rice with popular Korean dishes including samgyeopsal, bibimbap, dubu-kimchi and japchae. The second phase, “Sticky Rice Tape,” is scheduled to begin Oct. 6 and will use tape as a visual representation of the product’s “sticky” characteristic, pairing the rice with American favorites such as steak, burrito bowls and macaroni and cheese.
CJ CheilJedang plans to further amplify the campaign through TikTok-based consumer participation and collaborations with major influencers. Korean American NFL player Kyler Murray, who appeared in the teaser content, is among the campaign participants. The company also plans to work with mega-influencer Brooke Monk, who has a combined global following of about 50 million.
The strategy reflects CJ CheilJedang’s broader effort to localize K-food in overseas markets by focusing not only on Korean recipes but also on how products can fit into consumers’ existing eating habits.
By presenting sticky rice as a versatile staple that can be paired with both Korean and American dishes, the company aims to broaden the role of bibigo in the U.S. market and turn a familiar Korean food product into a more mainstream option for American consumers.
