Michelin will resurrect its icon Bibendum Michelin Man in its new multi-million pound advertising campaign.

Noted for being a bit on the chubby side, the character has been slimmed down for a new television campaign, which breaks on March 5.

The company has not advertised on TV since 2003 and the Michelin man has not featured in its advertising since 1999.

The company’s UK head of marketing, Thierry Rudloff, says: “We’ve refreshed him because he’s a key asset for us. We’ve slimmed him down because it shows the evolution of people and is a way of keeping up with changes in society. He demonstrates the evolution of society but also the evolution of the brand and the world we live in.”

The campaign, which will run for five weeks and also includes outdoor, press and digital advertising, has been created by Michelin’s retained advertising agency TBWA.