I would like to talk about Planters Peanuts and how they have been some major marketing moves in the past month. They recently just killed off their mascot of 104 years which is a very bold move on the companies side of things as it was a character loved by all even those who don't even eat peanuts. This character was so iconic with his top hat and monocle that the new ad of him going out in a blaze of glory to save the lives of his friends came as a shock to all of us. However Planters announced that they would show his funeral in the third quarter of the super bowl. This is a great marketing opportunity choice for the company as they had already grabbed the attention of the public with this death but then lured people in by announcing that they would be having a super bowl ad which is spendy to say the least as well as some of the best commercials that people see all year as they are viewed by millions. I actually watched the super bowl today and there it was, the funeral of the dapper peanut. However a twist that I saw coming from a mile away took place and so did many others on twitter who were in disbelief this nuts passing, Mr. Peanut grew again and this time was a baby. This was an obvious trend jacking of a loved character on the internet Baby Yoda from the star wars show The Mandalorian. Either way you look at it though this was a win for Planters as they had their mascot back as well as being all over social media with their publicity stunt as well as the admittedly cute new look for the nut. Planters gave the people what they wanted which was to have Mr. Peanut back in one way or another. They created a want or need by killing him off in the first place and then fulfilled it just by reintroducing him as a little baby with the same wittiness and humor of the original Nut. Had I been the one calling the shots a Planters there are definitely some things that I would do differently such as maybe not riding off the popularity of Baby Yoda and coming up with something a little more innovative that matched the mascot better such as him being among the crowd either in the commercial or at the game. Another thing I would change is just not killing of the mascot in the first place and instead come up with a memorable super bowl commercial that is a little risqué just like their other commercials because it follows their brand and makes them seem less like they are pulling at strings trying to be relevant. It just seems like they are trying so hard for someone who is associated with even the thought of peanuts and is one of if not the number one Nut brand in the industry, so it just seems a little nutty to me that they would try to come off as hip and seem cringey to the youth. If I have learned anything form this example it is that leaning into pop culture in ads is important but choosing what in pop culture is detrimental to the success of a marketing campaign and will either be the rise or fall in the popularity of a brand. Well that's all folks its your average college student Reide Adams signing off.
