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Baby Nut was born almost one year ago at Super Bowl LIV. No fictional animated nut child has been the victim of more internet bullying. And 3 days ago, Mr. Peanut announced he's back.
Let's have an honest talk about Mr Peanut's death, Baby Nut & the ads.
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Let's have an honest talk about Mr Peanut's death, Baby Nut & the ads.
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It all started with Mr. Peanut's untimely death, saving the lives of his fellow TV commercial stars. Planters social went sad, commemorating their mascot.
Mr. Peanut's death went mega viral.
Mr. Peanut's death went mega viral.
Then the Super Bowl spot. Fertile graveyard social + Mr. Peanut's body + Kool-Aid Guy's tears apparently = Baby Nut.
Baby Nut's birth went mega viral.
Baby Nut's birth went mega viral.
Then came the hot takes. That poor lil' Baby Nut was seemingly hated, especially in ad circles. I bullied that nutter just like anyone else! What was the point? What was the ~insight~?!
3 days ago, Mr. Peanut found his monocle - the adult nut must be making a comeback. It's a week til the Super Bowl - maybe he's in the big game again. Maybe he's just finishing that campaign. https://twitter.com/MrPeanut/status/1354546746668576770
I've come full circle on Baby Nut, though. I'm a huge fan. To me, it worked, and it's continued to work. No one cared about peanuts or the brand before the campaign, and acknowledging peanut buying habits is more important than anything when judging a campaign like this.
6/ Let's talk about peanut buyer habits.
No one runs to the store just for peanuts. It's a snack purchase during regular shopping, often considered a healthy alternative. It's a grocery list item grabbed quickly when walking down an aisle.
No one runs to the store just for peanuts. It's a snack purchase during regular shopping, often considered a healthy alternative. It's a grocery list item grabbed quickly when walking down an aisle.
7/ When you get to the aisle, you're making your peanut selection by either branding, product look, or price. There are sub factors, sure, but those are gonna be the big 3. And if you aren't the cheapest, being known sure matters.
8/ I like peanuts! I'm a casual peanutter. I grab them ever once in awhile (more of an almond guy). But I can't name a single other peanut brand. If I'm not buying the cheapest, I'm probably grabbing that monocled mascot. I know him. We go way back.
9/ Let's talk about the Baby Nut hate. #BlockMrPeanut even trended on Baby Nut's 21st birthday.
Mostly, people just thought it was stupid. No real accusations of offense. Just LOL WTF THIS IS DUMB. And it's certainly easy to argue a Twitter hated campaign isn't a good thing.
Mostly, people just thought it was stupid. No real accusations of offense. Just LOL WTF THIS IS DUMB. And it's certainly easy to argue a Twitter hated campaign isn't a good thing.
10/ But did Baby Nut actually damage their brand? Are there people NOT buying Planters because of Baby Nut? Sure, Twitter users would make you think so, but I find that incredibly hard to believe.
11/ But did Baby Nut actually benefit their brand? Are there people NOW Planters because of Baby Nut? I think the answer is a heavy SORTA. Big media spends work. Disruptive creative works. You tell me if it's the $ investment, 2020 grocery spending, or the character.
12/ (momentary pause for people who will reply to the above tweet with "I don't buy Planters anymore! I h@T3d B@bY NuT!")
13/ You could label this take as "any press is good press," but that's not really what I'm getting at. I just don't believe the loud voices on Twitter reacting to Baby Nut are reflective of the average customer's feelings towards the campaign.
14/ Y'all ask for meme marketing. You want ridiculous insanity on social. ~Disruptive~. A brand literally killed their mascot, then staged an absurd & corny rebirth, and y'all hate it?
15/ Maybe you just think it's stupid. Maybe it's fun to make fun of things on the internet. Maybe you hate the agency behind the campaign. Maybe you have a longstanding peanut allergy. Maybe heavy internet users overindex on high concept & feel-good ads.
16/ And let's be ultra clear - it's okay to hate it! It's okay to love it! You wanna know why?
Because not a single one of us knows the effectiveness. We're all commenting on creative without knowing the business results, which is all that actually matters.
Because not a single one of us knows the effectiveness. We're all commenting on creative without knowing the business results, which is all that actually matters.
17/ But negative sentiment! Brand lift! I think this is one of the extremely rare cases where social sentiment isn't reflective of brand health. You hated on Mr. Peanut, BUT YOU LOVED DOING IT. And will you actually not buy Planters because of this? I think you'll buy.
18/ I'd bet Planters sales are up. I'd bet that's partly increased overall media spend, partly pandemic pantry stocking, and partly Baby Nut. And we'll never know for sure! Peanuts aren't D2C - we can't pixel track a peanut purchase from a Facebook ad. But I bet it worked.
19/ C'mon, you gotta love community management like this. https://twitter.com/MrPeanut/status/1355219017993244676?s=20
