KEY THOUGHT: Some social-media-savvy account manager pitched the idea of killing Mr. Peanut as the thing Planters really needed is to permanently retire its iconic brand mascot. And, desperate to attract the attention of salty-snack-craving Millenials, the company agreed. The death of branding is here.
Somewhere out there a millennial is patting himself on the back because he devised a social media campaign to kill Mr. Peanut that led to a lot of buzz on Twitter. Meanwhile, the VP of Sales is left trying to get more orders from reluctant retailers.
The idiotcy of marketers who believe social media buzz equates to sales is astounding. Social media buzz doesn’t mean a damn thing when it comes to selling products. Yet, more marketers are begging Facebook to take their money despite the fact they have betrayed users at every turn.
Already there is a lot of buzz around the ads on the upcoming Super Bowl although 95% of them will not result in sales. Ad agencies will wine and dine clients in Miami and at the game in executive suites while pickpocketing their wallets.
Trade magazines and newspapers will rate the ads on entertainment but nobody will ask “did the ad sell the brand’s products?”.
Somewhere lost in all this insanity is the consumer who is purchasing more private label products because they don’t see the value of the branded equivalent. Is there anyone who believes that consumers are going to purchase more Planters nuts because Mr. Peanut is being killed off?
Ad agencies continue to contribute to their own demise. No wonder why so many brands are bringing advertising in house. Agencies have not yet adapted to the realities of today’s consumers who find ads annoying and intrusive.
It’s sad really that so many have forgotten that advertising is supposed to sell products not win awards for creativity.
