Brands will do quite a bit to garner attention, but they have to with the amount of information people consume on a daily basis. By analyzing consumer behavior, companies can see what kind of adverts work and don’t work. They try to follow the ebb and flow of what’s trending and what they need to stay away from. The “wow” factor that you see in one really amazing ad is sometimes followed by similar fashion. The death of Mr. Peanut is playing on people’s love for fictional characters. The divide of commercial and show is slowly being erased as fictional deaths like Tony Stark, and just about any character in Game of Thrones that has semi-significant screen time, are evidence enough of the emotional attachment people have.
Planters, the company that owns the 104-year-old mascot, has taken a daring step. The Mr. Peanut twitter handle has been renamed “The Estate of Mr. Peanut” and many have taken to the social media platform to send their condolences. The overall response has been both of shock and emotional support to those who had made a connection with the yellow peanut.
With Super Bowl 54 right around the corner I’m not as shocked that this sort of stunt was pulled. It is generating so much buzz it would almost be more shocking if Mr. Peanut didn’t meet his end. Twitter has already come up with conspiracies and discussions on what really happened.
The real fate of Mr. Peanut, or his Estate, has to be addressed on Super Bowl Sunday or face the internet’s vocal peanut enthusiasts. The only question that now remains is do you think he’s really dead?
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