Is Mr. Peanut the latest victim of ageism in marketing and advertising?

Well, as the whole world has recently found out Mr. Peanut has met his fate. It’s been reported that the ad agency who came up with the concept was inspired by the emotional loss of Iron Man in the latest installment of the Avengers movies and the impact it had on culture. Do you, accept the agency explanation? Or, was it based on something more nefarious. Oh sure, they gave Mr. Peanut a hero’s sendoff, but I wonder what the marketing team was talking about prior to coming up with the big idea to kill off their 104 year old mascot.

“I don’t know his salary off hand but I’m sure we could get an intern to wear a costume or something for free.”

“The guy wears a monocle, I mean a monocle, really?”

“I noticed he still has an AOL account.”

 “His old snack food stories drive me up the wall.”

“I know he’s the face of our brand, but he’s just not a cultural fit.” 

Was it personal, or was it simply the metaphor for something that hits many older workers these days? Ageism. Perhaps somebody at Planters came in and decided it was time to clear the deck. Shake things up. Bring in new blood. Something fresh and relevant. So they ANNOUNCED A BIG CONCEPTUAL IDEA!

“All right people, I’ve got a BIG, CONCEPTUAL IDEA TO ANNOUNCE! It’s gonna crush it on social media. Crush it!

It’s time for a change. Mr. Peanut has to go. I know we can’t say it outside these walls, but face it-he’s run his course. He’s expendable. So, let’s expend him in the biggest way possible while he still has some value.  Let’s make the most of it by giving the old boy the sendoff he deserves. It’s a win-win. He’ll go out a on top and HR will put together a nice package for him. The best part?  It’s gonna be huge for the brand.  

People love to say goodbye to their heroes. Think Iron man, Old Yeller and Eli Manning. They love it. Sure, it’s a long term loss for a short term gain. But what a gain.  We’ll make it a freakin Super Bowl commercial! 100 million people saying goodbye to an icon. (pause for dramatic effect) The social media play will be off the charts.

If it goes one way, the public will be begging for his return. We’ll make it all a dream or something. Or maybe it was actually his long lost twin brother. Who cares? We’ll figure it out. And if it doesn’t pan out, we can look at something new. Something more relevant. Maybe an AI generated mascot. You know, AI is crushing it right now!

Okay thanks, who’s up for lunch? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it.”*



My guess is Mr. Peanut has probably already retained legal counsel and he’ll be back soon. Who knows? Ageism is hard to prove and companies are often willing to get the most out of an employee before they show them the door - or drive them off a cliff, in the case.

I’ve got my fingers crossed for the guy but it can be pretty tough out there for a 104 year old. Of course, he can always take on one of the jobs they always suggest for older employees who get pushed out.  You know, something like this: 

*A special thanks to Tony Stark for the shawarma line.

=================================================================================

Eddie Prentiss is the founder of Creageless- The Community for Creatives over 40 and Brainco-The Minneapolis School of Advertising and Design. Currently he is an Executive Creative Director at Stratacomm in Washington D.C. His client experience includes Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Target, General Mills, PepsiCo and Subway. 

Eddie is a past recipient of the Minneapolis 40 under 40 award. Now that he is over 40, through his work with Creageless, he's an advocate for older members in creative industries who are transitioning careers, starting new businesses or struggling with ageism.