The mascot is Mr. Peanut, the symbol of the Planters brand since 1916. In a campaign for a new product line, Planters Nut-rition Sustaining Energy Mix, the comedian Bill Hader takes over as the voice of Mr. Peanut, succeeding the actor Robert Downey Jr.
Mr. Downey’s arrival in November 2010 was part of an effort by the Planters parent, Kraft Foods, to revitalize Mr. Peanut — and the Planters brand — for contemporary consumers. The makeover also included a new look for the character, meant to recall his roots, and a new theme for Planters ad campaigns, “Naturally remarkable.”
Now, Mr. Downey is moving on as his contract ends, in a departure that executives at Kraft Foods and the Planters agency, Being New York, call amicable. Mr. Downey continues to supply the narration for commercials for Nissan North America and, according to reports, has agreed to appear in coming ads for HTC smartphones.
(Mr. Downey is also increasingly busy in his main role of movie star, with various films in the Iron Man, Avengers and Sherlock Holmes series.)
Mr. Hader is best known for his comic work on the NBC series “Saturday Night Live,” which he left in May. He also serves as the on-camera host of a series of summertime movies for children, under the umbrella theme Essentials Jr., on the TCM cable channel.
Mr. Hader is speaking for Mr. Peanut in several elements of the campaign for Planters Nut-rition Sustaining Energy Mix. There are audio ads, on the Pandora and Spotify digital music services, that include play lists dubbed “mix tapes.”
And there are video clips on a special Web site; the clips can also be watched on YouTube and the Mr. Peanut blog on Tumblr.
There are also parts of the campaign in which Mr. Hader is mum, including ads in magazines that include Entertainment Weekly, People and Sports Illustrated as well as content in social media like Facebook.
Being New York is the New York office of Being, a division of TBWA Worldwide, an agency that is part of the Omnicom Group. The Los Angeles office of Being is creating the offbeat “Zesty Guy” campaign for the Kraft Zesty Italian dressing sold by Kraft Foods.
The budget for the campaign for Planters Nut-rition Sustaining Energy Mix is estimated at $14 million. Kraft Foods spent $15.4 million to advertise all Planters products last year, according to the Kantar Media unit of WPP, compared with $17.4 million in 2011, $26.1 million in 2010 and $10.3 million in 2009.
“We’re very excited to work with Bill Hader,” says Ken Padgett, a senior associate brand manager for Planters at Kraft Foods in Glenview, Ill.
“His unique sense of humor, his improvisational skills and his personality bring” Mr. Peanut’s “iconic style, charm and wit to life,” Mr. Padgett says.
Although working with Mr. Downey was “amazing,” he adds, “our contract had expired” and “it was never the plan to go with him into the future.”
Mr. Hader will be the voice of Mr. Peanut “for the next couple of years,” Mr. Padgett says, across “the entire Planters portfolio” of products.
“We’re still working on a lot of the details,” he adds, reflecting the potential contributions that Mr. Hader will be able to make as he “brings his comedic personality and improvisational skills” to the task of supplying Mr. Peanut’s voice.
Despite the change in celebrity voices, “Mr. Peanut’s personality is not going to change,” Mr. Padgett says, and the goal remains to have the character “elevate the ordinary” with his dapper style and clever banter.
Planters Nut-rition Sustaining Energy Mix is the most recent line that Kraft Foods has added to the Nut-rition subbrand of the Planters family. The line is composed of three flavor varieties: apple cinnamon, chocolate nut and honey nut.
The new line is being promoted as “wholesome fuel to energize your day,” Mr. Padgett says, to a target audience of busy people ages 35 and older “who are looking for that better-for-you choice” of snack around 4 in the afternoon.
The campaign describes the ingredients using phrases like this: “A wholesome blend of honey roasted peanuts, crunchy soy clusters and delicious roasted almonds, with 10 grams of protein to keep you going.”
The “going” motif is repeated on the special Web site, which is described as “Mr. Peanut’s Go-tivation Station” where visitors are invited to “grab some go-tivation” — motivational tips in bite-size form, including, in addition to video clips, GIFs and games.
For instance, in one clip, Mr. Peanut is seated in a chair made of sand on a beach. “If work is making you wish for a vacation,” Mr. Peanut says, “just remember somewhere there’s a guy hard at work on a cruise ship wishing he had a desk job so he didn’t have vacation thrown in his face 24/7.”
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/business/media/look-whos-talking-for-mr-peanut-now.html?partner=rss&emc=rss