Ad of the Day: Planters

Mr. Peanut, voiced of late by Robert Downey Jr., is apparently too much of a wuss to do his own stunts. So, Planters has brought in a new character, Doug, voiced by the more macho Kevin Dillon (aka, Johnny "Drama" Chase on HBO's Entourage), to be Mr. Peanut's stunt double. Mr. P needs a stunt double because the Kraft brand is expanding into peanut butter, which requires the peanuts to get seriously pulverized. Thus, in the spot, below, we see Doug being sent in to take the "crushes" for his diva-ish celebrity look-alike and getting flattened by a statue, charged by an insect-bull, and crushed by a lighting rig. Each time, all that remains of Doug is a jar of peanut butter—as he flashes a thumbs-up through the top to let us know he's fine. The spot, from ad agency Being (an offshoot of TBWA) and director Mark Gustafson of Laika, is amusing enough—cartoon violence is always a pretty sure bet, and the animation is nicely done. Beyond that, it's nothing earth-shattering. The brand isn't too much of a risk taker. Finally giving Mr. Peanut a voice last year—94 years after his creation—was, for them, a huge step. It's no surprise the spots themselves are eminently traditional. The most novel aspect of this new spot is that it debuted on Facebook, not TV, and clocks in at a wonky 44 seconds. Planters says it wants to get consumers "thinking outside the lunchbox" and considering peanut butter to be as much an adult food as a kid food. As part of that effort, Planters has also commissioned chef Marcus Samuelsson (co-owner of Aquavit in New York) to create Kraft-exclusive recipes like Planters Peanut Butter-Chocolate French Toast and Planters Peanut Butter Steak Sauce. The brand's tagline, "Naturally remarkable," presumably wouldn't apply to those concoctions. CREDITS Client: Planters Product: Planters Peanut Butter Agency: Being, New York Spot: "Peanut Butter Doug" Agency Chief Creative Officer: Mark Figliulo Creative Director: Kris Wixom Creative Director: Alisa Wixom Art Director: Jelani Curtis Copywriter: Chris Stephens Head of Production: Robert Valdes Executive Producer: David Fisher Producer: Howard Howell Business Director: Caroline Winterton Account Director: Kim Tice Account Executive: Sara Heller Group Assistant: Hunter Serenbetz Production Production Company: Laika Director: Mark Gustafson Executive Producer: Lourri Hammack Producer: Rebecca Bowen Art Department Creative Director: Kirk Kelley Character Designer: Robin Ator Storyboard Artist: Robin Ator Photoshop Artist: Jenny Kincade Fabrication Art Department Lead (Character Fabrication): Katie Mello Art Department Lead (Set/Prop Fabrication): Rob Melchior Costumer: Margaret Meyer Costumer: Sara Neiman Wrangler: Rob Melchior Stage Director of Photography: John Nolan Animator: Wendy Fuller Animator: Chris Ohlgren Motion Control: John Nolan Swing/Elec/Grip: Erica Johnson Stage Manager: Erica Johnson Assistant Camera: Erica Johnson Production Assistant: Dave Gulick Production Assistant: Vanessa Walker Editorial Editor: Michael Corrigan Flame: Artist Rex Carter Flint Artist: Leif Peterson Tape Op: Travis Ezell Scheduler: Melissa Tvetan

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Planters

Mr. Peanut's stunt double takes a beating for Kraft brand's new peanut butter

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd