My Account Log Out Sign In Subscribe
  • News & Analysis
    • Agencies
      • Agencies Home
      • Accounts
      • AgencySpy
      • Agency of the Year
      • Awards & Recognition
      • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
      • Fastest Growing Agencies
      • Leadership & Talent
      • Sustainability
      • The Future of Agencies
    • Creativity
      • Creativity Home
      • AdFreak
      • Ad of the Day
      • Ads of the Year
      • Adweek Brand Stars
      • Brand Purpose
      • Cannes Lions
      • Creative 100
      • Creative Disruption
      • Outdoor
    • Brand Marketing
      • Brand Marketing Home
      • Food & Beverage
      • Travel & Transportation
      • Automotive
      • Beer, Spirits & Cannabis
      • Sports Marketing
      • Tech & Telecom
      • The Big Game
    • Performance Marketing
      • Performance Marketing Home
      • 5G
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Commerce Marketing
      • Customer Experience
      • Data & Insights
      • Digital Transformation
      • Email Marketing
      • Emerging Tech
      • Experiential
      • Influencers
      • Marketing Innovation
      • Mobile
      • Politics
      • Privacy Guide
      • Publishers & Platforms
      • Social Pro Daily
    • Commerce
      • Commerce Home
      • Amazon
      • CPG
      • Ecommerce
      • Food & Beverage
      • Grocery
      • Hotels
      • Adweek’s Retail Tracker
      • Travel & Transportation
      • Sustainability
    • Inside the Brand
      • Inside The Brand Home
      • CMO Moves
      • Innovators
      • Women Trailblazers
      • Mentor Program
      • Tool Kit
    • Media
      • Media Home
      • Mediaweek
      • Media Influencers
      • Platforms
      • Podcasts
      • Politics
      • Privacy Guide
      • Publishing
      • Social Pro Daily
    • Programmatic
      • Programmatic Home
      • Ad Tech
      • Blockchain
      • CES
      • Data Privacy
      • DMEXCO
      • Digital Transformation
      • Emerging Tech
      • Mobile
      • NexTech
    • Convergent TV
      • Convergent TV Home
      • Programming & Performance
      • Streaming & OTT
      • TVNewser
      • TVSpy
      • TV Upfronts
  • Events Awards & Honors
    • All Events Honors & Awards
    • Outlook 2021: The Year Ahead in Marketing and Media
    • The Big Game Summit
    • Challenger Brands Summit
    • Elevate: Health and Wellness
    • Elevate: Performance Marketing
  • Adweek Video & Podcasts
    • Adweek Video
      • Adweek Original Video Series
    • Adweek Podcasts
      • CMO Moves
      • D&I TBD
      • GEN ZEOs
      • Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad
      • Adweek Radio
    • Adweek Livestreams
      • The Way Forward
      • Adweek Together
  • Webinars & Thought Leadership
    • Adweek Webinars
    • Brandshare
    • Partner Experts
      • Partner Experts Home
      • IBM Watson Advertising
      • Facebook
      • Epsilon
      • Deliotte Digital
      • Focusvision
      • Neustar
      • PubMatic
      • Teads
    • Adweek Microlearning
  • My Career
    • Sharpen My Skills
      • Institute for Brand Marketing™
      • Marketing Glossary
      • Mentorship
      • Microlearning
      • The Marketing Toolkit
    • Adweek Jobs
      • Find a Job
      • Post a Job
      • Unlimited Job Postings
  • Connect with Adweek
    • About Us
      • About Adweek
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • News & Announcements
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Jobs at Adweek
    • My Account
      • My Profile
      • My Marketing Preferences
      • My Newsletters
    • Partner with us
      • Editorial Calendar
      • Event Calendar
      • Media Kit
      • Earn Authority
      • Generate Leads
      • Increase Awareness
      • Trophies, Awards, Seals
    • Subscriptions
      • Individual Subscriptions
      • Group Subscriptions
      • Agency Memberships
      • Customer Service
      • Download Magazine Issues
      • Android App
      • iOS App
    • Advisory Boards
      • Adweek Academic Council
      • Join The Adweek Academic Council
      • Adweek Advisory Board
  • Adweek Network
    • AdFreak
    • AgencySpy
    • Inside The Brand
    • Social Pro Daily
    • TVNewser
    • TVSpy
  • Search

CLOSE

The Big Game
Presented By
Roku

Did Brands Overreact by Editing Super Bowl Ads After Kobe Bryant’s Death?

Marketing experts weigh in on whether changes were merited or overcautious

Planters, Genesis and Hard Rock International all adjusted their Super Bowl ad strategies after Kobe Bryant's death.
Planters, Genesis and Hard Rock International all adjusted their Super Bowl ad strategies after Kobe Bryant's death. Photo Illustration: Trent Joaquin; Sources: Planters, Hard Rock, Genesis

By Kathryn Lundstrom

February 2, 2020

A week and a half ago, Planters released a Big Game teaser that shocked the ad world by killing off its 104-year-old mascot, Mr. Peanut, in a fiery road trip mishap. The Super Bowl set-up ad was accompanied by #RIPMrPeanut social campaign that immediately took off on Twitter and inspired numerous hot takes on the monocled legume.

Kathryn Lundstrom
@klundster kathryn.lundstrom@adweek.com Kathryn Lundstrom is Adweek's breaking news reporter based in Austin.
Recommended videos
Popular This Week
  1. Oatly Deviously Sets Its Sights on Oat Milk’s Most Skeptical Demographic: Dads
  2. Camera Brand Leica’s First Global Campaign in a Decade Celebrates the Power of Photography
  3. Discord: How to Load Images in Lower Quality
  4. The New Presidency Marks a New Era for Marketers
  5. Ryan Reynolds Gets Paw-litical; What VP Kamala Harris Means to Girls: Friday’s First Things First
Upcoming Webinars
  • Take a Hyper-Personalized Approach to Commerce Thursday, February 4, 2021
  • The Current State of Customer Engagement Tuesday, February 9, 2021
  • What Agencies Need to Know About Social Media in 2021 Thursday, February 11, 2021
  • Brand Messaging Is Still Critical in a Demand-Gen World Friday, February 12, 2021
  • The Evolution of Mar Tech Tuesday, February 9, 2021
You Might Like
This is a Profile

Stop Talking About the Cookieless Future and Start Taking These Actions

By Scott Howe, CEO, LiveRamp

This is a Profile

How 4 DTC Disruptors Use Digital Best Practices to Succeed on TV

By Amit Sharan, VP of Marketing, Tatari

This is a Profile

The Innovation Boom That Will Power Audio Advertising in 2021

By Pandora

This is a Profile

Data Bunkers Are the Future of Cookieless Marketing

By Gurman Hundal, Co-founder and CEO, MiQ

{"channel":"elasticpress","title":"Recommended","post_types":["post","page"],"lineup_id":"54851","since_qty":30,"since_time":"d","until_qty":0,"until_time":"m","q":"","num_posts":0,"vertical":"brand-marketing"}
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Sponsor Content
    • Jobs
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscriptions
    • Subscription Options
    • Digital App
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Newsletters
    • Customer Service
  • Awards / Honors / Events
    • Awards and Honors
    • Adweek Events
    • Webinars
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Trophies / Awards / Seals
  • Publications
    • Adweek Network
    • RSS
    • Backissues
    • Reprints / E-Prints
  • © 2021 Adweek - All Rights Reserved
    • About Adweek
    • Contact Us
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    Clickable icon to open social sharing icons
    Clickable icon to share the page on Facebook Clickable icon to share the page on Twitter Clickable icon to share the page on LinkedIn Clickable icon to share the page on Facebook Messenger Clickable icon to share via Email Clickable icon to share via Email
    Clickable icon to share via Email