Mr. Peanut Is Dead; Hallmark Channel Chief Exits: Thursday's First Things First

Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s new daily resource for marketers. We’ll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here. Latest Super Bowl News: Mr. Peanut Is Dead Last year, Bud Light and HBO shocked Super Bowl viewers by killing off an iconic character, the Bud Knight. Not surprisingly, the Bud Knight lived to see another ad in a new campaign months later. For Super Bowl 54, Planters is going the same route. In a pregame spot revealed Wednesday, Mr. Peanut meets his tragic end at the ripe old age of 104. He sacrifices himself after the Nutmobile crashes, saving the lives of actors Matt Walsh and Wesley Snipes. His funeral will be the focus of the spot, which VaynerMedia is behind. Watch: See how Mr. Peanut meets his demise. More Super Bowl news: Hard Rock International is tapping Michael Bay to create what it's calling an "epic" ad. We'll set the over/under of explosions in this 60-second spot at nine. Little Caesers is making its Super Bowl debut with a spot featuring Rainn Wilson from The Office. In the teasers, Wilson can't handle the pizza chain's new delivery service. Tracee Ellis Ross will channel The Shining in an ad for Mountain Dew. The Black-ish star will promote the brand's zero-sugar variety. Bill Nye will take center stage in SodaStream's Super Bowl ad, which focuses on sustainability. The big reveal in the ad will remain a secret until the spot airs. To stay on top of all Super Bowl related news, bookmark our Super Bowl tracker, which is filling up quite quickly as we close in on the Big Game. Hallmark Channel Chief Bill Abbott Exits Following Same-Sex Wedding Ad Controversy One month after Hallmark pulled wedding planning brand Zola's ads featuring a same-sex kiss, Bill Abbot, the Crown Media Family Networks president and CEO for 11 years is out. He oversaw the rise of one of cable TV's most successful promotions: Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas. The event’s ratings have more than doubled over the decade, propelling Hallmark to No. 1 among all cable networks in the fourth quarter among women 25-54 since 2016. And ad revenue for the franchise has tripled over that same period. Read more: The network is still clearly feeling the heat as it canceled its TCA winter press tour event to avoid answering questions about the decision. Gap CMO Alegra O’Hare Steps Down Less Than a Year After Appointment After a tumultuous year that included tumbling stock prices, the departure of CEO Art Peck and an abandoned attempt to spin off Old Navy into its own separate company, Gap cut ties with CMO Alegra O'Hare. She took on the role in February 2019 after a decade of success at Adidas. While her time at Gap was short, she left her mark on the brand, creating campaigns centered around iconic Gap products like its signature logo hoodie and classic jean styles. Read more: Get a full rundown of everything that's gone wrong at Gap over the past year. Isaiah Mustafa and Old Spice Reunite 10 Years After ‘I’m on a Horse’ Old Spice brought back Isaiah Mustafa for its latest campaign...and got overshadowed on social media by the aforementioned death of a famous legume. The new spots feature Mustafa as his classic character, but this time around he plays the father of a high school boy who doesn't share the same grooming habits as his father. Luckily for the father-son duo, Old Spice has a product for everyone in the ads. Watch it: Yes, there's a horse joke, but not the one you'd expect. Best of the Rest: Today's Top News and Insights Here are Ratings for Day 1 of the Senate Impeachment Trial Glossier and Taco Bell Rank Among the Top Brands in Building Online Communities Will IGTV Follow Facebook Watch’s Monetization Path for Publishers? How Does Your Company Help Employees Maintain a Healthy Work-Life Balance? Meghann Craig, vp, marketing, Empower With 38% of Empower's workforce represented by moms, we know that a work/life blend is important to retain top talent. That's why we have an ease back in program. Returning moms can work a 4-day work week at full pay for five weeks. We also provide four private nursing rooms, a kids play room and a health and wellness room. We also offer in-house massages by a professional masseuse. Lisa Mitchelmore, head of people and culture, Ragged Edge Alongside the usual benefits (private medical, enhanced sick pay, cycle and tech schemes) and the increasingly popular well-being support (mental health workshops, in-house yoga sessions, smoothies, monthly breakfast talks and book club), we now give every member of the team an extra ‘My Day.' We urge the team to explore and find what makes them happy and book the day to go and experience it. It can be volunteering, spending a day in a gallery or focusing on their side hustle. They can even gift it to a teammate.

First Things First

Mr. Peanut Is Dead; Hallmark Channel Chief Exits: Thursday's First Things First

Plus, Alegra O'Hare is out as Gap CMO

Jameson Fleming

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Jameson Fleming