Sometimes comedy can be used in the wrong way. In fact, I’m often asked by fast track executives during our comedy workshop how to determine whether comedy is or isn’t appropriate in a business setting. I always answer by saying, “Take time to get to know your audience ahead of time. Determine their tastes and personalities as well as whether the organization has a track record of embracing comedy in its culture.”

That’s why I’m questioning what I see as a textbook example of how NOT to use humor to change a buyer’s consideration set and engender a warm and fuzzy feeling at point-of-purchase.

I call your attention to the new Planters Peanuts Super Bowl campaign. As you’ll see, Planters has decided to either kill their iconic, 104-year-old Mr. Peanut in an automobile accident or as the very creepy Tweet suggests, have him commit suicide.

Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I’ve reached out to Maggie O’Neill, our resident pop icon expert who has promoted the likes of Webkinz, the Maytag Repairman and, Cowabunga Dude, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’ve also asked Clayton Fletcher, a professional comedian and Peppercomm’s Chief Comedy Officer to provide his POV.

• Why do you find this campaign funny or offensive?

Mags: I find it funny – but understand the concerns.  Why funny?  Well first it was unexpected.  I haven’t seen Mr. Peanut in a while, and I had no idea he was hanging with Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh.  The tone of the ad is not very serious, so you know and understand going in what to expect.  Some naysayers are concerned that Mr. Peanut killed himself or the ad turns its back on mental illness.  I don’t see either.  I see a brand that took a chance in “killing off” its beloved (debate there) character, has started a conversation around something we have not thought about in a long time and changed the conversation about peanuts from banned food to stay-tuned for what’s next.  It works, and the execution is funny. Afterall, it’s the death of a peanut in a fire.  Can anyone say Roasted Peanut?

Clayton: I think it’s a simple case of misguided creativity. The company didn’t want to announce the retirement of their iconic spokesman with a simple press release or in some other boring way, and I respect that. However, making death funny is not easy to do, and this ad doesn’t do it.

• This appears to be a classic one-off campaign aimed solely to shock people and make the brand (Planters) stand out in our world of information overload. What’s the line between smart and strategic shock and awe vs. simply being offensive?

Mags: This is just the beginning. A funeral in the third quarter of the Super Bowl?  Planters has more up their sleeve if they are investing this kind of money, time and taking this chance.  The character is over 100 years old.  I don’t think its going away so easily.  That said, if Super Bowl LIV (54) is the last we hear of Mr. Peanut, well the campaign accomplished a few things Planters has not done for me in the past.  (1) It got my attention (and everyone else’s), (2) it opened the door to something new for the brand after 104 years, and (3) once I saw the ad (the Tweet was a bit odd if you saw it first), it made me laugh.

Clayton: In the sense that taking this risk gets attention, the ad’s a success; for example, Repman is blogging about it! I don’t think there’s any shock value here, but an irresponsible flippancy toward a subject that causes people grief and sadness, even depression. Not shocking, but not what we want from a wholesome company like Planters either.

• Assuming they didn’t do so, should Planters (and their ad agency) have first screened the campaign with mental health experts, families of automobile accident victims (40,000 Americans die on our roads every year according to the National Safety Council), loved ones of those who have committed suicide (over 47,000 Americans end their lives every year according to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention) or is nothing sacred in TrumpLand?

Mags: I assume this went through many considerations.  Maybe not a screening, but I don’t know. There is a small disclaimer on safe driving at the onset, so they did give it some thought.  That said, there is nothing in here about mental health once you watch the ad.  When I first saw the Tweet I was more concerned over the mental health issue.  But Mr. Peanut ultimately dies as a heroic sacrifice hanging on a branch with two celebrities after his Nutmobile goes over a cliff.  Yes, it’s funny.  But I was also less concerned.  They could consider a donation to a mental health charity or a distracted driving foundation as part of his funeral – in lieu of flowers.

Clayton: I’m sure a test was done, but I doubt the specific groups you mention were included. This is a tough area for me, because as a comedian I know taking risks is often the only way to find real comedy gold. Creativity itself must not be hindered, but part of the comedian’s job is to present the creative idea in a way the audience can enjoy. I feel this ad agency (who clearly isn’t comprised of professional comics) stumbled into “don’t try this at home” territory, and it rings morbid and insensitive. Not the tone I’d expect from a legume retailer, and I wish they’d take this one off the shelf. The late Mr. Peanut would have wanted it that way.

So, what’s your take? Funny or offensive? This part-time communicator, part-time comedian would like to know.

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Our country had Washington, Adams and Jefferson. My profession had Arthur Page, Ivy Lee and, most certainly, the recently deceased Harold Burson. 

I’m not a “Burson Person,” but I have two special memories of him nonetheless. The first concerns the amazing firm he built. The other recounts my memories of a remarkable two-hour lunch with the beloved Burson.

I first became aware of Burson-Marsteller’s existence a lifetime ago as a freshly minted account executive at Hill and Knowlton. From day one, I and the rest of the H&K juniors were continually reminded that we were the biggest and best PR firm in the world.  As my boss described it: H&K is Tiffany’s. Everything else is Filene’s Basement.

But that all changed one spring afternoon in 1980 when the entire New York staff was ordered to gather in a cavernous conference room.

After we’d settled in, our distraught CEO announced, “O’Dwyer’s has just released the rankings and we are no longer number one. Burson Marsteller is. That is unacceptable and it will change. We are implementing two immediate strategies: a brand refresh (yawn) and a decision to actively begin pursuing new business.”

The latter statement really hit home.

H&K had always prided itself on never soliciting clients, instead haughtily deciding if a prospect was “H&K worthy.” 

But after Burson blew by us, every new business prospect suddenly became H&K worthy. And within a year or two, H&K had begun its long downward spiral, while Harold & Co. rose to ever loftier highs. The decision by one firm to target and pursue companies it wanted to do business with versus another that pitched virtually anything that came in the door was a lesson that would stick with me in the years that followed.

My second anecdote involves the only time I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Burson and after I’d established my own agency.

One of our newer employees, who had recently left B-M to join Peppercomm, arranged a lunch for us with the legend.

When we entered the restaurant, Mr. Burson rose from the table, extended his hand and said, “I’ve really been looking forward to meeting Steve Cody for quite some time.” I was shocked that he even knew I existed. 

He continued: “I’ve been following Peppercomm’s success for quite some time now.” Not knowing what to say, I mumbled, “Gee, thanks Mr. Burson.” Naturally he asked me to call him Harold, but I felt like I was in the presence of a giant and couldn’t imagine calling him anything else.

Mr. Burson sensed my nervousness, leaned in and whispered, “I’m proud of everyone who succeeds at my firm and in our profession, but there’s a special place in my heart reserved for entrepreneurs. Only we know the exquisite highs and devastating lows of starting from scratch and lying awake nights worrying if we’ll be able to meet the next payroll or not.” I cannot tell you how much his words meant to me. 

Mr. Burson proceeded to answer every question I fired at him (including why he represented tobacco companies). “I believe every legitimate business deserves representation,” he said.

Then, typical of the gentleman he was, he wanted to hear more about Peppercomm and what we were doing differently. I mentioned that one of things we insisted upon was sitting in on a client sales executive’s “pitch.” I told him I felt it enabled us to hear the unfiltered voice of the customer rather than having it interpreted by marketing communications executives. 

He smiled, leaned back and said, “I always insisted on the very same thing. And we did it. But we don’t do it anymore and I’m not sure why.” I never expected that sort of candor

After two hours, we shook hands and promised to stay in touch (which, sadly, we didn’t). But as I left the restaurant that day, I remember saying to my Peppercomm colleague, “I feel as if I’ve just been schooled in the art of war by George Washington himself.”

There will never be another Harold Burson. But I’m privileged to have spent those 120 minutes at the foot of the master and will honor his passing with these memories and a reminder to apply their lessons in my own life.

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– “My life sucks. Everything hurts,” said Jim Plunkett, one-time Heisman trophy winner and Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. 

– “I look in the mirror and I say, ‘Who are you?’” Tony Dorsett, NFL Hall of Fame running back.

– Earl Campbell, another NFL HOFer and, arguably the most punishing running back ever, has had both knees replaced, endured five back surgeries, severe arthritis, foot drop caused by nerve damage, spinal stenosis and is in and out of rehab for a recurring addiction to Oxycontin. Yet, Campbell says he’d do it all over again if given a chance.

I submit these horrific examples of what a career in the NFL can, and will, do to players because the ageless Tom Brady finds himself at yet another crossroad.

Tom Terrific isn’t concerned about ending up like Plunkett, Dorsett, Campbell or thousands of other hapless former NFL greats because, according to Mark Leibovich’s seminal 2018 expose on the NFL, “Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times,” Brady relies on TB12 to ward off CTE and every other body-destroying injury a career in pro football will most assuredly produce.

If you’re not familiar with TB12, it’s Brady‘s home grown fountain of youth formula that assures sustained peak performance through a combination of pliability work, hydration and no coffee, and a bunch of other New Age remedies. (Note: Check out “Tom vs Time” on YouTube. You’ll not only learn all about TB12, but also hear Brady’s wife, Giselle, voice her concerns about long-term brain damage).

Brady attributes TB12 to his consistently high performance but, this blogger asks the obvious question: When will Father Time finally catch-up with the greatest quarterback in NFL history?

Who knows but, based upon his Saturday night press conference in which he addressed the Pats being upset at home by the visiting Tennessee Titans (an unthinkable occurrence in years past), Brady’s already hinting at playing yet another season.

I guarantee he will return for another season.

Here’s why:

1.) There is NO substitute for the ego rush and sensation of being the idol of millions of Pats fans. No matter what Brady does when he finally hangs up the spikes, he’ll never again be able to revel in the Messiah-like adulation he now enjoys (which, btw, is what led to the sad demise of Muhammad Ali. Fan worship was Ali’s heroin and, not content to be the ONLY three-time heavyweight champion, he repeatedly subjected himself to terrible abuse in his final years in the ring).

2.) Brady is a winner. No other NFL QB comes remotely close to matching his stats. And winners like to go out on top. He’ll be back for the 2020 season in an attempt to win one final Super Bowl.

After word: Brady’s desire to hang on when he should hang it up is in no way limited to the NFL or the sports world in general.

I’ve witnessed aging executives in the wild and wacky world of PR either fall asleep in critical meetings or, having lost track of the conversation, ask a question that was answered 10 minutes earlier.

Whether QB’ing an NFL team or a PR firm, ya gotta know when to say when.

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