The impact of Kobe Bryant to the world of sports may never be fully measured.
For students of the game, Bryant was the stern but fair professor who understood that the hardest lessons to learn are often the most valuable. Bryant was relentless on the court, able to beat teams by simply amplifying one piece of his game or another, depending on what the situation called for. He had a versatility that made him a threat anywhere on the hardwood.
His movement away from the ball was the smoothest you’d find. Kobe was almost sneaking around the court, looking for that opportunity to add a couple to the scoreboard.
His untimely death will forever change the landscape of the sporting world…and also the Planters Peanuts Online Super Bowl commercial.
Planters announced on Monday that it would “pause” its online campaign promoting the sudden death of its mascot Mr. Peanut, following the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
Last week, the nutty brand had social media buzzing when it debuted a commercial depicting the demise of Mr. Peanut, sacrificing himself to save his pals, actors Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh, who were all hanging from a cracking branch after their car drove off a cliff. He died at 104.
Following Sunday’s helicopter crash that killed the 41-year-old Los Angeles Lakers superstar, Planters said it was slowing down with its latest marketing campaign.
“We wanted you to know that we are saddened by this weekend’s news and Planters has paused campaign activities, including paid media, and will evaluate next steps through a lens of sensitivity to those impacted by this tragedy,” Planters said in a statement.
Planters will still air a pair of commercials during the Super Bowl, however. The “death” marketing campaign was an online-only series of advertisements.
