Category: Public Relations

Introduction

Hello, I’d like to introduce you all to my Studying Viral Content blog. This blog is mainly concerned with how viral content spreads. Additionally, it will go over the different strategies organizations use to make something a hit.

The story of Baby Nut

The first topic is discussing Baby Nut. Before the Super Bowl planters killed off their iconic mascot, Mr. Peanut. Then, Baby Nut made his first appearance during the Superbowl. Thanks to the tears of the Kool Aid Man, Mr. Peanut was reborn as Baby Nut.

Backlash

The trouble began when Planters began to spam #BabyNut tweets constantly on their official account. The intention behind creating the BabyNut twitter account was obviously to capitalize off of the success of Baby Yoda and to gain revenue from merchandise.

Also, according to Verges article called, Twitter Boots Planters’ Baby Nut Meme Accounts for Violating its rules, Baby Nut accounts were suspended from the site because it violated Twitters rules for spamming a hashtag to make it gain more traction.

Twitter wasn’t the only one who became sick of Planters blatant attempts at boosting their new mascot’s popularity. Things took a turn for the worst for Planters when the Internet had enough of it. Instead of making Baby Nut a cute, relatable meme, Planters inadvertently riled up the internet enough to create twitter accounts and memes dedicated towards hating Baby Nut.

Why these haters are prosumers

A prosumer is defined as being a blend between a consumer and a producer. Meaning they produce fan made (Or in this case “hate made”) content of something that already exists. The distinction between a consumer and prosumer is important because consumers only passively consume media content instead of actively engaging with it like prosumers do.

Some examples of prosumers in action are edits of users personally annihilating Baby Nut and one prosumer even made an animation of their character destroying Baby Nut.

These prosumers are taking back the power from the producer (Planters) by no longer being supportive of Baby Nut.