Twitter Suspends Planters’ Own ‘Baby Nut’-Themed Accounts For Violating Rules
Video screenshot via Planters
The birth of Planters’ new mascot, Baby Nut, was a rocky one. The world was baffled when the company killed off the 104-year-old Mr Peanut ahead of the Super Bowl. More eyebrows were raised when customers learned the character was later reincarnated as Baby Nut. Now, three of Planters’ Baby Nut-themed social media accounts have been suspended.
Following the introduction of Baby Nut, the @MrPeanut Twitter account started retweeting meme accounts focused on the teeny new character. As reported by Insider, the three accounts mimicked real meme accounts that poke fun at viral news.
A telling sign they were created internally, though, was that the accounts were registered as early as September 2019. The branding campaign was only launched in February 2020.
According to Twitter’s spam and platform manipulation guidelines, the app prohibits “coordinated activity that attempts to artificially influence conversations through the use of multiple accounts, fake accounts, automation and/or scripting." It also doesn’t allow the operation of “multiple accounts with overlapping use cases, such as identical or similar personas or substantially similar content.”
Lynne Galia, a spokesperson for Planters parent Kraft Heinz, confirmed with Insider that three accounts—@BabyNutBaby, @BabyNutMemes and @BabyNutLOL—were suspended by Twitter.
She added that while the company consulted the social network about the advertising move and apparently got the green light, “Twitter ultimately decided these accounts were noncompliant.” Nevertheless, “we respect that decision,” she expressed.
This is a madness. @MrPeanut created "meme" accounts to promote their rebrand - @babynutmemes @BabyNutBaby, and @BabyNutLOL, and are retweeting their posts as if the accounts were made organically by fans.
— Chris Whitely (@ChrisWhitely) February 3, 2020
THEY EVEN PUT TEXT WATERMARKS ON THE MEMES TO MAKE IT SEEM MORE REAL 😂 pic.twitter.com/vwKjoENNUs
Followed @BabyNutBaby before 1,000 followers. pic.twitter.com/vQCKMo8b4Q
— Dylan Donahoe (@RealDylanD1) February 3, 2020
Update: It no longer does! pic.twitter.com/tLIpIA2gYy
— Tan Sman (watch final space) (@MarioGengar94) February 3, 2020
[via Insider, images via various sources]
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