Twitter has taken down meme-sharing accounts created by snack brand Planters to juice attention for the arrival of its new mascot, "Baby Nut," which debuted during the Super Bowl.
Kraft Heinz said in a statement the suspensions occurred despite the fact that it had consulted with Twitter. Insider first reported on the removal of the accounts, determining that some of the accounts were created before the public knew Planters would introduce Baby Nut and suggesting the accounts were part of the campaign.
"As we prepared to launch Baby Nut, we knew our fans would want as much content as they could get. After consulting with Twitter, we launched three meme-sharing accounts (@BabyNutBaby, @BabyNutMemes and @BabyNutLOL) in a fashion we believed was compliant with its terms of service," a company executive said in a statement. "After we went forward, Twitter ultimately decided these accounts were noncompliant. We respect that decision."
Planters "killed off" its mascot Mr. Peanut in a teaser video for its Super Bowl spot last month, then kicked off a social media blitz (which the brand paused last week following Kobe Bryant's death). Then, in a spot depicting Mr. Peanut's funeral that aired during the Super Bowl, the former mascot was reincarnated into Baby Nut.
Twitter declined to comment, but the company has a "platform manipulation policy" that prohibits activities like creating multiple accounts to post duplicative content or "mutually interacting accounts" that inflate or manipulate the prominence of tweets or accounts.
