Mr. Peanut is back, but Planters is giving away the $5 million it would have spent on a Super Bowl ad

This year, Planters will give away $5 million to people doing charitable acts it’s calling “acts of substance,” as it seeks to position the brand as a substantive alternative to other snacks.

After an unlikely death, a star-studded Super Bowl funeral and an apparent reincarnation, Planters’ monocled Mr. Peanut is back.

But instead of running a Super Bowl spot this year, the snack brand is giving away the $5 million it would have spent running one.

Kraft Heinz’ year-long circle-of-life campaign around Mr. Peanut culminates Monday with a new storyline and an announcement that Planters will take the roughly $5 million it would ordinarily spend on a Super Bowl ad slot and instead route that money to recognize people doing charitable acts. The brand is calling them “acts of substance,” a play on positioning the snack as a substantive alternative to options like potato chips. 

The new campaign, done with VaynerMedia, also represents a broader shift in how the company plans to do some of its future marketing, according to Sanjiv Gajiwala, Kraft Heinz’s U.S. chief growth officer.