A real nut job; weekend NUTmobile visit powered by puns, peanut oil

Planter's 23-foot-long NUTmobile will arrive in Southeast Missouri this weekend, but it isn't just powered by peanut oil and solar panels. Puns make it go, too.

Maggie Baruffi, a Wisconsin public relations "peanutter" who sends news releases to the media, is tasked with promoting the arrival of the NUTmobile. Her release arrived at the Southeast Missourian on Monday. It began with the greeting, "Shell-o" and ended with the salutation "cashew later."

The Planter's corporation will make a presence in the area with its motorized rolling peanut and mascot this Friday and Saturday at grocery stores. A company that promotes itself with a human-sized peanut that walks and a bus-sized peanut that rolls, Planter's is not a corporation that takes itself too seriously.

"Yeah, we try to keep it interesting," Baruffi said.

Baruffi said she loves to fill correspondence with as many nut puns as possible. Her news release contained no fewer than eight. Much of the witty wordplay gets passed down from others, but the main focus of her job becomes a shell game to come up with new and clever nut-driven material that'll make people crack a smile.

"We don't have a book, but we do kinda go over it in our training. We work closely with the last class of 'peanutters'," said Baruffi when asked how they generate content for the press. Baruffi's alias is "Magadamia NUT."

The company's main goal is to "spread miles of smiles," so in addition to the "nutty" marketing strategies, the NUTmobile plays a part. It's formally known by Planter's as the "central mobile." And according to Baruffi, "there's a lot that's awesome about the vehicle itself."

"It's 23-feet-long by 10 and-a-half feet tall. It's the first-ever NUTmobile that toured the country, and was built in 2011," said Baruffi. "This is the original one, which is really cool. It's definitely a classic. It was built to run entirely on peanut oil, and also has solar panels on top."

Planter's NUTmobile is on the road year-round, according to Baruffi -- except for major holidays and during "Peanut Prep." Planter's is partnered with Penske Truck Rental so vehicles can be stored at different locations across the country when the employees head home for breaks.

"In Jackson and Cape Girardeau [this weekend], we're mostly going to be at grocery stores. We'll set up with games -- including Mr. Peanut Plinko -- for people of all ages," Baruffi said. "You can win prizes, there will be coupons, stickers, peanuts and memorabilia items for grand prize winners. You can even meet Mr. Peanut himself, and get your picture with him and vehicle."

Baruffi said the company is primarily focused on spreading fun.

"Planter's is a brand that everybody knows. It's been around for such a long time, and even Mr. Peanut himself is 102 years old. So really, the whole point is to connect the brand to people every single day," Baruffi said. "At our events we meet hundreds of people who get to meet Mr. Peanut, play the games and get involved, and really just have a good time."

The NUTmobile and Mr. Peanut will be gracing parts of Southeast Missouri with their salty presence this weekend, including stops at Country Mart stores in Jackson from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and in Marble Hill from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573)388-3632

Editor Bob Miller contributed to the puns in this report.