1959 Skippy Peanut Butter: Testimonial from Casey Stengel

Skippy flipped the script on celebrity endorsements. Instead of hiding the fact that baseball legend Casey Stengel was paid, they made it the joke. That honesty made the ad fun, memorable, and surprisingly persuasive.

Marketing analysis

The clever part? The ad admits it’s “a paid testimonial,” but leans into Casey’s grumpy charm to make readers laugh. It turns skepticism (“he’s just saying that for money”) into a feature — not a flaw.

Why it works

• Radical transparency earns trust
• Humor lowers sales resistance
• Celebrity appeal adds credibility and nostalgia
• Makes peanut butter feel more “grown-up”
• Uses storytelling to disguise a sales pitch

Examples

• Liquid Death uses humor and brutal honesty (“murder your thirst”) to build a billion-dollar brand
• Oatly’s “this tastes like shit but it’s sustainable” campaign won attention through self-deprecation
• Ryan Reynolds’ ad style for Aviation Gin pokes fun at advertising itself — and sells hard while doing it