Advertising icons like Planters' Mr. Peanut, the Sun-Maid Raisin girl, and Columbian Coffee's Juan Valdez are as much a part of the American lexicon as apple pie and baseball. But even those
well-known characters need an update from time to time to stay current. As such, all three are part of a trend among marketers to reinvent old ad mascots in a move that allows advertisers to get some
publicity while capitalizing on nostalgia. In March, the Sun-Maid Raisin Girl was digitally animated in a new TV campaign after 100 years as a frozen portrait on a red box, while the National
Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia recently announced a new Juan Valdez, to replace the actor who had starred in its advertising since 1969. And this summer, Planters Peanuts, a unit of Kraft
Foods, is asking the public to vote on whether to add a bow tie, cuff links, or a pocket watch to Mr. Peanut's outfit or to keep Mr. Peanut the same. Companies seem to be depending on their
advertising icons more than ever because the characters resonate with busy consumers and grab their attention, said Ron Berger, the chief executive and COO of ad agency Euro RSCG Worldwide and
chairman of Advertising Week, an industry-sponsored event held annually in New York to celebrate the work of Madison Avenue. As testament to the popularity of ad characters, Berger said, each year
during Advertising Week the industry honors two ad icons selected in an online public vote. Last year, Juan Valdez and the Geico Gecko won, from some 500,000 votes that were cast
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