Did you know that companies using mascots achieve a 37% better brand positioning than those that don’t? That’s a statistic you can’t ignore in today’s competitive market.
For decades, mascots have played a pivotal role in connecting brands with their audiences. Ronald McDonald made fast food a family staple, Tony the Tiger celebrated breakfast with his GRR-R-REAT energy, Colonel Sanders transformed fried chicken into a finger-lickin’ phenomenon, and Geico’s Martin the Gecko proved that saving 15% on car insurance is just a quick call away.
While some legendary mascots, like Tony and Bibendum—the Michelin Man—have become timeless icons, others have been retired or replaced to keep up with changing strategies.
The exciting news? Mascots are far from outdated. They remain a powerful tool for modern brands, offering a golden opportunity to enhance engagement, build trust, and forge meaningful connections with your audience—one that no other marketing strategy can replicate.
This article explores how mascots can revolutionize your brand strategy and grow your business.
What Is a Brand Mascot?
A brand mascot, also known as a brand character, serves as the face and personality of your brand, business, or company. Think of it as your brand’s ambassador—an engaging and relatable character that communicates your values, connects with your audience, and helps establish a memorable identity.
These mascots often utilize anthropomorphism, a creative technique where human traits, emotions, and behaviors are attributed to animals, objects, or fictional beings. This practice makes the character relatable and engaging, creating an emotional bond with the audience.
Not surprisingly, humans dominate the world of mascots due to their natural relatability. Close behind are animals, whose diverse personalities and symbolism allow for versatile and impactful storytelling.
Curious to learn more? Check out our article about the meaning of Brand Mascot.
What are the benefits of brand mascots?
1. You can interact with your audience whenever you want
Unlike static ads, mascots allow your brand to engage directly on social media, at events, or even in live-streamed campaigns.
Interactive technology has taken this to the next level—virtual mascots, chatbots, and AR-enabled characters allow your mascot to answer questions, guide purchases, and even share jokes, making the engagement dynamic and memorable.
2. They considerably boost your marketing efforts
According to research by the Marketing Practice Center (MPC), long-term campaigns featuring mascots see a 34.1% increase in profit gains, compared to 26.2% for campaigns without. Mascots also drive higher customer acquisition rates, with an average increase of 40.9% in new customers, compared to 32% for ads without characters.
Mascots create a consistent and recognizable thread across all marketing channels, from print ads to social media, resulting in a cohesive brand experience. While mascots require patience and consistency, the long-term payoff is well worth the investment.
3. Unmatched Brand Differentiation
A well-designed mascot can make your brand unforgettable in a crowded market. With hundreds—if not thousands—of competitors vying for attention, a personalized mascot that embodies your values and mission can elevate your brand above the noise.
Consider mascots like Tony the Tiger or the Michelin Man. They not only represent their brands but also communicate a clear and unique message, making the products they endorse stand out even in saturated markets.
4. They create empathy, Marketing’s best friend
In an age where emotional marketing reigns supreme, mascots excel at forging deeper connections with audiences. Research from the Harvard Business Review shows that emotional connection is more valuable than customer satisfaction in driving loyalty and long-term engagement.
By humanizing your brand, mascots foster a sense of trust and relatability. Their approachable, human-like traits help customers feel connected, leading to stronger brand recall and loyalty.
5. They’re a safe branding and marketing strategy
Unlike celebrity endorsements, mascots come with far fewer risks. For instance, Subway’s reliance on Jared Fogle ended disastrously when he was convicted of serious crimes, damaging the brand’s reputation despite swift action to sever ties.
Had Subway used a mascot instead of a real person, the fallout could have been avoided entirely. Mascots don’t get embroiled in scandals or lawsuits. As long as your brand promotes harm-free, high-quality products or services, mascots remain a safe and dependable branding tool.
That could’ve all been avoided if Subway bet their chips on a mascot.
Just remember, mascots are not “trouble-free”. If your brand is encouraging kids to eat fast food, then some petitions and lawsuits could mar the image of your brand.
As long as you’re promoting harm-free, high-quality products or services, you should be in the clear.
6. Versatility Across Channels
Mascots are highly adaptable and can be utilized across multiple platforms and media. They can star in commercials, interact on social media, appear on packaging, and even perform at live events. Their versatility ensures your brand message stays consistent while reaching audiences in various formats.
If you’re thinking about adding a mascot to your communication plan, our team is here to help.
With over 10 years of experience and the development of more than 2,500 characters, we’ll guide you through every step to unlock the full potential of your new team member!
Learn more
The Challenges of Having a Brand Mascot
1. It doesn’t answer back overnight
After going through the brand strategy process and setting the brand identity, message, and purpose, you get into the design process. Some initial sketches are introduced, and art directors and character designers work closely with the strategy team to ensure the character respects the brand’s guidelines.
And only then becomes the birth of your mascot as it prepares to be launched and introduced to the world. Utilizing your mascot in social media, ads, blogs, and merchandising needs time. So don’t expect fast, short-term results with brand mascots.
2. Your anthropomorphism could backfire
Humanizing the connection between your brand and customers leaves more room for judgment compared to brands that don’t use anthropomorphism. This means dissatisfied customers could take the disappointment harder and view the brand’s wrongdoings more negatively than non-humanized brands.
3. The design has to be new and different
Depending on what you sell and your brand’s identity, there are many possible designs that could up your marketing.
For instance, a circular mascot is perceived as sweet, cute, and gentle, but if it is angular or sharply edged in shape, it represents an evil persona. The mascot for fitness brands needs to be trim and athletic.
In any case, the mascot needs to be unique in order to be seen in today’s market. In addition, it should be customizable for seasonal promotions.
Dare to be different, but don’t be creepy.
We keep that in mind whilst in the strategy and design steps, and we tell it to our clients too.
4. It can come out as disintegrated
Some companies go straight to art directors after working out the story and personality themselves. So, basically, all they did was come up with a character that was approved by the managers before handing the project over to character designers.
Take La’eeb, for instance. He was the official mascot of the FIFA 2022 World Cup. In an analysis we made, it seemed to us that not enough thought was put into its creation. And what came out was a not-so-strategic mascot.
Go From Man to Meerkat in Your Mascot Choices
While celebrity endorsers can cost thousands of dollars for every tweet they make to promote your brand, a mascot is an affordable, cost-effective, one-time investment. Celebrities add extra authenticity because it’s an actual person that’s representing you in the flesh. But their inaccessibility and lack of interaction put them miles behind digitized mascots.
At social events, fundraising events, ad campaigns, and even your website, and blog, it’s definitely worth considering letting your brand mascot personally connect with your audience. If the data above didn’t convince you, imagine this scenario:
You have organized an event to announce your newest product through your brand ambassador. You are super hyped about it, and your team believes in it. Everybody shows up, but he or she doesn’t. What now?
On the other hand, Aleksandr Orlov the Meerkat is the mascot that tells us about the services of a company that compares prices in the most “simples” way.
The character was designed once and has appeared in numerous ads, making people fall in love with him and, subsequently, the brand.
Celebrity ambassador vs. mascot verdict
There’s no telling what will happen with celebrities. Will they get caught up in a lawsuit? How much money are they going to charge you this time? Will they be present at each event?
These are questions you should ask yourself before going through with hiring a celebrity to represent your brand.
Are You Ready to Have a Brand Mascot of Your Own?
If you do some research, you’d most probably come to the realization that all you have to do is decide what you want your brand mascot to be or look like and then hire a design team to do the artwork.
With the multitude of brands, the audience’s tolerance of ads grew thinner. People are tired of boastful remarks and loud promises. Even if your brand is superior in ways your competitors can only dream of and offers high-quality products, you need to let it shine and show why it stands out. With a unique, creative brand mascot, you can personally communicate your brand identity and devotion.
Allen
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Many thanks for providing these details.
what factors should businesses consider when developing a mascot to ensure it resonates authentically with their audience?
To create a resonant mascot, focus on: Brand Values ,Audience Preferences ,Unique Design ,Platform Versatility ,Message Consistency These will help foster a strong connection.