Celebrities and mascots are a lot alike. First, there are different types of each. Celebrities can range from actors and artists to talk show hosts and Internet personalities. They can be anyone from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to Mariah Carey. Mascots can fit in the categories of sports mascots, corporate mascots, school mascots, or specialty mascots. Some of the most famous brand mascots are Geico Insurance’s Gecko and the Milwaukee Brewers Racing Sausages. Celebrities and brand mascots both dedicate a lot of their time to brand marketing, which is a way to promote products and services in a manner that highlights their overall brand name. Each group’s powerful influence builds an organization’s credibility and identity on the market. Read on to learn how to get your brand mascot all the fame, fortune, and paparazzi it deserves!
So, you have a mascot for your organization, but what’s its story? How did it come to be? For example, Frito-Lay’s Cheetos Chester the Cheetah originated in 1986 as an antagonist who would disguise himself to sneak up on people and steal their Cheetos. Commercials aired with Chester disguised as anything from a wrestler to a bungee jumper. His sly, smooth voice would articulate the brand’s slogans of “It ain’t easy bein’ cheesy,” and “Dangerously cheesy!”
Is your mascot a Cheeto thief or a superhero? By crafting a backstory for your mascot, you can showcase your brand’s unique traits. Branding aspects to incorporate into your mascot’s identity include:
When mascot’s have a clear identity, your brand will have the ability to be recognized on its own, without a logo or company name- like a true celebrity.
Your mascot doesn’t have to be a bee to generate buzz on social media! Studies have found that photos with mascots in them gather more shareability and engagement on social platforms. This is because viewers form a brand and emotional connection with your mascot. By sharing your mascot on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn, you can reach a much broader audience—especially those who can’t meet your mascot in person. If you need some inspiration to get started, look below as some of the most popular social media accounts run by company mascots.
Duo (Duolingo) – 6M followers on Instagram, 16.7M followers on Tik Tok
Duolino advertises an easy to use language learning service. To make learning a language fun, the creative green owl does a great job of creating humorous and chaotic content that connects to their target audience.
Benny the Bull (Chicago Bulls) – 4M followers on Tik Tok, 573K followers on Instagram.
Benny focuses on staying up to date with the latest trends and dances to make engaging content. He also posts behind-the-scenes moments from Bulls games, giving fans an inside look—even if they can’t attend in person.
Oregon Duck (Oregan State University) – 944.2K followers on Tik Tok, 181K followers on Instagram
This mighty duck creates silly and lighthearted content that is targeted towards college students. His presence on social media brands the university as a fun and exciting college. This creates a more welcoming environment for current and possibly new students.
If your looking for more information on how to get started with your mascot on Tik Tok, check out this blog!
If you want to get your mascot noticed and outshine the competition, bring it to your organization’s next event! Brand mascots liven up the crowds at tradeshows, assemblies, parades, and even networking events. It’s also a great opportunity to have interactions with your consumer base. So, make sure your mascot performer is ready for multiple pictures, high fives, and hugs! Be sure to have your mascot adopt a friendly personality and remind them to use movement to express themselves. Even if your mascot only has a 10 second interaction with a person, that moment will stick with them for years to come making your brand memorable to them.
Common gossip surrounding mascots suggests that they are an expensive brand marketing tool. This is only a rumor! Mascots are one of the most cost-effective brand marketing tools and ideal if your organization has a tight advertising budget. With a mascot, you’re not only purchasing a costume to last for years, you’re creating an identifiable brand character. Mascot characters establish an emotional connection with your audience that other forms of advertising cannot. By endorsing a brand mascot for your organization, you’ll get rich and famous!
(P.S. For more information on custom mascot prices, check out our blog “How Much Does a Mascot Cost?”.)
With their cost-effectiveness and high endorsement success rates, mascots are one of the best brand marketing tools. By following the suggestions and advice in this blog, your mascot is guaranteed to become a celebrity for your brand in no time.
Are you ready to learn more about how you can begin mascot marketing with a brand mascot? Learn more about our corporate mascot-making capabilities and get started on your brand mascot project today!
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