How to Use Mascots for Marketing

• Mascots come in many different shapes, sizes and colours and are typically used to promote a specific brand or company. Some mascots are cute and furry while others are fierce or menacing. Using a mascot typically has a handful of different purposes:

• Helps consumers connect with the brand or company

• Triggers a desire to buy the product or service

• Creates loyalty for customer retention over the long term

• Exposure is the key element when it comes to mascots. If your mascot is out there and is visible, there’s a better chance that the public will connect with it.

Creating the Mascot• Anyone who has watched television or read a magazine

knows that there are many different types of mascots out there. There really is no tried and true formula that’s going to ensure success and drive customers to your door. There are a few important points to keep in mind, though:

• Keep your target market in mind throughout the creation process.

• Make sure the mascot identifies with the brand in some way.

• Create a whole personality profile for the mascot so it seems real to the people you want to influence.

• Once you have a mascot ready to go, complete with personality, quirks and other traits, it’s time to decide how to use it to get the results you want. There are a few different ways to utilize your mascot for marketing that can result in increased sales.

Ad Spots• Television ads are one common place that people expect to

see mascots selling products. Since a tv ad is usually one over and over again, both kids and adults will begin to identify the mascot with the product or service that’s being sold. Some of the more famous mascots in history have started on television, and have helped to sell millions of dollars worth of products.

• Of course, television isn’t the only place a mascot can help to sell products or services. Ad spots in magazines, brochures, newspapers and even on the radio can be great places for mascots to make their mark. Basically, anyplace that an advertisement can be placed is an opportunity to use your mascot for marketing. You may want to take some time for the public to get to know the mascot before plastering its image on a billboard or bus stop, but once the word is out it’s all fair game.

Packaging•Once the public starts to become familiar

with your mascot, you can also use its image on your packaging to reinforce the connection. A picture of the mascot with a caption or trademark saying will build the association and brand awareness of your product or service.

Local Events• Having your mascot make

appearances at local events is another way to use it for marketing purposes. Sending the mascot out to festivals, carnivals, concerts or parades gives it a chance to interact with the community and make an even stronger bond.

• Many mascots will hand out treats to kids or pose for pictures that children can bring home with them. It’s all in the spirit of fun, but it’s also hammering home that connection. Posing for pictures even keeps the message going after the family returns home.

Sports Teams• Most people are familiar with the San Diego

chicken or Philly Phanatic from Major League Baseball. Most baseball teams have mascots and they are valuable marketing tools for sports teams.

• As with community events, sports mascots are there to appeal to the kids and to get them excited about the product. A young child going to a baseball game and interacting with the mascot is creating memories that will often lead to him being a fan into adulthood.

Websites• No one is going to argue that the internet is a

busy place in today’s society. And as such, having mascots for specific websites is another way to connect with the public. For companies that already have a mascot, just extending it over to the online world will probably work.

• However, for businesses that are only online, creating a whole new one just for your site will also help. Naturally, the big and cuddly concept will likely be replaced with something more animated, and your creative options are much greater online.

Real People & Animals• In some cases, a real life person

or animal ends up becoming the mascot for a specific brand. Jared from Subway and the Taco Bell Chihuahua are two prime examples.

• Jared is technically a spokesperson, but his presence has the same effect as a mascot would have. The public makes the connection between him and Subway, as well as with losing weight. The Taco Bell Chihuahua also has the same effect as stuffed or animated mascot, but in real life form.