You’ll soon find that while mascots, in general, are a simple, two-dimensional concept, coming up with one that resonates with your audience is not as simple as you would think.

The most common form of mascot is a cartoon character like Tony the Tiger, Cap’n Crunch, the GEICO gecko and Mickey Mouse. But some mascots are more human and realistic, such as Flo from Progressive or Mayhem from Allstate. Then you have the mascot outliers that are a mix of both like Mr. Clean, the Aflac Duck, the Energizer Bunny and Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome.

What works for you and your brand is going to be unique, so you’ll need to explore several ideas and choose one that you feel matches your brand’s personality best. There are some things you can do to ensure your mascot relates well to your brand.

• Find a mascot or character that meshes with your core company values and mission statement.

• Give your mascot a background story that defines who or what they are as this helps to build future scenarios and campaigns

• Come up with a well thought out personality for your mascot, whether that be quirky and bubbly like Flo or villainous and heinous like Mayhem.

• Choose the style or appearance that best fits your audience. If you’re primarily targeting adults, don’t settle on a cartoon mascot that’s goofy and child-like. Dos Equis, for instance, has the world’s most interesting man as their mascot which is perfect for a beer and adult beverage brand.

Once you have a proper mascot designed, the most important thing to do is use them continuously over and over. Like driving traffic to a new blog, or acquiring followers for a new social media profile, you must deliver consistent content that features your mascot. It’s up to you to select what type of content