As a business first and foremost, you know that if you’re going to spend a lot of time and resources into something that you want a positive return on investment. Naturally, you’re going to question what benefits a mascot will bring to the table? How will they help your brand and your products? What influence will a mascot have on your audience? A large part of this is going to depend on you and how you design your mascot. So long as you align the mascot with company values, you should be on the right track. Allstate’s Mayhem, for instance, is a unique and different take on mascots. His job is to show audiences why they would want insurance through damaging property, ruining belongings and causing general chaos. The personality of Mayhem is remarkably different from something like Mickey Mouse or Tony the Tiger, who are lovable cartoon characters that promote positivity and happiness. But that doesn’t mean Mayhem is a poor choice for a mascot. He still has an influence on Allstate’s audience, and that’s the most important thing to take away from this. The bulk of the outcome will depend on the mascot you choose, the personality you give them and the message you want them to portray. Of course, there are general benefits to having a mascot too. They make your company name and brand stand out from competitors. They increase brand and product awareness in the marketplace. They make your company more personable Mascots and characters connect with your audience in a way that conventional advertisements, company spokespersons and general content cannot. You create a family-like company culture, and your employees will learn to love the mascot just as much as your customers.

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

A mascot is a brand or company representative that can be used to communicate directly with customers in a unique way. A strong, solid mascot personifies a company’s values and mission statement and accurately communicates with their clients. The end goal to stand above the competition and easier recognition of your brand. Mickey Mouse and even Minnie are synonymous with Disney, for example. Anytime you see one of those characters you immediately think of the brand. Integrate your mascot in everything your brand is involved with to market your new brand representative effectively. Including advertisements and print ads, media campaigns, social media, merchandising and much more. An effective mascot permeates into every area and element of a brand and becomes the single most important symbol and focus.