Is there a future for the brand mascot?

It was a minor college football game in Orlando, Florida, played in December last year that ordinarily would have gone unnoticed. But when a mascot of the breakfast pastry brand Pop-Tarts, the title sponsor of the game, descended into an oversized toaster prop on the stadium field, it changed everything. 

From that replica toaster emerged an actual, giant-sized Pop-Tart that the football players and coaches began to eat. It worked wonders. The edible mascot stunt ended up becoming a viral sensation generating nearly $12.1 million in brand value from TV, radio, social media, and digital news exposure.

“You’re looking at north of a 25% bump in value [compared to last year’s game] because of this creative activation,” Eric Smallwood, Apex Marketing’s CEO, told Front Office Sports. “The execution from Pop-Tarts really elevated the conversation.” 

The masterstroke that Pop-Tarts pulled off not only stole the show, but would indicate that the era of the brand mascot was far from dead. Why then do we seldom see popular brand mascots in circulation anymore? 

Many will fondly remember iconic brand mascots of the past, from Ronald McDonald to Tony the Tiger, the Michelin Man, and even Mickey Mouse; they formed an integral part of what helped to elevate and differentiate brands while creating a strong emotional connection with consumers. But with the fast-paced nature of the digital era and fragmented audiences, brand mascots have largely faded into oblivion. 

"Mascots had their heyday long ago," says Shantanu Sengupta, a marketing communications strategist and founder of One Percent Consulting. "When I was a kid they were hugely popular. I guess I can be excused for thinking Ronald McDonald to be a real-life circus clown, and every Sikh person to be a relative of the Air India Maharaja. Without any doubt, they were icons."

But Sengupta admits that as popular as mascots were back in the 70s and 80s, times have changed, and there are a few reasons why they've taken a backseat.

"Firstly, brands in the digital world can now connect with their customers directly through social media. They don't need a mascot as a middleman," says Sengupta. 

"Secondly, audiences today are way more diverse. Hence a single mascot can't appeal to each of their personalities. Coca-Cola learned this the hard way when their polar bears didn't resonate in certain markets. They had to localise their campaigns. And let's be real, we're an impatient bunch of hustlers these days. We want things personalised, and now. A static mascot just doesn't cut it at all. Customers expect brands to adapt to their preferences instantly."

Clearly, times have changed and while brand mascots aren't extinct, it's fair to say that they've lost some of their mojo in this digital, fragmented age of ours.

Brand influencers: the modern mascot?

While we might see fewer fictional characters as the face of brands these days, what has become more common is a shift towards the use of brand ambassadors (celebrities) and brand influencers (social media).

"Brands have pivoted big-time towards real people—celebrities, athletes, influencers—to be their faces, and carry their story," says Sengupta. "These folks actually leverage their own personal brand and their social media clout to open up newer avenues for the brands they endorse. Just look at someone like Cristiano Ronaldo. He's a brand ambassador for so many companies, from Nike to Clear Haircare. His massive fanbase literally idolises him. That's way more effective than a fictional mascot."

But not everyone agrees that social media has displaced the traditional mascot. Matt Willis, founder & creative director of Floob Creative, a design studio that specialises in creating brand mascots for businesses, says that in the digital era, brand mascots are arguably even more effective. 

"Social media and digital platforms provide new avenues for mascots to engage with audiences in dynamic, interactive ways that weren't possible before," says Willis. "Mascots can now be part of conversations, respond to current events, and even evolve based on consumer feedback, making them powerful tools for brand storytelling and engagement."

Willis has enjoyed recent success with a brand mascot he created for Cindy Reid Global Golf, where she regularly uses her mascot LuluBirdie in her marketing, at her events, and in her chats with animated stickers. 

"She has had overwhelmingly positive feedback and her students love the mascot," says Willis. "The notion that brand mascots are a dying breed isn't something I've observed in my practice. On the contrary, there's a growing interest and demand for them, especially in markets that value storytelling and brand differentiation."

According to Willis, APAC is one of those markets where brand mascots are still integral to brand identity due to cultural affinity for characters and storytelling.

"The key is adapting mascots to contemporary media and consumer expectations, ensuring they are relevant, relatable, and able to engage with audiences across various digital platforms,” he says.

Can a mascot still be a powerful branding tool in the modern era?

Far from retiring the brand mascot or viewing it as passé and redundant in the digital era, some brands are throwing their full weight behind the idea, even launching an entirely new brand mascot with the primary aim of helping them to stand out in a crowded digital space.

One brand doing this is HyFun Foods, a frozen food manufacturer from India, who has recently created a brand mascot called Funzy. At present, HyFun Foods has five ‘Funzies’ each representing a different category of frozen foods with a plan to introduce more in the future. The hope is that the mascots will help differentiate the brand in a crowded category and build relevance with Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

"These modern consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, value authenticity and emotional connection. With the rise of social media platforms, it provides a unique opportunity for mascots to engage with audiences in real-time," says Vincent Noronha, marketing head of consumer business at HyFun Foods. 

"Today's media landscape unlike yesteryear is highly visual and interactive, favouring the use of compelling characters and stories. Mascots can star in videos, games, AR, VR experiences, and more, providing memorable brand experiences that stand out in a crowded digital space.”

Should brands create their own IP?

Having a face of the brand in the form of a mascot is one thing, but how worthwhile is it to start from scratch and create a whole new character when perhaps a more effective shortcut would be to license an already-known character that consumers are familiar with. 

"If the brand wants a mascot that they have full control over that is built around a long-term strategy to invest heavily in that character over the course of many years, then creating their own character might be the right path for them," says David Born, CEO of Born Licensing. 

However, Born notes that this isn’t easy and there have been many attempts to create brand characters that have flopped due to lack of investment which were canned after a short while. 

"They must be patient with this approach, as even the most successful brand characters take time to make an impact. Geico’s Gecko has been in advertising for 25 years," says Born.

However, if a brand is looking for immediate results where they can tap into existing awareness and popularity, licensing an existing character appears to be the way to go.

Research by IPSOS compared brand characters to fictional characters in terms of how they are more likely to capture the Australian public’s attention in advertising. Famous characters performed better overall, with characters like James Bond, Shrek, Mickey Mouse and Batman performing better than all tested brand characters including those that have been invested in heavily for decades. Overall, famous characters were chosen 61% of the time.

 "An existing character will have instant impact and the consumer will immediately know what they stand for," says Born. "Licensing is a very effective shortcut for brands to ensure that the character in their marketing will capture attention and drive home their message in a memorable way. However, some existing characters come with restrictions on how they can be used, so brands will need to have some flexibility."

The AI-powered mascot?

As with most things, artificial intelligence is ushering in change at an unprecedented level and brand mascots are no exception. 

Already we are beginning to see a resurgence of brand mascots that utilise AI and the latest technology to create living, breathing mascots that offer personalised, interactive experiences, ranging from marketing symbols to companions.

In the UK, Virgin Media O2’s brand mascot 'Bubl' has recently been given an upgrade. VCCP’s AI creative agency, Faith, created a generative AI tool specifically for O2 so that marketers at the brand can use the model, named the Bubl Generator, to create images of the brand’s Bubl mascot for different marketing purposes.

With AI rapidly entering the space, it could open up possibilities of how brand mascots could evolve to meet modern consumer demands. 

"Imagine if the Michelin Man could use AI to have customised conversations with you based on your driving habits or vehicle? Or what if Ronald McDonald transformed into a virtual assistant to help kids with their homework? In fact, brands could create unique mascots for different audience segments using AI and data analytics," says Sengupta. "Like a hip, skateboarding mascot for teenagers, and a more sophisticated one for working professionals."

The key, Sengupta says, is using AI to make mascots interactive, adaptive and tailored to each individual consumer—akin to highly intelligent virtual influencers.

"I wouldn't count mascots out just yet. With AI and all the cool tech emerging, they could make a pretty neat comeback, with a new avatar of themselves. If brands can give their old-school mascots a futuristic rebrand with AI's capabilities, while retaining that emotional core... well, they just might add some new life into those classic characters."

This story first appeared on Campaign Asia-Pacific.