Nice crafty girls with intriguing and playful looks. Small, sweet, tender, with big puppy eyes. Stylized, colored or black and white. Children, pets, caricatures … that of mascots is a real universe that fascinates, amuses, intrigues and which in recent times is increasingly establishing itself as a solution for managing relationships with customers on social networks.
But what are the characteristics of a good mascot and what are the guidelines that should be followed when we decide to use them? Let’s find out together.
First of all, what are mascots?
Mascots are born as lucky characters of American sports teams.
Generally speaking, even if they mostly belong to the animal world, in most cases the mascots recall human behaviors; they are often ironic and funny or, on the contrary, they express feelings of tenderness by tracing the concept of the ‘puppy’ designed to lighten the brand in a nice way to create empathy with the viewer.
All this evolves and over time the mascot becomes a captivating and effective symbol, a real adornment to the brand of many companies, first in advertising posters and then on the web.
The Michelin man, Caballero and Carmencita by Lavazza, Calimero by Ava, Mastrolindo, Tony the Tiger by Kellogs, Red & Yellow by M & Ms: these are just a few examples of mascots that have helped their companies to establish themselves and consolidate in their reference markets. .
Why create a mascot?
Market research and surveys are hidden behind the creation of an imaginary character, but the main consequences of its creation are:
– impact on consumers : the consumer prefers to interact with a nice and funny character rather than with a faceless brand;
– softer way of selling the product: it creates fewer mental implications than a direct sale of the brand
– give a more effective voice to the brand: it intrigues the viewer and facilitates listening to its story.
Usage evolutions
Social media marketing has also evolved with respect to this trend and a consequence has been the birth of a corporate voice transformed into a mascot, which lives a life of its own on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Can the use of fictional characters really spice up communication?
Some studies carried out by Synthesio show that these imaginary characters inspire in customers greater recognition with the product, a good predisposition to conversation, an increase in content sharing and, last but not least, they cost less than influencers !!!
Case Study
As we said, mascots work on social networks when the company already has one behind it. A great example is Planters ‘ Mr. Peanuts , which has been selling peanuts for decades and which just landed on Facebook quickly reached 500,000 fans and tons of comments. The dedicated page posts anecdotes, new product launches and in many cases user-generated content who portray themselves in funny poses together with the “flesh and blood” mascot.
Another important example is undoubtedly that of M & M’s , whose Facebook page has almost 10 million fans, mainly thanks to the personality of its mascots. Talking peanuts have also landed on Twitter (each with its own personal account) and, among many, Ms. Green boasts about 50,000 followers and never misses an opportunity to make people understand what her favorite color is.
Also very famous in Italy Mr. Clean, our Clean Master , is a mascot that, over the years, has acquired great popularity. Born in 1957 (!!!) he now has a very successful Twitter account on which he posts jokes, cleaning tips and funny photos.
To get out of the Olympus of large multinationals, we bring you a sample taken directly from the Piedmont area.
The Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation has supported young Italian and foreign artists since 1995 and promotes contemporary art with the aim of bringing an ever wider audience closer.
By virtue of the sector and the reference target, “Rebaudengo” has well thought of making use of a well-known face of the ’70s: Yoda . Yes, the cutest character of the “Star Wars” saga.
Obviously the numbers are not comparable to those of the three examples mentioned above but, taking a look at the Facebook page , it will be impossible not to grasp the spirit of the Foundation and the results are proving it right.
From these four examples two factors emerge that alone would be enough to convince any social media manager:
– they enliven communication: the possibility of publishing more creative contents without being bound to speeches or concrete situations of everyday life.
– they facilitate management: they allow you to respond to the most difficult comments in a detached way but at the same time more warmly and in most cases with excellent results.
Social mascot. Is this the right move?
It would therefore seem that mascots are by far an effective promotional tool, but before creating one and using it in the world of social media, a few questions should be answered:
– does your brand already use a mascot?
If your audience is already familiar with the character created previously and you think that using it on social networks can add an original touch to your brand… don’t hesitate!
-what is the age of your target audience?
If the audience is young, the mascot on social media is more likely to be successful. The most active users on the web are in fact aged between 18 and 35 years.
– what is the tone of voice of your brand?
If it’s casual, playful and fun, it might really be the right option for your business.
If after reading these success stories you have realized that this could be your keystone, take the time to develop your mascot, give it life and cultivate a constant and active presence on social networks.
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Massimo Rotelli
