Don’t Have a Mascot Yet? Why Your Brand Needs a Character and How to Use It Effectively
What do KFC, Pringles, Duracell, Michelin, Coca-Cola, and Jinro have in common? They’ve all achieved huge success with charming mascots that represent their brands. KFC’s Colonel, Pringles’ mustached man, Duracell’s bunny, Michelin’s white, rounded character, Coca-Cola’s polar bear, and Jinro’s toad show that a strong mascot can say more about a brand than a long explanation ever could. So how can you use a brand mascot this successfully?
What do KFC, Pringles, Duracell, Michelin, Coca-Cola, and Jinro have in common? They’ve all achieved huge success with charming mascots that represent their brands. KFC’s Colonel, Pringles’ mustached man, Duracell’s bunny, Michelin’s white, rounded character, Coca-Cola’s polar bear, and Jinro’s toad show that a strong mascot can say more about a brand than a long explanation ever could. So how can you use a brand mascot this successfully?
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What Is a Brand Character?
A brand character, or mascot, is a fictional person, animal, or other figure used by a company or brand for effective marketing. It doesn’t have to be a person or an animal; even plants or objects are often anthropomorphized and presented as if they were human. These characters represent the brand’s image and help consumers feel more familiar with it. Brand values and identity are often too broad and complex to be captured in a single clear image, so having a cute and appealing mascot that can stand in for the brand identity helps the brand feel much closer to customers.
Keeping Brand Identity Consistent
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Why Are Brand Characters Important?
1. They’re easy for people to connect with
The heart of marketing is communication with consumers. One advantage of cartoon characters is that they are visual and simple. If the goal of marketing is to get products or services across to consumers, what you always need is an effective “bridge” — one that connects the brand and the consumer well. You can reach customers first through products, stores, or promotional articles, but first impressions matter, and plain text or flashy design alone has its limits. A character makes a brand feel like a friend worth getting to know!
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2. They stay in people’s memory longer
Visual impact is powerful. Rather than hearing a long explanation on a topic, it is often far more effective to see a single scene that brings a specific image to mind. According to an IPSOS paper published in 2020, characters were found to be twice as memorable as celebrity faces or brand logos. In particular, using celebrities as advertising models can create confusion because of their other activities, but once developed, a character belongs to the brand forever, making it much more advantageous from a long-term perspective.
Want to Learn More About Design Psychology?
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3. They improve brand recognition
The role of a brand mascot is ultimately to help people recognize the brand. When a popular celebrity or a beautifully designed logo is used, people may focus only on that element itself. But if a brand’s unique character communicates with consumers, a relationship forms between the consumer and the brand. There are countless success stories of brands becoming beloved first through their distinctive characters rather than through the brand itself!
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4. They create an emotional connection with consumers
There is a reason brand characters are always anthropomorphized. Characters evoke specific emotions in people. From happiness and joy to satisfaction, comfort, passion, nostalgia, and even a sense of speed, an anthropomorphized character brings a brand to life. Humans naturally empathize even when just a pair of eyes is drawn on an ordinary object. A character connects the consumer and the brand emotionally. Through the mascot’s expression, gaze, posture, and behavior, people begin to think of the brand itself as a person.
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5. They contribute to long-term brand positioning
The usefulness of a mascot is not limited to its initial appeal. For a brand, what matters even more than what it actually makes or what services it provides is how people remember it. Where does your brand stand among countless competitors? A brand character can have a positive impact on clarifying that positioning. Use a distinctive character to reflect a luxurious, friendly, mature, or youthful image, and turn your brand into one that people remember and think of for a long time.
How to Differentiate Your Brand
How to Design an Attractive Brand Character and Use It Effectively
1. Make it represent your brand values
What values does your brand stand for? What kind of brand do you want people to remember? Your brand character should reflect those things. Make sure your brand’s unique appeal is expressed through the character so it can stand apart from competitors. A character that catches attention, is cute, or is distinctive is all good — but in the end, don’t forget that the character’s image must connect to the brand identity.
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2. Make it relatable
When creating a character, it’s important to think from the perspective of ordinary consumers and the most universal human viewpoint possible. Of course, it’s impossible to make a character everyone loves. But as much as possible, you should aim for an image that appeals not only to your target customer base but also to a wider range of potential customers. A mascot is not the product itself. Design it to be as likable, friendly, helpful, and educational as possible.
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3. Personalize the character
Even after developing a unique brand character, there is no need to repeat the exact same image all the time. As mentioned earlier, a character plays the role of communicating with people like a friend. That means its pose, clothing, facial expression, and more should be varied depending on the situation. The more flexible and lively the character is, the greater its usability and marketing impact will be.
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4. Use the character consistently in your brand story
Once you have a brand character, don’t hesitate — use it actively everywhere! Your mascot should be visible anywhere related to your brand. It’s a good idea to develop not just the character’s appearance, but also background details such as personality, history, preferences, and family relationships. This way, the character can maintain consistency and communicate with customers anywhere — on your brand’s social media, website, product packaging, advertising posters, and more.
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Create Packaging with Brand Characters at Packative
Developing a great brand mascot is one process, but in the end, the key is using it well. Visit Packative now so your cute and friendly brand character can be used on trendy, attractive product packaging. Packative will help make the process easy and convenient, so every design — including your brand’s unique character — can be created in a fully customized way.
