Brand Mascot developing: strengths and weaknesses
BackAs we are seeing on our practice lately, demand for developing a brand mascot has increased. And the interest is shown by the brands from totaly different fields.
What it could be connected with? As a rule it’s easier for us to perceive the brand communication when it comes from the particular character. It helps to establish an emotional connection with the customer that will for sure have a positive impact in the future. This is especially true for digital: it’s much more pleasant to interact with a nice character instead of a «cloud of numbers».
Mascot benefits a celebrity in many ways: it always remains true to the brand and doesn’t request a fee. At the same time celebrity can become a source of reputational risks, because his or her conduct and statements can’t be controlled by the brand.
But brand mascot can also have it’s drawbacks. There is a chance to miss and make, for instance, a character that would cheapen your brand. The process of developing a mascot also is a matter of taste: there is hardly any mascot that causes only positive emotions by 100% of the audience.
Another problem is that the brands belonging to the same industry are often developing more o less identical characters. They can overlap each other in the minds of consumers – as a result the mascot doesn’t differentiate the brand but makes it looking similar to the others.