Mascots, when properly deployed, can be a great asset to your business. Just ask the companies behind Mr. Peanut, the Energizer Bunny, or, most recently, the Aflac duck. The well-known characters have helped create brand awareness among consumers. According to Dan Antonelli, president and creative director, Graphic D-Signs Inc., Washington, New Jersey, retro-branding with character logos and mascots is becoming a hot commodity.
“It definitely works,” Antonelli said. “Mascots serve as a point of recognition. People associate a symbol or mascot with a company much quicker than they do a simple message. A lot of heating and air conditioning companies use generic icons such as the sun/snowflake graphic or something red and blue that doesn’t necessarily stand out in the sea of graphics competing for peoples’ attention. When you add a mascot, it tends to make the brand warmer. People seem to connect with them a little bit more on an emotional level than something that’s more generic or cold and corporate.