It’s more than likely you remember a lot of your favorite brands by their mascots — non-human, often cuddly cartoon-like characters, filling brands with emotions and personality. Can you eat a bowl of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes without thinking of Tony the Tiger?
The Pilsbury Doughboy, The Michelin Man, The Geico Gecko, Tony the Tiger— these are just a few brand mascots that have helped their companies become household names, and many of these brands have maintained success for many years. But how popular are our beloved brand mascots on social media?
Always eager to take a sip from our Twitter firehose, we decided to conduct a little experiment. We monitored the social media mentions of brand mascots alongside mentions of the brands they endorse – and the results are fascinating.
37% More Positive Buzz
Social media enables consumers to engage with brands. This is the Holy Grail for brands in the social space – and many marketers have tapped into the effective strategy of using brand mascots to engage with their online community, to build and nurture relationships with their consumers, and provide useful industry related tips and humourous stories.
The Aflac Duck, heralded by Forbes as One of America’s Most Loved Spokescreatures, frequently shares helpful health and wellbeing tips, gaining him a huge following of 365,00+ appreciative fans.
30% More Conversations
A brand mascot adds almost 30% to brand volume on social media! It provides consumers with a focal point for engagement and acts as a true voice of the brand.
Another of America’s Most Loved Spokescreatures, The M&M’S Brand Spokescandies drive engagement around their brand by frequently sharing humorous and stories photos of their beloved brand mascots, and they provide useful recipes, contests and more to their 80,000+ fans on facebook.
10% More Advocacy
Brands with mascots generate a much larger fan base, playing on the nostalgics of the character – much more so than brands without a mascot. These fans massively engage on social networks to protect and engage with their beloved mascot.
The Michelin Man, one of the oldest and most prolific brand Mascots, has a huge social media following. He helps out his loyal 82, 000+ fans with useful tips on tire maintenance, troubleshooting tricks and everyday pressure and tread guidelines
Source: Synthesio. Monitored brands included: Churchill, Walkers, Gocompare, Subway, Nespresso, Doritos, Compare the Market, Argos, PG Tips, Aviva, Waitrose, Santander, Birdseye, L’Oreal, Turkish Airlines, Head & Shoulders, Sky, Dolce & Gabbana, Geico, Proactiv, Aflac, Louis Vuitton, Priceline, Pilsbury,
Does your brand have a mascot? Who’s your favorite brand mascot on social media?
