Brand Mascots: In, Out or Need a Revamp?

Whether or not you studiously follow through with your French lessons on the language learning app-Duolingo, you surely do keep a tab of its whacky mascot Duo’s antics on social media.

If you have spent even a minute on the app, then you know that Duo the amusing green owl will do anything to catch your attention. If he’s not sending you passive aggressive notifications to get back to your daily lessons, then you’ll find him twerking in a bikini, hitting on Dua Lipa or attending a Charli XCX concert. Heck, he’s even died and resurrected to keep trending on social media platforms for weeks at a stretch. 

Duo is more than just a marketing strategy. He’s an iconic character who is central to the very experience of using the app, he’s a digital sensation and an influencer – all rolled into one. That is the power of mascots. 

This sparks curiosity: while many traditional mascots are still around, where are the other new gen brand mascots in this digital age which is bustling with influencers and celebrity endorsements? How are they evolving to stay relevant?

Back to the Start

From the 19^th century right up to the golden age of television, the marketing space was teeming with hundreds of brand mascots – new and old, each trying to make its mark. But interestingly, the origin story of the word mascot can be traced back to French term "mascotte" meaning "lucky charm”. No wonder mascots started out as only but a natural strategy in sports to rally players on the field and to boost morale among soldiers during wars.

It didn’t take too long for brands to adopt mascots as they realised that using mascots improved brand recognition. While brands themselves are abstract entities, mascots created by them served as a tangible representation of the brand’s values. They became an embodiment of the brand’s identity, personality, and principles, offering consumers a visual symbol to connect with the brand. 

Consider how easily one connects a McDonald’s burger with its clown mascot – Ronald McDonald even though there’s nothing hamburgerish about the clown or anything clownish about McD burgers. 

The Evolution of Mascots

Once mascots became a go-to strategy for brands, the pantheon of mascots also evolved from animals and symbols to anime and static 2-D illustrations like Pikachu or Air India’s Maharaja. From there, they metamorphosed to 3-D animated characters like Vodafone’s (aka Vi) Zoozoos or the Duracell bunny to human characters played by popular actors, as seen with Kotak Mahindra Bank’s mascot Subbu, portrayed by Vinay Pathak.

Some traditional brand mascots like the cheeky Amul Girl with her polka dotted frock continues to be wildly successful even 59 years after her creation but overall, the mascot strategy seems to be going through a waning effect in the digital age with new age consumers for a variety of reasons.

Why Brands Are Moving Away from Mascots

To begin with, some mascots aged badly while others simply lost their essence. After all, mascots are only as powerful as their cultural representation. 

For instance, Air India’s once popular Maharaja mascot which used to resonate with an elitist experience lost its appeal as air travel became accessible to the masses. Or take the case of Ronald McDonald who transformed from a symbol of community and childhood into a representation of corporate America. Even though the clown hasn’t been retired yet, McDonald’s hasn’t actively used the mascot for several years.

Several other brands had to go through vigorous rebranding to disassociate themselves from racist or gender stereotypes.

But what also reduced the use of mascots in the age of social media is the dramatic rise of celebrity and influencer endorsements. The whole point of a mascot is to humanize a brand to connect with consumers, right? What’s a better way of humanizing it than by associating it with real people? Sure, celebs and influencers come with a hefty budget but in return brands can directly tap into millions of followers. 

The McDonald's-Travis Scott collaboration in 2020 serves as a good example of that. The fast-food chain saw its sales jump by 4.6% in the third quarter of that year after months of negative sales, demonstrating the caliber of celeb endorsements. 

Alongside celebrity endorsements, there's been a growing trend of founders becoming the face of their brands. After all, who could serve as a better brand ambassador for Meta than Mark Zuckerberg himself? Or take the case of Elon Musk whose personal brand has become inseparable from Tesla’s identity. 

This shift is not exactly surprising. Modern consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z are chronically on social media. They’re looking for relatability and authenticity – values that celebrities and influencers can cultivate with ease. 

What’s Next for Mascots

But coming back to the case of Duolingo…mascots aren’t outdated just yet. While many brands have indeed moved away from using mascots, others are designing and strategizing with mascots that can adapt to modern sensibilities and reach out to tech-savy modern consumers. 

Mascots like Duo are exploiting the digital space to their advantage. He’s a properly fleshed out, meme-friendly character that goes at great lengths to engage and interact with large audiences. He has active social media accounts and 12.7 million followers on TikTok. But whatever he does to amuse you is ultimately just a way to get you to focus on your lessons reflecting the core ethos of the brand. 

The Mailchimp mascot Freddie, has a different strategy. Unlike Duo’s edgy persona, Freddie is more subtle and passive. He quietly appears as an element and gives an occasional friendly wink. What sets him apart from other email marketing platforms is his embodiment of professionalism and efficiency.

Back at home, an iconic mascot like the Amul Girl has largely remained unchanged since her creation but her strategy to stay relevant is to effortlessly connect with a wide set of audience across generations. From billboard hoardings to TV ads, now she’s also a part of social media campaigns to reach out to people through her relatable humour, sharp social commentaries and insights into the nation’s trends.

It’s clear that the future of mascots is written in the evolving realm of social media and new-age tech like AI tools or the AR-VR space but the secret ingredient is still the same: relatability.