Brand mascot: character that sells

Artyom Dovgopol

A mascot is a business tool that turns an abstract brand into a recognizable “friend” for your audience😉

Key takeaways👌

Mascots: Origin and meaning

A mascot can be an animal, a cartoon character, or even a geometric shape with facial expressions — anything that embodies your brand and its philosophy. Mascots help businesses get a bit closer to their audience and can become one of the main driving forces behind attracting new clients.

Mascots are nothing new — businesses have been using them for hundreds of years. The word originally referred to a good luck charm, but sometime in the early 20th century, capitalism realized that putting emotions into objects could be good for business. And here we are.

Take Michelin, for example — their bizarre tire guy, Bibendum, is considered one of the oldest mascots out there and has represented the company for over 100 years.

To make a mascot feel like a real brand asset (not just a cute drawing), it needs a clear concept behind it: role, personality, and how it supports your positioning. This is why teams often start with a brand concept — it defines what your character stands for and how it should behave across channels.

What if your brand isn’t just a logo and a product, but a character with personality and a story?

That character might just be the key to winning hearts in a world overwhelmed by faceless offers

The role of Mascots in business

When a brand wants to truly stand out and forge a connection with its core audience, a basic brand identity campaign might no longer be enough to attract new people. That’s exactly when a mascot comes into play — creating a bridge between the customer and the company in the most charming and memorable way possible.

Key roles of Mascots in business:

• Boosts Brand Recognition. A good mascot acts as a visual anchor: one image, and the brand instantly comes to mind. Even if a customer forgets the name, they’ll remember the character — and that’s already a re-entry point into communication.
• Creates Emotional Connection. People remember those they feel emotionally connected to much more deeply. A mascot can spark a smile, build trust, and feel like “one of us” strengthening loyalty to the brand.
• Brings Communication to Life. A mascot can speak on behalf of the brand, reply on social media, appear in Stories, and crack jokes in newsletters. It adds personality and interactivity, especially valuable in today’s digital communication landscape.
• Simplifies Complex Ideas. If your product is technical or your niche feels dull, a mascot can “translate” it all into friendly, human language. It turns dry features into engaging stories.
• Sets You Apart from Competitors. In a sea of similar products and services, a mascot becomes your unique edge. It’s difficult to replicate one-to-one, making your brand more visible and relatable.
• Long-Lasting and Flexible. A strong mascot doesn’t go out of style after one season. It can adapt to new formats, trends, and events while still staying true to your brand. It’s a long-term asset you can use for years.

For a mascot to stay consistent in campaigns, social media, and product visuals, it should be treated as part of the identity system — with defined shapes, expressions, do’s and don’ts, and usage scenarios. Documenting this in a structured custom logo process (where the mascot often becomes a logo companion) helps keep the character recognizable and prevents style drift over time.

Such a character becomes part of your brand — its “face” and voice — helping your business start conversations, not just sell products.

Examples of successful mascots

So you’re probably already thinking of quite a few examples — and that just proves the point. When we start talking about mascots, a whole bunch of companies instantly come to mind. That means their mascots did exactly what they were supposed to do.

Truly successful mascots go far beyond marketing campaigns — they embed themselves into internet culture and into the hearts of the audience.

Remember that time the entire internet was filled with McDonald’s clown memes? We don’t know why — it just happened.

Anyway, here are a few... less creepy examples of successful mascots:

• Duracell Bunny (Duracell). The Duracell Bunny is one of the most iconic advertising mascots. First appearing on screens in 1973, the character was created to demonstrate the long-lasting power of Duracell batteries. The bunny became a symbol of endurance and “long-lasting performance,” always shown powered by Duracell batteries. It became so recognizable that it now embodies the very idea of reliability. The mascot has appeared not only in ads but also in pop culture, adding extra value to the brand.
• Chester Cheetah (Cheetos). Chester Cheetah is a charismatic character who has represented the popular Cheetos snack brand since the 1980s. He’s a cool, confident cheetah who’s always on the move and finds creative ways to “play” with any situation. Chester became the face of the brand, not just reflecting the product itself, but also resonating with a youthful audience looking for fun and originality. The mascot has starred in countless ad campaigns, memes, and viral videos, helping Cheetos stay relevant among teens and young adults.
• Duolingo Owl (Duolingo). Duo, the green owl, is the face of Duolingo — one of the world’s most popular language-learning platforms. Used prominently in advertising and within the app itself, Duo grabs attention and motivates users to keep learning. The owl represents accessibility and the playful side of education, regularly reminding users of their goals and interacting with them through the app’s features. Duo became so popular that Duolingo now heavily leans into memes and social media jokes featuring the owl, perhaps even a little too much these days.

These mascots are great examples of how a well-designed character can become far more than just part of a marketing strategy — they evolve into cultural icons that actively engage with audiences and strengthen brand identity.

And a bit more about brands...

Want to learn more about product development? Check out our article Brand positioning: How to build a successful image for your audience.

Creating an efficient Mascot

A mascot is supposed to catch the eye, be interesting, and spark specific emotions — something instantly recognizable, even without a logo or nameplate. And creating one is an inspiring but complex process:

Start with the soul of your brand. Ask yourself: if your brand were a person, what would they be like? Playful and fun? Trustworthy and caring? Bold and daring? A mascot is the visual and behavioral embodiment of your brand’s personality. It should speak the same language as your brand.

• Talk to your audience. The mascot isn’t for you — it’s for your customers. Who are they? What do they like? Who do they trust — a fluffy animal, a cheerful robot, a stubborn hero? The closer the character is to your audience’s worldview, the stronger the emotional connection.
• Build in personality and behavior. A mascot shouldn’t just look the part — it should act the part. Imagine how it replies to comments, behaves in stories, and “talks” to your customers. It can have its own tone of voice, catchphrases, and quirky habits. That’s what makes it feel real.
• Keep the design simple and versatile. Your mascot should work everywhere — from social media to packaging. It should be recognizable even in a single pose or expression. Simplicity is key. If you plan to use the character in multiple formats — website, packaging, UI illustrations, stickers, and ads — it’s worth designing it as a scalable system from day one. A dedicated brand mascot workflow helps build variations, expressions, and rules so the mascot stays flexible without losing recognizability.
• Think about growth. Just like your brand, your mascot can evolve. It can gain a backstory, emotions, friends, outfits, and seasonal looks. It should grow with your business and stay relevant.

And most importantly: don’t be afraid to give your character real personality. Even a slightly weird or cheeky mascot will do better than a bland one. A mascot is an invitation into your brand’s world. If it sparks emotion, you’re doing it right.

Just don’t overdo it, please.

Main pitfalls of creating a mascot

As with many business-related things, there are a whole bunch of ways mascot creation can go terribly, terribly wrong. Take the aforementioned McDonald’s clown — Jesus Christ, it still haunts our dreams. And whatever happened with Tony the Tiger? Yeah… we just don’t talk about that one. Let’s just say the PG rating on this article won’t allow it

To be fair, no one’s ever fully prepared for what the internet might do with your mascot. There’s always a risk that some weirdo will take it to strange places.

Still, there are a few common mistakes you can control:

• Mascot with No Personality. There’s an image, but no emotion. Happens when a character is made just to "look nice," with no backstory, no motivation, no behavior. It ends up lifeless.

How to avoid it: Think about who they are, how they’d act, and what they’d say to your customers. Imagine them running your social media — would you actually want to follow them?

• Overcomplicated Design. Too many details, weird proportions, hard-to-reproduce style — and suddenly your mascot is a nightmare to use. In a digital world, that’s a dealbreaker.

How to avoid it: Keep it simple. If someone can sketch your mascot in five seconds and it’s still recognizable, you’re doing it right.

Copying Existing Ideas. “Let’s make an owl like Duolingo… or a fox like Firefox…” Bad move. A mascot should be original. If it feels like a copy, that’s how people will treat it.

How to avoid it: Focus on your own uniqueness. Who are you? What should the customer feel? Build from that.

• Disconnected from the Brand. If your mascot has nothing to do with your mission or values, it’s just floating out there. It doesn’t add anything — it confuses people.

How to avoid it: Every detail, from eye shape to catchphrases, should tie back to your brand. The mascot is your brand, just in costume.

• No Strategy Behind It. You made it... and then left it to rot on your website. Without a clear plan, your mascot becomes just another forgotten asset.

How to avoid it: Plan where your mascot will live — social media, packaging, videos, merch. Make it a real part of your communication, not a one-time gimmick.

Conclusion

A mascot is not just a cute image or a passing trend. It’s a powerful marketing tool that, when used right, can significantly strengthen your brand, build emotional connections with your audience, and help you stand out from the competition.

Don’t miss the opportunity to make your business more memorable — and more relatable — to the people you want to reach.