We all know that America is THE "Consumer Nation". We buy up any new gadget we can get our hands on. As a society we put so much pressure on how much and what we have. Peer pressure is huge in encouraging our purchases.
But, before peers tell us what to buy, companies trigger our imaginations by coming up with mascots to represent their brand. Many mascots are designed to lure children into wanting an item, but many mascots are simple images designed for adults to remember a product when shopping.
I'm rather humored by mascots. Thinking back on my childhood I remember a number of mascots that encouraged me to "consume" this product. Whether it be a cereal, toy, show or sports team. I decided to make my list of the Top 10 Brand Mascots.
I ranked them on:
product value (which products are most popular)
creativity of mascot
and
charisma
.
10. Captain Morgan
You didn't think this list was going to be completely child friendly did you? I love to drink - in moderation. So, of course I always see liquor mascots that tempt us to "drink that". As far as I can tell, most hard alcohol is marketed towards men. With the exception of flavored types (which are usually a subset of a traditional hard liquors), alcohol is designed to make men feel attractive and relaxed!
So, psychological examination aside... Captain Morgan wins the #4 spot on the list. The example of a brave, strong and charismatic pirate is a very powerful "role-model". What man doesn't want to be THAT pirate?
Captain Morgan, I believe sells a lot of product because he will always be "the people's captain".
9. Mario
This loved Italian meatball has been the central focus of Nintendo products since the 80's. Mario first burst onto the scene in the original Donky Kong. Remember the hurling barrels and jumping over them to get to the top. Now he's evolved into a three dimensional star. He's rescued princess, driven high powered sports cars, and worked with a slew of friends including Luigi and Yoshi!
Why do we love Mario? He's cute and he's a hero. Not overly masculine like many other video game heroes. The games are classic and timeless. They are easy enough to understand and challenging enough to make you loose complete track of time. Mario, we salute you.
8. The Starbucks Coffee Siren
She's magical, mythical and oh so seductive. We all know and love Starbucks famous coffee. As offensive as it's corporate greed is, its still a wonderful treat to get some coffee from one of their beloved stores. Ice Cream shops of the past have now been replaced with Starbucks coffee stores. There's at least one in every city and some cities can have them on every corner.
I worked in a Starbucks kiosk for a while and loved it. I ended up taking a different position which I later regretted Lord, I still wish I made coffee all day long.
But the siren has been the symbol of Starbucks (named from a character in Moby Dick) since the company began. It has changed over the years of course. The first model is the one I have pictured. People complained about the breast and so the artist drew her hair so they they covered her nipples! Lame!
But none the less, she's been a sex symbol from the beginning. Beautiful. And oh so alluring!
7.Mr. Clean
Mr. Clean has made housewives swoon for decades. Hotly debated as to whether his earring is a symbol of homosexuality, I choose to believe he's just channeling his inner pirate! Every suburban home needs to be cleaned, and Mr Clean is the man to turn to.
6.The M&M's
The green ones are supposed to make you horny and the blue ones are supposed to make you crazy. These little guys, and girl, have been an obcession of media and advertising for years. Red and Yellow are the most popular. Red is kind of a smartass and Yellow is the dumbass. Blue is cool and sophisticated while Orange is paranoid. The Green one, is the girl of the group. We can discuss why they have a green girl M&M but we may never know. It's probably because green makes you horny. Gotta love them crazy little M's.
5. The Coca~Cola Polar Bear
Known for their happy go lucky attitude, these polar bears have been a Coca-Cola icon since the 1990's. Sometimes the ad's just have one bear or a family of bears. The bears are usually set in their natural environment. Usually these commercials will add during the winter months, connecting the holiday season with their product, like many other brands do. These guys are so sweet and lovable, they have gentle facial features which make them seem human. The baby bears are of course the cutest. Doesn't that sweet little face just make you want to buy Coke?
After the release of the Coca-Cola Polar Bears in the 90's, their image was everywhere. And who better than Coca-Cola collectors to market to. Kids in school were fighting over the bear stuffed animals. The bigger stuffed bear you had, the cooler it was. Some of the toys had better logos than others. These stayed popular for a few years before the hype died out. Still to this day though, the commercials are run and people always enjoy seeing those silly bears.
4. The Playboy Bunny
The sophisticated and sexy Playboy Bunny. How has this icon lasted so long? Not only is it simple and and charming, the Playboy Bunny is a symbol of sexiness worldwide.
Hugh Hefner, the creator of the Playboy brand said "“I selected a rabbit as the symbol for the magazine because of the humorous sexual connotation, and because he offered an image that was frisky and playful. I put him in a tuxedo to add the idea of sophistication."
Playboy has always been debated as overly pornographic. While Playboy still maintains that their nudity is respectful and tasteful, many nudity Nazis claim otherwise. Thus, keeping Playboy, and it's bunny image, in the news and in peoples thoughts!
3. USC Gamecock
I have to include my school mascot. Team mascots are great for showing off a team's skill. "We fight like Game Cocks" is what we are saying here. While some mascot choices can be argued as "stupid" (who wants to be a chicken?), they also can be very powerful images. Chickens may be stupid, but Game Cocks are fighters and will tear up their enemy.
2.Stick Stickly
For those of us who grew up in the 90's, Stick Stickly made our weekday afternoons worth living. As the host of Nick in the Afternoon, on the popular children's network, Stick Stickly was in our homes from 1993 to 1997, when he was probably replaced by a less interesting mascot.
We all know that 90's Nick cartoons were the best cartoons ever. Rugrats, Real Monsters, Ren and Stimpy and Rocko! Stick Stickly, announced them all. For two whole hours, after every commercial break, we got to listen to his high pitched rantings and kid-friendly skits.
He would even spin a big wheel every once in a while and it would land on the next show. It was supposed to be random but I doubt that it really was!
Too bad I never wrote to him at his P.O. Box. I probably couldn't convince my mom it was worth the stamp!
1. Snuggle the Bear
Snuggle is the cutest, sweetest bear in all of advertising history. He's a baby bear that loves soft sheets. How much cuter can a mascot be? He makes you feel all warm and cuddly inside. Snuggle is a great brand of laundry products and Snuggle Bear is the heart of the brand. Sweet, innocent, lovable... who wouldn't want to have a piece of that.
