Original blog published on July 14, 2015 | Blog updated on May 14, 2021

Learn the Ins & Outs of Building a Mascot-Based Brand

Many small businesses have plain, nondescript logos, resulting in—you guessed it—plain, nondescript brands. This strategy also leads to dull-looking stationery, print ads, uniforms, vehicle wraps and other advertising that blends in with the crowd.

If your business falls into this category, here’s some good news: It doesn’t have to be this way. Our team at KickCharge Creative has the expertise you need to create a brand you’re proud to stand behind.

Your logo is the foundation of your company’s brand and one of its most important assets. Building a brand with characters or mascots can make a big difference for small businesses. First impressions count—and a small business mascot is a great way to introduce your brand to potential customers.

Why a Mascot for a Small Business Brand?

A well-designed mascot can easily become a small business’s best sales and marketing tool. A fun, approachable mascot is more likely to grab consumers’ attention, which is exactly what every small business needs—particularly in the crowded HVAC, plumbing and service-related industries.

Good branding highlights your company’s profile before a person actually has any interaction with your business, allowing you to communicate to potential customers the type of service and care they can expect from your company—without saying a word. Mascots take this communication a step further. Mascots effectively personify a brand, which enables your business’s target audience to better identify, remember and understand your company and the services you offer.

As ageless brand representatives, mascots serve as brand amplifiers that help a target audience to develop a closer relationship with a business.

As ageless brand representatives, mascots serve as brand amplifiers that help a target audience to develop a closer relationship with a business. Even more, mascots provide small businesses with the opportunity for brand exposure across multiple markets. This is big because, as more customers relate to a company and its mascot, the marketing message will receive wider and deeper engagement.

Key Guidelines for Developing a Mascot for Your Small Business

Opting to develop a character or mascot as part of your small business’s brand is not an easy decision to make. Is a mascot appropriate for your business? What kind of mascot would best represent your brand? What type of mascot could live across all of your advertising media?

Thankfully, our team of branding experts can help to answer many of these questions. However, it’s important for you to consider:

  • Do you want a nostalgic-based mascot or one that is more modern?
  • Are there specific colors in your existing brand that should be used for your mascot?
  • When an individual encounters your mascot for the first time, what message do you want to be the key take-away?

By answering these questions, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of who your small business’s mascot should be and what it should accomplish.

When people see your mascot, you want them to have a positive image of your company and the products and services you provide. So, regardless of whether your company’s brand is conservative, casual, edgy or somewhere in the middle, your mascot must convey professionalism. This helps instill confidence in customers that they’re making the right choice by putting their trust in your company.

The mascot’s genre and style should complement the typography and the uniform that the mascot “wears” should be an accurate representation of the actual uniform your employees wear.

When it comes to your mascot design, every detail matters. It should be simple, but most importantly, it must be original. Relying on clip art that has been used dozens of times before not only lacks originality, but it also cannot be trademarked, which allows other companies to swoop in and replicate it. The mascot’s genre and style should complement the typography and the uniform that the mascot “wears” should be an accurate representation of the actual uniform your employees wear.

Mascots Gone Wrong

As with any other marketing tool, mascots are highly effective when they’re done right. But, when done wrong, they can be disastrous for a small business.

Here are some signs that a mascot has been taken too far:

It’s Cheesy and Amateur

You’ve seen these mascots before. They strive to appear hip or humorous, but come across as patronizing. Ultimately they alienate consumers rather than attract them. Poorly rendered mascots make a company appear amateurish. That’s why you must give careful consideration to the professionalism of your mascot.

There’s a Brand Disconnect

A great personality is a key component of your mascot. In an effort to develop a friendly, relatable mascot, many small businesses lose sight of what a mascot is intended to do: establish a brand promise and embody the brand’s personality. When there is no brand promise present in a mascot, it loses its effectiveness as a brand representative. To avoid this disconnect, it’s important to collaborate with a creative team such as KickCharge. We’ll help you develop a mascot that accurately depicts your brand.

Start Building the Foundation of Your Business With Us Today!

Incorporating a small business brand mascot—when done the right way—can yield tremendous success for your company. Keep in mind that your brand mascot serves as an extension of your company. So, from the color scheme to the typography, it absolutely must represent your business accurately.

When you turn your logo and mascot needs over to KickCharge, you can rest assured that we know what we’re doing. Our experienced, creative team will help you transform your brand from bland and indistinguishable to attention-grabbing and memorable.