What Advertising Characters can do for your Brand
If your brand has an advertising character you have been blessed by the marketing gods. It represents one of the most ownable, powerful assets a brand could ever have, but only if you know how to use it. Often times characters have no clear purpose, so they flounder undefined, and bring very little to the brand party. I’ve had the enjoyable experience of working on numerous iconic characters like: Captain Morgan, the E*Trade Baby, Mr. Pringles, the Frontier animals and Mr. Clean. If you’re using a character or thinking about using one, here are a few things to consider.
Characters equal instant differentiation
Every day, every minute, all over the world, hundreds of thousands of clever advertising people toil away in a never-ending search for brand differentiation. What makes us unique? What can we own? In this industry built on slivers of difference, a character is a 2 X 4. Only you can own it. No one else can take it. That equals instant differentiation. Why would you ignore that?
The most important thing of all, by far: define the character’s role
We just launched a new campaign for Parrot Bay Rum featuring our hero character, the parrot. Okay, we have a parrot. What is its reason for being? What does it do in any given situation? What is its defined role? Parrot Bay is a tropical flavored rum that helps you escape to a tropical world. So, we turned the parrot into the “Birdtender” who instantly transports you to a colorful tiki bar, then drops some tropical wisdom on you. It is the Yoda of the tropical lifestyle.
Here are a few more examples from my past of characters and their clearly defined roles. The E*Trade baby started as the demonstration of how easy it is to trade stock online, but ultimately became the day trader in a diaper. Captain Morgan always added that spark of roguish irreverence, the spice thrown into any drink or situation. Mr. P represented the signature wink of approval at the end of any Pringles ad. The frontier animals were the tarmac sitcom filled with a lovable ensemble cast to endear people to the brand.
Those clearly defined roles became a lens all work went through, a motivation for all ideas and actions. If you don’t know your character’s role, the poor thing will wander aimlessly.
Create a loveable character
Unless you’re a niche brand (which most character brands are not), or you are consciously establishing an anti-hero, work hard to give your character universal appeal. Create a loveable character and you create brand love. Think Spuds McKenzie, Keebler Elves, the Pillsbury Doughboy. Likeability is one of the main advantages of a character, it counters the inclination people have to hate on advertising. Don’t get me wrong, many characters polarize the audience. I know a lot of people who love Flo (Progressive) and a lot who hate her. That said, take a shot at loveable.
Characters become the personality of the brand
It’s hard for a product to have personality. It is a thing. The root of personality is person. Personifying a brand with a character immediately makes it easier for it to have personality because it is no longer just a cleaning product it is Mr. Clean and everything he stands for.
If you have a character should you use it?
As stated, a character can kill it for a brand on many levels, but don’t just use it for the sake of using it. Ask yourself a lot of questions. How integral is it to your brand? Is it on your package or was it created as a secondary element? If you use it, should it be the focal point or an accent? Does it speak or remain silent? How does it work in static versus video? If you decide to use a character, after clearly defining the role, these and numerous other questions need to be answered.
If you don’t have a character, should you create one?
Having a character readily associated with your brand as the name, logo or something else integral makes it easier to use. Manufacturing one from scratch presents a bigger challenge. You must unequivocally know what this new character has to do with your brand, and establish a clear, undeniable connection to the product or service. You must also make sure you don’t force a character where one doesn’t make sense. There are many examples of manufactured characters that had nothing inherently to do with the brand assets that crushed it: The E*Trade Baby, The Energizer Bunny, The Geico Cavemen, The Maytag Repairman, The Most Interesting Man in the World. There is also the vast purgatory of characters who are just there, but creatively don’t really break through or add much. And don’t forget the graveyard of characters who died an ugly death because they just didn’t sync up like Herb for Burger King
Characters are fun, colorful creatures who present unique opportunities for a brand, but also distinct challenges. Understand those challenges and you can unlock a singular, ownable marketing wellspring. Quite an achievement in an industry striving to break free from perennial parity.
