Creating the Next Mr. Peanut

For 100 years Planters Peanuts has successfully used the mascot Mr. Peanut to make their brand special. Mr. Peanut was created by 14 year old Anthony Gentile in 1916 as part of a contest. This year peanut fans have a chance to vote on creating a new look for the long-standing mascot.

Mascot marketing can be even more relevant to stand out today in a crowded marketplace. In an attention deficit society creating a memorable image in the minds of your target audience is critical. Adding a fictional character to be your company spokesperson can benefit your visibility in several ways:

Create media exposure for your business

Boost brand recognition

Add promotional tie-in opportunities and more sales

Small business has much to gain from using a low cost marketing method of employing a company mascot. Husband-and-wife team Wally and June Blume, of Denali Flavors built an $85 million dollar business on their "spokes-moose" for the brand Moose Tracks. The Moose Tracks character even has his own blog. Don't expect a mascot to save a failing business as witnessed when the Pets.com sock puppet became road kill during the Internet market meltdown. As co-author, Al Ries of "The Fall of Advertising and The Rise of PR" points out, the sock puppet was confusing the advertising with the product. Companies need to clearly know the role of their mascot. "The Bunny didn't make Energizer famous. Energizer made the Bunny famous," say Ries.