I am dearly passionate about mascots, not because I get to design cool characters, but also because of how versatile they are in the branding and marketing atmosphere. And I find it fascinating how it can change the dynamic of businesses.
We all know the international sensational celebrity mascots such as the pink Duracell Bunny, the Michelin man or Loui the fly from Mortein, but have you heard about South African mascots?
I'm not surprised that many South African brands don't adopt mascots into their branding, purely because of a lack of education and feeling resistant to being a bit more creative. South Africa is known for adopting international branding and marketing trends much later in time, it is no wonder that mascots haven't really made a mark here either. And to top it of, there are not many folks like myself that offers and is well educated on the topic of these wonderful characters. Because of that, there aren't many that pushes mascots in our market which is also causing a lack of education too.
For this blog series, I will not be speaking of my clients that have already implemented their mascots. Rather I will be going around and exploring parts of SA, to connect with brands that have included mascots. If you know any businesses that does have mascots, please share with me on hello@ezra-art.com so I may cover their story.
A company located in Brakpan, check out their website HERE for more info. They are a family owned business that has run since 1937. That is quite the accomplishment.
Because of the nature of their industry, construction is typically a very saturated market and often lies with boring branding, if I'm being blunt right now. Even though I have met a few owners that are more creative and 'different' than the industry they are in, which I tend to find amusing.
Because of the nature of the industry Baksteen Mel is in, it is understandable that they had to fight quite the battle against their competitors. And the other day, for the first time, I saw this character, this mascot painted big and boldly on their wall as I was driving by. And that made me curious.
The biggest questions I get asked in my line of work regarding mascots is: "Will it be worth the investment" & "Will it be beneficial for my company." I naturally say YES and YES because I know it works. But that doesn't always convince everyone. Trust is fragile lately amongst people.
Instead of my word, we will be hearing from Baksteen Mel, whether they have benefited from owning a mascot or not.
Here is the short interview held with one of the staff.
Thank you for indulging me in allowing me to ask a few questions. When have you launched your mascot?
"We launched him about 4 months ago, give or take."
And what led you to getting a mascot?
"We needed more engagement, and giving out flyers at the robot didn't do anything anymore. So we needed to make a shift."
That is understandable. I can relate with having to make changes such as that myself. And have you found, by implementing the mascot as a benefit?
"Oh, definitely. It has become a benefit. We have gotten way more requests and feet into the shop than we previously have. Which is good for us, that means more business. "
That's fantastic. I love hearing that mascots become a success story for businesses. Would you say, that it was worth the investment?
"Yes it was a good investment. It wasn't cheap to do. I mean, spending R20k in one go to get the design for the mascot, the wall mural and getting some other things sorted out, isn't easy. But if you compare it to the flyers we'd usually print out and have that be given out at the robots, that would cost about R5k per day. In the long term, it's saving us money and is way more effective in getting potential clients too."
Wow. Yes, that is a huge difference and a money safer indeed. One last question. How have you utilized your mascot?
" Oh, well everywhere really. On our business cards, wrapping on the trucks, our website. We even have him on our invoices. "
That is awesome. It is clearly used really well. Well, thank you for your time. Appreciate it.
Not only has the mascot allowed them to stand out from everyone else around them in the vicinity, but the mascot allowed them to gain more interest and potential clients, and not forgetting the moneys that is being saved. So, is it worth the investment for South African brand? I'll leave you to answer that question.
If you are finally serious about getting your brand to stand out and start converting more engagement, then email hello@ezra-art.com or Whatsapp me on +27 71 865 2249 to get started.