\n\nA business might have to pay millions of dollars for superstars like Gwyneth Paltrow or Angelina Jolie to introduce themselves. But if the business doesn\u2019t have a marketing budget as big as Sony or Pepsi, then a little creativity and a four-legged friend can take your business a step further than Tony the tiger, Geico the gecko or Serta the sheep!
Associating marketing efforts with a lucky animal is always an effective and economical way for customers to remember each business's brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether they\u2019re reptiles, furry, or soft-bodied, animals can be powerful corporate icons. It\u2019s easy to associate your business with an animal in your ads because most of us love animals, says Stan Richards, founder of The Richards Group, a longtime advocate of cute mascots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More and more advertisements are being created that are anthropomorphized from an animal, or cute mascots representing a particular business. All of them are looking for more attention from people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even for companies that don\u2019t advertise much on television, animals can still wield tremendous marketing power. When ice cream company NexCen acquired the MaggieMoo brand last year, it recognized the power of MaggieMoo the cow and focused its marketing efforts on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When a new store opens, the ice cream company's mascot \u2014 who thinks he's a human \u2014 will drink coffee at the Starbucks next door, get a driver's license or shop at the grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MaggieMoo the cow is also attracting attention from the media such as US Weekly magazine or In Touch by participating in charity events. For Jennifer Johnston, vice president of NexCen, MaggieMoo's appearance next to children at Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center or Orthopaedic Hospital on Valentine's Day has created a big buzz in the community, equivalent to an advertising strategy worth 3 million USD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professor Daniel Howard, chair of the Department of Marketing at Southern Methodist University, advises that when businesses choose an animal to represent themselves, they should look for one that best conveys the brand's values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Howard explains that his research shows that a photo of an individual without animals is completely insignificant, but that if the same person is surrounded by animals, his photo makes viewers perceive him as richer, happier, and friendlier. The same is true for business brands, from children's toys to financial services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key is to make the most of people's perceptions and conceptions of a particular animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the Merrill Lynch bull, people understand what the bull represents and when they think of Merrill Lynch, it brings up a positive association. Howard also praised the ads from Prada and many other handbag manufacturers that feature adorable dogs in their bags. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Jennifer Johnston advises that businesses should develop a distinct personality and story behind their mascot. \u201cIt should be an extension of your brand and live up to your core values and ethos,\u201d she says.
Another approach is to choose a mascot that will help customers remember the company name. In the conservative insurance industry, both Aflac, which stands for American Family Life Insurance Company, and Geico, which stands for Government Employees Insurance Company, have worked hard to make their names familiar.
According to Jan Talamo, president of The Star Group, which also uses the parrot as a mascot for its advertising campaigns, the insurance industry is very competitive and Geico has to be able to keep its brand in people\u2019s minds. To do this, they basically give customers fun values and tell them that they are always there for them.
One element that both the Aflac Duck and the Geico Gecko use to promote their familiarity is to be present in as many places as possible. The Aflac Duck is not only featured in commercials, but is also present on the company\u2019s website and many affiliated sites, and even in downloadable ringtones. People can also purchase related merchandise such as duck-shaped golf club covers on the website, with profits going to charity.
Initially, due to budget constraints, NexCen\u2019s cow appeared only on outdoor billboards, which was not really effective. But now, the cow has appeared in TV commercials, in stadiums, and even on calendars. And since then, NexCen\u2019s revenue has increased by over 600%.
When the goal is to grab the attention of potential customers, cute mascots in corporate advertising should convey a specific message. This message should be appropriate, and not the case with Quizno. The singing, pirate-clad \u201cspongemonkeys\u201d mascots have garnered a lot of attention for the Quizno brand. But while some have praised Quizno\u2019s ads for being creative and edgy, others have criticized the company for using an animal that can transmit bugs to humans to sell sandwiches.
But, whatever the case, businesses can completely stop calling Will Smith or Angelina Jolie. Instead, each business will build its own superstar, build its own personality from a certain animal and personify it. That will be a huge business advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Entrepreneur<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" M\u1ed9t doanh nghi\u1ec7p c\u00f3 th\u1ec3 ph\u1ea3i tr\u1ea3 h\u00e0ng tri\u1ec7u \u0111\u00f4la cho c\u00e1c si\u00eau sao nh\u01b0 Gwyneth Paltrow hay Angelina Jolie \u0111\u1ec3 gi\u1edbi thi\u1ec7u v\u1ec1 m\u00ecnh. Nh\u01b0ng vi\u1ec7c n\u00e0y c\u00f3 kh\u1ea3 thi n\u1ebfu doanh nghi\u1ec7p kh\u00f4ng c\u00f3 m\u1ed9t ng\u00e2n qu\u1ef9 ti\u1ebfp th\u1ecb l\u1edbn nh\u01b0 Sony hay Pepsi, thay v\u00e0o \u0111\u00f3 ch\u1ec9 c\u1ea7n \u0111\u00f4i ch\u00fat s\u1ef1 s\u00e1ng […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1366,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","tag-marketing"],"yoast_head":"\n