I don’t know about you, but more often then not I reference
to brands and products by their mascot. For Geico, I think of the talking gecko
and for Kia I think of the dancing hamsters, who can’t help but love those
little guys. The use of mascots is one of the oldest tricks in the book in
advertising and marketing but according to Ad Week something seems to be a
little off. Where are all the ladies at? Typically, women handle 85% of all
purchases made by consumers but only a few out of the 140 brand mascots out
there are female characters. The five most famous female mascots include Betty
Crocker, Progressive’s Flo, Mrs. Butterworth, M&M’s Ms. Brown, and Chicken
of the Sea Mermaid. Although all of these mascots belong to very propionate
well-known brands, 3 out of 5 mascots are over 5o years old. Besides Flo and
Ms. Brown there are not many new female mascots running around. I think this concept is something that
advertisers and marketers should be using to their advantage. Along with the
current animal fad, adding and creating more female mascots might be a really
good angle to play at. Like Add Weekly said, women make 85% of all purchases
why not increase the number mascots that cater to women? Maybe it would
increase your number of sales or talk value and coming from a girls perspective a little more representation would be nice.
Blog #3
- See more at: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/best-female-brand-mascots-147486#sthash.xHygB15Z.dpuf
I think you make a good point here. If females are making the majority of purchases, why shouldn't we see more female mascots as the brand image of popular products and goods? As consumers, if we can relate to something, we are not only more drawn to it, but also, more likely to find that product reliable. As you said, 3/5 of the most notable female mascots are over 50 years old. Marketers and advertisers would certainly benefit from taking this into account and potentially revamping their image.
ReplyDeleteNow that I come to think about it, there really are not many women representations in the market. The fact that women make 85% of all purchases should show the advertiser that maybe they should be more represented in their advertising. Like you said, the products where the female mascots are apparent have been prosperous. Maybe this should be a sign to advertisers or to companies that women mascots do attract more consumers, especially if they have been around and have stayed relevant for the past 50 years.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally in agreement that there needs to be more female representation out in the branding and marketing world. With more and more women joining the advertising workforce, I'm honestly surprised there hasn't been a surge of female faces on products. After all, figures like Flo have proved to be extremely successful in the advertising world, and is one of the most familiar faces around. Advertisers need to wake up and realize it's increasingly becoming a woman's world, and they should probably start catering to their target audience.
ReplyDeleteThis is something I've never really thought about before, but it is so true. I think mascots are a great way to advertise, especially to children. I think it's very surprising that there are very few female mascots, however. I think that females are more likely to respond to other females. I just wrote a blog about female stereotypes in advertising. Maybe having more female mascots could be a way to break the stereotypes?
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything being said here. In regard to Kaitlyn's comment, I too am surprised by the lack of female mascots as the advertising workforce becomes increasingly female. I think using humor in long-lasting campaigns would be a good way to dismantle stereotypes in advertising.
ReplyDelete