B2B Mascots: The most powerful branding tactic your CEO won’t ever approve

Okay, I doubt any marketer would actually pitch a B2B mascot like that, but the CEO’s reaction is pretty close to reality. No matter how smooth the proposal.

Mascots are a proven force in B2C advertising, with plenty of characters becoming household names. But in B2B, the mere notion of a fictional character representing a “serious” brand can send the C-suite into a tizzy. Well, most c-suites, anyway.

But history — and data — shows that mascots are one of the most effective brand assets you can invest in. Just ask Salesforce.

So if you’re a marketer considering pitching a mascot to your boss or client, I hope this information arms you with the evidence you need to get approval.

Or at least the greenlight to test the freakin’ thing.

The data is clear: characters are killin’ it

There’s some pretty convincing data about how effective characters can be:

That’s all some compelling evidence. And yet, getting buy-in on mascots isn’t so easy in B2B.

“Most of our clients are B2B, and despite all this wealth of evidence (and even though companies like Salesforce have proved that it works), there's still a huge reluctance to adopt this approach,” one creative agency director commented on Linkedin.

“Characters are seen as not professional, too far removed from the product, too fluffy, not corporate enough.”

I have a suspicion why. 

The awkward reason B2B mascots remain rare

Sure, seeming “unprofessional” is certainly a barrier to using mascots in B2B. But I think the reluctance goes deeper than that.

A lot of marketers — and people in general — desperately want to avoid looking “stupid.” They crave the comfort and security in doing what’s already been done before, even if they feel strongly about an innovative idea.

In fact, most people tend to avoid taking risks entirely at work. After all, “logical” ideas that follow best practices are less likely to get you in trouble with a client or boss — even if those ideas fail.

Rory Sutherland, marketing legend and VP of Ogilvy UK, goes deep on this topic in his book Alchemy: The Surprising Power Of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense.

“The fatal issue is that logic always gets you to exactly the same place as your competitors,” wrote Sutherland.

But push beyond that fear, take informed risks, and you could be onto something really great.

Like the next big mascot.

3 great reasons to consider a B2B Mascot (share these with the CEO)

I’m sure there are more than three reasons, but these are the ones that most resonate with me. And I’m confident it helped me successfully pitch a B2B SaaS mascot to a client of mine.

1) Mascots are remembered when it’s time to buy

Being distinct and salient is far more important than being different.

That’s what Byron Sharp argues in his book How Brands Grow. He says that customers — even in B2B — aren’t convinced or concerned that brands are different. They simply buy the ones they remember and can find when needed.

“Rather than striving for meaningful, perceived differentiation, marketers should seek meaningless distinctiveness. Branding lasts, differentiation doesn’t,” writes Sharp.

And since characters are six times more likely to improve brand recall, launching a mascot could give a B2B brand a huge advantage in the market. Especially if competitors aren’t doing this.

The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science advocates that building this type of “mental availability” is essential for brands to be remembered by buyers at the right time.

This touches on the concept of Category Entry Points (CEPs). These are essentially the thoughts people have when they are ready to purchase a product or service. If you can connect your mascot — or other advertising — to a CEP, your ideal customer is more likely to remember you when they’re shopping for a solution.

2) They can’t be copied (unlike features)

Mascots are inherently unique. They’re an extension of the brand’s essence, so even if a company were to try and copy your mascot, it wouldn’t make sense for their brand. And it certainly wouldn’t be effective.

Compare this to product features. Software companies regularly copy and (maybe) improve upon competitor’s features as they strive to gain a better foothold in the market. This leads to features being commoditized, which means they’re not a true point of differentiation — with certain exceptions.

Peter Weinberg and Jon Lombardo, the heads of research and development at the B2B Institute, point out in this Marketing Week article that Salesforce’s Astro mascot would be virtually impossible to replicate.

“You can commoditise a product, but you can’t commoditise a character. To borrow a Warren Buffet-ism, characters are a “moat” in the mind that leads to a moat in the market,” they write.

3) It’s humanizing in an industry that needs more humanity

Personality goes a long way. Emotional connection goes even farther.

Research by the LinkedIn B2B Institute found that inspiring emotion in B2B ads is seven times more effective than delivering rational benefits alone. Another report by Linkedin says 69% of senior marketing leaders agree that B2B purchasing decisions are just as emotionally-driven as B2C.

And mascots present an often-overlooked opportunity to make that emotional connection. Why? They’re relatable.

Even if your brand is represented by a robot or flamingo, mascots show emotion and demonstrate other human traits that are far more likely to create a bond with an audience than performance statistics alone.

And history shows that these emotive, stand-out mascots can accomplish great things.

Examples of great B2B SaaS mascots:

1. Astro the Space Explorer (Salesforce)

Debut Date: 2017

Astro was born during Salesforce's rebranding efforts to reflect their focus on innovation and customer success. The space explorer theme signifies their mission to help businesses "blaze new trails" and navigate the vast world of CRM software. Astro is part of Salesforce’s diverse roster of characters. 

Research shows he's helped boost brand awareness and recall, particularly among younger audiences. Check out this Marketing Week article for a breakdown of what makes Astro so impactful.

2. Freddie the Chimp (Mailchimp)

Debut Date: 2000

Freddie started as a simple sketch by Mailchimp's co-founder, Ben Chestnut. He evolved into the friendly face of the brand, embodying its playful, approachable nature. Freddie is a nod to the company's mission to make marketing easier for small businesses.

Since 2000, he has become synonymous with Mailchimp, contributing significantly to its brand recognition and recall. And his success comes from within the software as much as outside of it.

One Freddie’s most memorable and successful animations is the high five users get after they successfully send an email campaign. It’s a great way to demonstrate empathy.

3. Owly (Hootsuite)

Debut Date: 2008

Owly was created to represent Hootsuite's commitment to making social media management easier and more accessible. The wise and observant owl symbolizes Hootsuite's ability to help businesses navigate the complex world of social media.

Owly has evolved a lot since he first appeared: from a darker presence in 2014 to a refreshed and more playful look in 2022.

“We’re so excited to put Owly at the center of everything we do and for the world to get to know the gold-hearted rebel leading our customers,” Maggie Lower, Chief Marketing Officer at Hootsuite, told Pop Icon after Owly’s 2022 update.

4. Roger Mozbot (Moz)

Debut Date: 2013

Roger Mozbot was introduced to bring a friendly and approachable face to Moz's brand. The guy who created it, Matthew Heilman, said his goal was to steer away from a trend in the industry of having real-life humans as the identity of the brand.

“At the time, we had Rand who was a figurehead in the industry, but it just seemed too familiar in comparison to what other people were doing with brand recognition,” he said in this blog article. “We had a real opportunity as a younger company to try something different and outside of the box.”

Since then, Roger has been one of SaaS ' most identifiable mascots. 

And don’t forget the B2B villains!

Good guys can’t have all the fun.

What I like about creating B2B villain characters is that you can tie them to specific pain points. That way, your ideal customers are more likely to connect their problems to your brand when they eventually do become “in market.”

1) The Copper Monster (Ooma)

The googly-eye creature in this ad immediately snatched my attention. This campaign aimed to make Ooma’s audience aware of the problem that copper telephone wires were being phased out and were quite expensive. But it’s a problem that’s difficult to explain.

“Ooma asked for our help to grab attention and to make the problem more urgent and easier to understand,” writes John Kovacevich, creative director at the Agency SOS, in a Linkedin Post. “Thus “The Copper Monster” was born! He doesn’t care about your business. He’s feasting on your financials, munching your margins, and eating into your profits.”

2) Work worry creatures (Asana)

This clever, well-produced video does a great job of connecting a relatable moment — the “work worries” feeling and the “Sunday Scaries” — to their brand. In the video, little animated creatures pester professionals with the nagging thought of looming deadlines and to-do lists.

Asana’s Head of Brand Marketing, Matt Maynard said in this Vimeo article, that the relatable feeling of “worry” is a category entry point for Asana. 

“There are certain situations or moments you want your brand to be associated with,” he said. 

3) The Busywork Bandit (Meera)

Okay, shameless plug.

I created the Busywork Bandit — in collaboration with rockstar designer Denise Rawlins — for an AI-powered texting platform called Meera. Their solution is great at automating a lot of busywork that sales teams deal with, such as colding calling leads or following up on missing appointments.

The Bandit provided a memorable way for Meera to connect its brand to the problems that we knew their ideal customer was struggling with. By showing the bandit ads consistently to a highly defined audience, we hope to increase the brand’s mental availability. So when our ideal customers were searching for a solution to these problems, they’d remember the Busywork Bandit and Meera.

A potential boom for B2B mascots (and better brand creative) on the horizon?

Sure, mascots aren’t for every B2B brand. Just like humorous creative ads aren’t for every brand.

But they shouldn’t be instantly overlooked because of the perception these tactics aren’t “professional” enough. At the risk of sounding cliche, B2B buyers are human too. And sterile advertising campaigns that lack emotion are less likely to motivate anyone to act.

However, there is some hope. The former heads of Linkedin’s B2B Institute predicted in early 2024 that the “moment is approaching when B2B brands realize they need to invest more in brand than performance.”

And lately, I’ve noticed more willingness among B2B marketers to test counterintuitive things. Stuff, like mascots, that defy so-called best practices and connect with people on a deeper level.

If this keeps up, who knows: maybe Dennis the Humvee-driving salamander will have a chance to exist after all.