I love Winnie the Pooh and his friends, particularly Eeyore who bears a striking resemblance to my own personality at times but is loyal to his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood to the end. I am also quite fond of Hello Kitty, who I first loved as a small girl and am now over the moon to see she is reining as Queen of Kitsch these days, and to her I owe some of my creativity.

On asking the boys of the Chichester Design office who their favourite characters are I got the following responses:

Ben

Homer Simpson – We all know Homer as the comedy father of the Simpson’s Family. This affiliation suggests that Ben has a weakness for doughnuts and beer but is also loveable and a bit yellow looking.

Optimus Prime – This adoration of the Transformers character reveals Ben’s rough, tough cream puff side that comes out when he’s in the board room and managing projects to optimum effect. And like Optimus, Ben is our much-loved leader and hero.

Jeremy

Kakashi Hatake – from the Naruto manga and anime series, Kakashi is initially portrayed as detached and apathetic, but his loyalty to his friends and students becomes increasingly apparent through – much Like Jezza’s dedication to the team and his work.

Captain Harlock – Harlock is the archetypical romantic hero, a space pirate with an individualist philosophy of life. He is as noble as he is taciturn, rebellious, stoically fighting against totalitarian regimes, whether they be earthborn or alien. In his own words, he “fight[s] for no one’s sake… only for something deep in [his] heart”. Erm, yes Ok Jeremy, keep up the good work!

These cartoon dudes are powerful little critters and our branding friends seem to have caught onto this big-time. Cartoons have long been synonymous with brands, just consider the little top-hatted Homepride man Fred and the Fairy baby (who, I thought as a child would actually come out and bounce on our towels if she used the product!) What about Ronald McDonald who came from across the pond and became one of the most distinguishable brand identities in history? Whether we like it or not everyone associates that red-headed clown with burgers. 

They have helped with brand association and are now continuing to do so as businesses start to associate their brands with already established and renowned cartoon characters.  The coin may have flipped but marketers seem as shrewd as ever, teaming up the likes of Keith Harris and Orville with Surf in 2004, Wallace and Gromit have endorsed Npower and recently been shouting about Kingsmill since the 2008 film, A Matter of Loaf and Death, and Specsavers have cashed in on both the Thunderbirds and Postman Pat as brand advocates. Theme Parks have even joined the band wagon, branding parts of their attractions around famous characters with Noddy at Butlins and the Beano gang at Chessington World of Adventures until just last month.

Using such characters means that kids become more excited and aware about products, especially food and drink – who here didn’t want to be the Kia-Ora kid’s dog and take a walk with Mr Soft to the Umbungo Jungle  where you could look forward to running into Coco the Monkey and Tony the Tiger? Just me? This is a clever marketing ploy as kids are influential and even have some influence over purchasing decisions, especially when they scream really loud in the supermarket!

But it’s not just about kids. Using Wallace and Gromit to promote Npower and having a giggle at Postman Pat who sat on his glasses injects a bit of fun into the day-to-day stuff.  Sometimes the more mundane the product is, the more successful the character branding association. The crux of it is, behind those tough facades everyone loves something a bit cutesy that they can associate with their favourite brands and, more often than not, brands can become favourites as a result of those cutesy associations.

Chichester Design are working with AtMarket who are currently using a cartoon bird as part of their brand identity. While we are working to improve this branding and create something truly memorable that says “online farmers’ market”, we hope to keep some element of the character branding, as it is character building after all. Watch this space: http://www.atmarket.co.uk/.

If you would like any help with your marketing – branding, social media, Search Engine Optimisation or Google AdWords especially, get in contact with our Marketing Consultant Kate at Chichester Design today.