Starting Wednesday (Dec. 10), I'm posting a multi-part blog serie on the historic use and abuse of characters in advertising. Title of the piece: "Advertising With Character." (If you think you've detected a double-meaning, you are right). I'm looking at everything from Aunt Jemima (19th century fictional characters) to Charles Schwab (the company rep as character). I have a database of about 250, and the detail is helping to illuminate patterns and trends that are truly worth looking at. Five things I will look at:
--Why brands invent character (the biggest question)
--Why we accept them (the second biggest question)
--The critique against characters (yeah, some people hate them)
--The CEO as character
--The impact of social media
I've got a few hypotheses I am testing, and I look forward to sharing the results. In the meantime, if you have a character you'd like me to include in this study, let me know. But take a quick look below. The list -- like the tradition -- is long.
7up Cool spot
7up Freshup Freddie
A&W -- the great root bear
AFLAC Duck
Ajax Pixies
Ajax White Knight
Alka Seltzer Speedy
American Express Guy
American Tourist gorilla
Anderson Soup Twins
Angel Soft Tissue Angels (David and Larry)
Ann Parker
Arby Oven Mitt
Ask Jeeves
Aunt Jemima
Bacardi & Coke
Bardahl Bad Guys
Bartles and James
Beefeaters
Beer Ape
Ben & Jerry
Bob's Big Boy
Bonny Maid
Boo Berry
Borden's Elsie the Cow
Bounty -- Rosie
Brawny Lumberjack
Bubble Yum -- Floyd Duck
Budweiser Clydedales
Bud frogs
Bud Ice Penguin
Bud Light Guy
Bud lizards
Burger King
Burger King Cowboy
Burger King fighting chickens
Burger King Herb
Bush -- dog
Buster Brown
Buster Brown Tige
Cal Raisins
California Cows
Campbells Twins
Cap'n Crunch
Capitol One Angel
Capitol One Barbarians
Capitol One Competitors (No!)
Carl's
Charle Schwab
Charmin -- Mr. Whipple
Cheetos -- Cheetah
Chef Boyardee
Chevron -- cars
Chevron -- Hy Finn
Chicken of the Sea -- Charlie
Chicken of the Sea -- Mermaid
Chief Iron Eyes Cody
Chiquita Banana
Chuck E Cheese
Clippy
Coca-Cola Girl
Cocoa Puffs
Coke -- Polar Bears
Colonel Sanders
Columbia torch lady
Comet -- Josephine the Plumber
Cool Whip -- Sarah Tucker
Coors Lite Twins
Coppertone girl
CornFlakes -- Cornelius
Count Chocula
Cracker Jack
Crash Test Dummies
Crazy Eddie
Crest toothpaste kid
Culligan lady
Daisy girl
Dell Dude
Diet Coke Hunk
Dominos -- the noid
DoubleMint Twins
Dr. Scholls
Dreyfus Lion
Duncan Hines
Dunkin Donuts Baker
Dutch Boy
Dutch Masters
El Exigente
Energizer -- Jacko
Energizer -- Bunny
Ernest
Esso -- Tiger
Esurance -- animated super guy
Eveready -- 9 lives cats
Expedia Cooper
Federal Express -- fast talking guy
Flying A Service -- Axelrod
Ford dog
Foster Farms chickens
Frankenberry
Frito Bandito
Froot Loops Toucan Sam
Fruit of the Loom Guys
Fruit Stripe -- Yipes/Zebra
Fruity Pebbles
GEICO
GEICO -- cavemam
General Mills -- Betty Crocker
Gerber Baby
Gillette Sharpie the Parrot
Gold Dust Powder -- Goldust Twins
Good N Plenty -- Choo Choo Charlie
Green Giant
Green Giant sprout
Greyhound -- Lady Greyhound
Hamburger Helper hand
Hamm's bear
Hartford elk
Hawaiin punch -- Punchy
Honey Smacks -- Frog
Honeynut -- Buzzbee
Hotpoint -- Happy Hotpoint
ICEE -- polar bear
Ipana toothpaste -- Bucky Beaver
Italian Swiss colony -- little old winemaker
Isuzu -- Joe Isuzu
Jack in the Box
Jell-O -- Chinese baby
Jelly Belly -- Mr. Jelly Belly
Joe Camel
Joe the Plumber
Juab Valdez
Keds -- Kedso the Clown
Keds -- Kolonel Keds
Keebler Elves
Kleenex -- Manners the Butler
Kool-Aid man
Kools -- Willie the Kool Penguin
Kraft Cheesasaurus Rex
Kraft Singles -- dairy fairy
Lee -- Buddylee doll
Life -- Mikey
Little Caeser
Lucky Charms
Mac/PC
Mama Leone
Marlboro Man
Mattel -- Matty Mattel and Sisterbelle
Maypo -- Marky Maypo
Maytag
McGruff
Men's Warehouse
Meow Mix -- Meow mix cat
Merril Lynch Bull
MGM Lion
Michelin Man
Minute Maid
MM -- blue and green
MM -- orange
Mobil Pegasus
Morris the cat
Morton salt girl
Mr. Clean
Mr. Peanut
Mrs. Butterworth
Mrs. Paul
MSN gal
MTM -- Mimsie the Cat
NBC Peacock
Nestle Quik/NesQuik -- Bunnies
Nev Air Quality -- Dusty the Dusthole
Newman
Nike -- Lil Penny
Nike -- Mars Blackmon
Obama girl
OfficeMax -- Rubberband Man
Old Milwaukee -- Swedish Bikini Team
Old Navy
Old Spice sailor
Orbit -- Vanessa
Orville Redenbacher
Palmolive
Pampers pampa
Pep Boys
Pets.com Sock Puppet
Piels Brothers
Pillsbury Poppin Fresh
Pine Sol Lady
Pop-tarts -- Milton the Toaster
Quake
Quaker Oats
Quantas Koala
Quisp
Quizno's Spongemonkey
Quizno's -- Baby Bob
Raid insects
Raisen Bran -- Sunny
RCA -- chipper
RCA -- nipper
Rice Crispies
Robert Hall birds
Ronald McDonald
Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull
Schweppes Commander Whitehead
Scot Towel -- Aunt Bluebelle
Scrubbing Bubbles
Serta Sheep
Six Flags -- Mr. Six
Smokey
Snuggle Bear
Sprite -- Miles Thirst
Spuds
Starbucks Melusine
Subway Shadow
Sugar Crisp
Sugar Pops -- Sugar Pops Pete
Sugar Smacks
Sun-Maid
Taco Bell Chihuahua
Taster's Choice couple
The Wiz
Toilet duck
Tony the Tiger
Tootsie roll -- Captain Tootsie
Tootsie Roll -- Rr. Owl
Toys R Us -- Geoffrey
Travelocity -- Gnome
Tri-star Pictures Pegasus
Trix Rabbit
Trojan man
Twinkies The Kid
Ty-D-Bowl man
Uncle Ben
Verizon Guy/Network
Vlasic stork
Volkswagen Helga
Wendy -- Mr. Wendy
Wendy's Dave Thomas
Wendys -- "Where's the beef?"
Western Airline Wally the bird
Woodsy Owl
Xerox -- Brother Dominick
That's a very impressive list, Giovanni. I'm looking forward to the series and your take on this. Having worked with a number of product icons and celebrities, including the Maytag Man (Gordon Jump), I'm always amazed how fictional personas are embraced by the media; i.e. it's the characters that assume celebrity status, as opposed to the 'more real' actors.
Posted by: Martin Waxman | December 06, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Thanks, Martin. Looking forward to catching up.
Posted by: Giovanni Rodriguez | December 15, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Close to my heart.
Harley Davidson
Live to ride.
Ride to live.
-ron
Posted by: Ron Rodriguez | December 31, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Science so called scientific, precisely because it does not admit idols, do not be afraid of something old, overthrow outdated very carefully listening practice and experience.Do you think so?
Posted by: Nike Shox Rivalry | September 16, 2010 at 07:44 PM