86% of businesses noticed an increase in traffic, 83% – in dwell time, and 78% – in sales, all because they started leveraging cartoon characters in their video marketing and advertising.
Thanks to the digital revolution, every business can now easily access tools and strategies to boost their marketing results. Therefore, if your business will stand out, you must be extra creative with your strategies. One way to do this is by using cartoon characters in marketing.
Cartoon characters can be powerful for boosting your marketing results. They help make your ad offers more attractive to your target audience if you play your cards right. As you read on, you will discover tips and tricks to boost your business by using cartoon characters in marketing and advertising.
Why Using Cartoon Characters for Business Marketing is a Great Idea
Table of Contents
Before we look at the “how,” let’s understand the “why.” Here are some compelling reasons you should consider using cartoon characters for business.
Cartoon Characters are Easy to Remember
Cartoon characters are memorable. When customers remember your mascot, they remember your business. It’s a shortcut to staying in their minds.
Everybody Likes Them
You probably do too. Even if you don’t, a large chunk of your audience does. Cartoons bypass age and cultural boundaries. They appeal to both kids and adults, making them a versatile tool for your marketing.
Storytelling
Every great ad has a little bit of branding. Likewise, every great brand has a story, and cartoon characters are fantastic storytellers. They can help infuse your brand’s personality into your marketing offers, making them resonate better with your audience.
Emotional Connection
Experts say emotional marketing is the best form of marketing. This is because humans process emotions five times faster than we process logical thought. Cartoon characters evoke emotions. They can make your audience laugh, feel nostalgic, empathize with your brand’s message, or simply connect with you.
The more emotionally appealing your cartoon characters, the more effective your marketing efforts. Javier Roldan once said, “Cartoons can help a lot to put a human touch into your marketing efforts. It’s one of the most unexpected allies for it, mind you, but one so damn effective that more and more companies are betting on it.”
They are Versatile
Cartoon characters can adapt to different marketing channels – from social media to landing pages and even print ads. This way, they provide consistency across your brand’s touchpoints.
Also Read:
- 7 Benefits Of Animated Commercial Video Ad
- PPC Campaign Management: 5 Tips For Good ROI
- 5 Reasons Your Brand Should Introduce Video to Its Marketing Strategy
Let’s look at real-life examples of businesses that have been using cartoon characters to skyrocket their business success.
Companies that Have Successfully Used Cartoon Characters in Business Marketing
These popular companies are examples of how using cartoon characters for business marketing can be a game-changer. You will probably recognize one or two of them. Pay close attention to what they did. You will learn how you too can boost your business by using cartoon characters in marketing.
1. Disney: A Tale of Magic
Talk cartoon characters for business, talk Disney. The iconic Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and a cast of other characters have made Disney lots of fame and…ah yes…tons of money.
Did you also notice Disney’s clever use of these characters across various mediums? Aside from movies, you will find them on bags, tees, and even at fun parks, as live mascots. This repeated representation has cemented Disney’s place in the hearts of millions all over the world.
2. Geico: The Gecko That Saved You Money
Geico, the insurance giant, chose an unlikely spokesperson – a gecko. This animated character, with his distinctive British accent, has become a household name. The gecko’s witty and relatable persona has made insurance, an often complex and dull topic, engaging.
Geico’s successful use of the gecko demonstrates how a well-designed cartoon character can inject personality into even the most ‘boring’ industries. This is evident in Geico’s best commercials of all time.
3. KFC: The Colonel’s Epic Comeback
Have you ever had chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken? Good stuff! The business, Kentucky Fried Chicken became a lot more popular when it resurrected its founder, Colonel Sanders, as a cartoon character.
The Colonel’s charming presence in their marketing campaigns made more people connect with the brand. Through the Colonel cartoon, the business connects with the sense of tradition and identity of the target audience, reminding customers of the brand’s roots.
Best Strategies to Boost Your Marketing and Advertising With Cartoon Characters
When designing your cartoon characters, ensure they are fashioned to get you real results. Here are some must-dos to boost your business marketing with cartoon characters.
Understand Your Audience
Know your target audience inside out. What appeals to them? What are their values, interests, and aspirations? Your cartoon characters should align with these.
Uniqueness Matters
Your characters should stand out, so avoid clichés. This means using already popular cartoon characters may be risky. Even worse, you could rack up lawsuits from copyright and trademark infringements. You don’t want that, so it is safest to be authentic and original.
Visual Appeal
Selling anything to any audience is tricky. You could win or lose your customers’ attention with one tiny mistake. When using cartoon characters for business, ensure they are visually appealing and can instantly capture and hold attention.
Consistency is Key
Once you create your characters, maintain consistency in their appearance, personality, and messaging. That way, it’s easy for your audience to recognize and relate to your characters, and by extension, your brand.
Test and Refine
Again, results. You need to know if your cartoon characters are achieving what you need them to. Gather feedback and make improvements. While your characters should not change on your audience, they can grow with them. In other words, your characters should evolve alongside your brand and audience.
How to Integrate Cartoon Characters into Your Marketing and Branding Strategies
You have seen successful businesses that leveraged cartoon characters for business success. Here are some steps they took, which you too can apply to your business.
1. Website Design
Incorporate your cartoon characters into your website design. Use them in banners, icons, and even as interactive elements. This makes your online presence memorable and appealing. Effective use of animation in your web design can have a great impact on your online business.
2. Social Media
Feature your characters in your social media posts, stories, and ads. Also, make your content revolve around your characters. For effect, make them engaging and shareable. Design user-generated content that prominently involves the cartoon characters, if possible. That way, your ad leaves a sticky impression on your audience.
3. Email Marketing
Consider character-themed ad templates and graphics. They add personality to your email campaigns. Also, customers take action more, when your emails are fun, engaging, and of course, relevant and relatable.
4. Print Collateral
Print ad materials are another great way to infuse your characters into your marketing. You can add them to brochures, flyers, prospectuses, and even roll-up banners. That way, you maintain a uniform brand image, across all marketing outlets.
5. Events and Promotions
Cartoon Characters are a great way to add excitement to events, promotions, or product launches. Of course, this depends largely on the nature and mood of the event (but every event could use some fun, yes?). Character-themed contests or giveaways also work like magic.
Also Read:
- 9 Creative Social Media Marketing Tips for Small Businesses Ready to Scale
- What is Voice Marketing Strategy and How It Will Boost Your Digital Business?
- How Your E-Commerce Store Can Leverage High-Converting Video Ads to Grow
Conclusion
Whether you are already a pro or you are newly learning how to use cartoon characters for business, the principles are the same. Stay creative, be original, be relatable to your audience, and measure your success.
As you apply these tips, you will find out, firsthand, how profitable it is to boost your business by using cartoon characters in marketing. This is, maybe, one of the few times when experience is an accurate teacher!
