raymondeg.com: Emperor's Blog

First...Tell a Great Story!

05/12/2010 9:03 PM

Walt Disney realized that his animated films weren’t only for children. He knew he needed to capture a broader interest with these film length “cartoons” if they were to succeed. He focused on the story. A story that would include comedy but also drama, conflict, suspense and even murder! Imagine a children’s story that begins with a mother’s tragic death witnessed by her young son. That same young son is confronted with life without his mom and has to kill to survive! These are the story elements that define Bambi’s life, make us care about him and are the main reason why it has become a film that has lasted the test of time.

So to should you want your mascot to last the test of time. You will want it to be beloved by children and adults alike and become a mascot that they will identify with and take ownership of. You want your mascot to be adopted by your customers, fans, students, alumni and all the relevant stakeholders. That is a mascot that will last, stand the test of time and will successfully drive your brand and develop new and previously undiscovered revenue. The first step towards that adulation is by creating and telling your own great mascot story. You will discover that most everyone within your organization will be concerned only with what your mascot will look like. It might be surprising to them that great character branding success comes from outlining and writing the story first. Just the process of defining your mascot’s back story will help visualize what it actually is to become making it much easier to decide what it will look like. So many organizations are fixated on what the mascot should be and what it will wear but forget that by deciding the mascot’s “who” first will help build the visual image of the mascot.

You don’t have to be the next Disney or Henson or even a good writer to develop a great story for your mascot. How? Just follow these next 4 steps and you will be on your way to creating the perfect mascot back story.

1) Define what is great

2) Hold creative meetings

3) Create a mascot personality profile and bio

4) Write it

The Mascot Bible will be complete by January 2011. Call us today to reserve your advanced copy!!

| Back to index...