What is the first image that comes to your mind when you say Lycos? I bet you don’t visualize their logo type, but their mascot, the black dog that will “meet you there.” And what about Taco Bell? Honestly, what do you see? I see a funny Chihuahua saying with a determined voice ¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!
I cannot really think of another famous company (unrelated to dogs) that uses a dog as its mascot. I can, however, think of some basketball teams and some universities. And I can now think of Red Dog, not necessarily because it’s famous, but because I work for it.
And I’ve been thinking… what is so special about dogs? Why do businesses choose them as mascots? With Taco Bell this was a logical choice: they needed something funny, a hook to make their customers talk about their new line of products. But what’s the point in using a dog to represent a search engine? And what’s the point in using a dog to represent a web development company?
Let’s analyze this from a PR and branding perspective, shall we?
Depending on how you approach brand promotion, using a dog to represent you company visually might be a good choice. No, I am not talking about a stylized logo, but about the real deal. People like animals and dogs are probably the most popular choice. And when they are as cute as Yardley, the “Red Dog” dog (that sounds funny, doesn’t it?) the fact that they help to make a brand popular doesn’t come as a surprise. Now, Yardley’s name is not known in Luxembourg, but Red Dog, the company with “that white dog” is. People remember Red Dog for the white dog, which is a paradox, if you know what I mean. They probably wonder why “Red Dog” when the mascot is obviously white. I tell you why: Yardley is wearing a disguise. In reality he is absolutely red. 
Yardley appeared in the picture long after the company was founded. But his arrival was the real “buzz” factor. And now he is the image of the company and he is also our source of inspiration. This might sound strange for those who think that business-to-business should be sober and grave, but I assure you: there’s nothing strange about a web development company to approach business in a playful manner. On the contrary. Yardley is the “wow” factor of our business. He’s so fun that even the most rigid businessman grows to like him in a flash.
He’s present on every page of our site, always doing something fun. Sometimes he tells you how we work and sometimes he watches over a designer to make sure that our customers get the best services possible…
Now what about you guys? What do you think about pets and their role in marketing and branding? Would you consider using your pet on your website/blog or on fliers and brochures to promote your business? Let’s write about this a bit, shall we? And I am going to challenge you a bit. I’ll start a writing project.
Answer the following questions: what you think about pets as branding tools? Do you know any famous companies that use pets? (not necessarily dogs) Would you use your own pet to promote your business?
Although everyone is welcome to join, I tag now 4 bloggers, and you’ll undestand the reasons pretty soon:
Kevin the Collie – because Kevin is one of the moneymakers of the family,
Beaman – it would be interesting to know why you like cats so much,
Justin – because he loves pets so much and he writes a pretty cool blog “all about pets,”
Sue - at least to give you a link to her amazing site, where she displays the most beautiful pet portraits I’ve ever seen.
Then you tag other 4 bloggers who like or have pets, just to see how they feel about this topic.
I think if it catches up, this group writing project is going to be fun and we’ll all learn a lot about this kind of branding.
Let’s say that the project will run for a month – till the 14th of August and then I will display here a complete list with all your entries. So don’t forget to drop me a comment with your link, to help me make the list.
Well…in logo there’s a sheep hehehe;)
M.
Baaahhh!
And what a famous sheep. Does it have a name? Go on, write about it a bit.
I’ve been racking my brains, but all I can remember that has to do with pets and branding is Morris the Cat and Purina Cat Chow (this from someone who has a dog). Oh, and there was Spuds McKenzie and some kind of beer, too.
Well, that’s a start. I had this idea because there is a whole page at Wikipedia about famous dogs, but there’s no reference at dogs in advertising. And let’s face it: some are really cool.
Hi Mig,
Thanks for tagging me and I have tagged four of the nicest dogs with blogs in return. This is such a good idea, pleased you thought of my little old blog!!
Kev xx
Thank you for joining, Kev! I was sure you’ll like the idea.
I just discovered your post with the kind words for my portraits! Though not new to the web, I’m fairly new to blogging and don’t have my trackback, crossposting, and commenting skills developed!
So, even though it is past August 14, I thought I’d add my US$.02 with some dog logos and mascots I thought of.
Thanks for the kind words — and the link!
Sue Donley
Lycos also uses a dog for branding.
Did you read the first sentence in this entry or are you just commenting for the “link love?”
I think animals are good for logos, and they represent something like dog should be cute, snake more for macho style, elephant, monkey for kids as they are funny. Depends on people, but for evry animal I imagine it represents something in my head.
I personally don’t have any pets, but I used to when I was little. Seeing an animal, especially a dog, as a mascot for a company makes me think of my childhood. I don’t know what that might really mean then, but I believe that using animals could be a great way of attracting people to your business.
Pets can be a certain motivation for people in branding. Using them you can bring up some crazy new ideas
I think animals, particularly baby animals, are a sure way to get people on your side, as most people cannot resist such cuteness. They also promote a safe, ‘wholesome’ feeling in people, helping to give the viewer a feel good factor they then associate with the product.
yo quero taco bell…lol tht little chiuauah how ever u spell it is sooo cute…lol