Tag: PopIcon

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon The GEICO Gecko has a reputation for being one of the most articulate and well-mannered characters in the insurance industry. What happens when this calm and collected gecko reconnects with an old frenemy? A series of four new commercial spots from The Martin Agency pits the GEICO Gecko against actor Will Arnett. These frenemies are…

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon It’s not uncommon in the advertising landscape to see brand mascots receive a few design refreshes over the decades to better establish relevance with consumers. Changes to a mascot’s age, while few and far in between, do happen on rare occasions. Rice Krispies’ Snap, Crackle, and Pop were given youthful appearances after their initial introduction…

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon Delicious changes are coming to the McDonald’s classic Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger, and Hamburger. These changes are so tasty they can only mean one thing: the return of the Hamburglar! The Most Delicious Burgers Yet In an April 17 press release, McDonald’s revealed small but tasty improvements are coming to the classic Big Mac, McDouble burger,…

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon For six decades, Horatio Magellan Crunch — AKA Cap’n Crunch — has been bringing adventure to the breakfast table as the face of Cap’n Crunch cereal. The legendary brand mascot is turning 60 years old in 2023 and is on deck to check some items off his bucket list. That’s right: the Cap’n is setting…

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon If you’re not already familiar with the seaweed puff brand Sea Monsters, this kid-friendly snack will be on your radar soon enough. The world’s first puffed seaweed snack, created by co-founders John Lee and Jiae Kim (and inspired by their two sons), received a great deal of interest at Natural Products Expo West 2023. It…

16 of the best brand collaborations based on brand recognition, originality, press exposure and overall product. 

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon After two decades, Catalina, the iconic mermaid mascot for Chicken of the Sea International (COSI), received a makeover in January 2023. How does one refresh a legendary mascot like Catalina? We spoke with Andy Mecs, EVP, Commercial, at Chicken of the Sea International, on why it was time for Catalina to evolve, redesigning the Chicken…

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon Who is the Pillsbury Doughboy? As one of the brand mascot’s biggest fans, I used to feel confident about answering this question. The Pillsbury Doughboy was a sweet, friendly character born out of Leo Burnett’s critter agency. In 1965, Leo Burnett copywriter Rudy Perz imagined a tiny boy made out of dough popping out of…

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon On February 20, 2023, HungryPanda, the world’s leading overseas Asian food delivery platform, announced a new campaign including a new brand identity. HungryPanda’s new face is HAPII: a brand mascot who may be seen on HungryPanda packaging, marketing assets, and the HungryPanda website and mobile app. Who is HAPII? Let’s find out more about the…

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon Plenty of familiar brand mascots were spotted in commercials airing during Super Bowl LVII. As always, PopIcon is here to watch every Super Bowl LVII commercial and see which characters made a splash on game day. From weddings to roasts, here’s every icon we saw during football’s biggest night — along with some critiques on…

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon “Roll that beautiful bean footage!” Peyton Manning says repeatedly and seemingly to himself. He says it for over 15 seconds. Why is Manning, a legendary quarterback, reciting the longtime slogan famously associated with Bush’s Beans? As it turns out, Manning is just warming up for his new gig. We’re watching the teaser commercial, “Beautiful Bean…

By Heather Taylor Super Bowl LVII is shaping up to be a big night for famous brand mascots and spokescharacters. Amid the upcoming game night celebrations, a new mascot is also making his debut. Swaggy Spice, the first-ever mascot for Old Spice, officially made his first public appearance at NFL Opening Night. Keep an eye out for him as he…

By Heather Taylor Tiny feet. No pants. Old, underlined. Cheap, written twice. These are just a handful of the Post-it Notes inside comedian Jeff Ross’ trailer for the upcoming Roast of Mr. Peanut. As mentioned earlier in January 2023, Mr. Peanut is returning to the Super Bowl for a Game Day spot. For Super Bowl LVII, Mr. Peanut is getting…

The Mint Mobile team joins PopIcon, and Advertising Week, in answering every question we’ve ever had about the Mint Fox

By Heather Taylor Have you ever wondered about the green fox behind the Mint Mobile brand? There’s not a whole lot of information available about this brand mascot. In conducting a Google deep dive, I was only able to find a handful of leads. One story told me the fox is the Mint Mobile company mascot (true!) while another claimed…

By Heather Taylor Like most of the internet, on Monday January 23 I took a moment to pause at the announcement from the M&M’S spokescandies they had decided to take a pause from their brand mascot duties. The new M&M’S spokesperson, AKA the “Chief of Fun,” is actress and comedian Maya Rudolph. I’ve got nothing against Maya. In fact, I…

The new M&M’S spokesperson, AKA the “Chief of Fun,” is actress and comedian Maya Rudolph.

Do you remember the last time you saw Mr. Peanut at the Super Bowl? The brand mascot’s last appearance at Super Bowl LIV in 2020 when the character sacrificed his life for pals Matt Walsh and Wesley Snipes.

By Heather Taylor The poll results are in from Monster’s New Year, New Career survey and 96% of surveyed workers are looking for a new job in 2023. For recent college graduates, there are not one but two brand mascot adjacent opportunities available to add to your resume. PLANTERS is on the hunt for three Peanutters to chauffeur the iconic…

PLANTERS is on the hunt for three Peanutters to chauffeur the iconic Mr. Peanut. And the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is seeking 12 applicants to join the 36th Hotdogger class.