_Editorial

By Heather Taylor Last Christmas, the Kool-Aid Man and Lil Jon gave us their hearts. Oops, wrong song. The pair actually dropped a 2018 holiday single called “All I Really Want For Christmas.” The music video, created by mcgarrybowen Chicago, was literally bursting with lit cheer. Festive ugly Kool-Aid Man Christmas sweaters, stacks of CDs, and a massive Kool-Aid fountain…

By Heather Taylor Every year, we look forward to enchanting Christmas advertisements from UK retailer John Lewis and their ad agency adam&eveDDB. Memorable faces from previous campaigns include Monty the Penguin, Buster the Boxer, and Moz the Monster. The 2019 John Lewis advert, launched in partnership with Waitrose & Partners, introduces a dragon named Excitable Edgar. The Story Of Excitable…

By Heather Taylor Last year, Aldi UK’s Kevin the Carrot survived a cliffhanger commercial complete with a #SaveKevin hashtag. Kevin also defeated the wicked Pascal the Parsnip and saved his beloved carrot family from being cooked on Christmas. Kevin is in yet another sticky situation as the 2019 Aldi Christmas advert starts up. A mob of angry Brussels sprouts, led…

By Heather Taylor Who doesn’t love hearing about the characters heading to New York City for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? The 2019 lineup includes brand mascots making parade appearances as balloons, balloonicles, and floats. Some balloons are new to this year’s parade, while others are beloved fan favorites. Let’s see which iconic characters will be taking flight! Smokey Bear…

By Heather Taylor Which characters first come to mind when you think of fire prevention mascots? There’s the Ad Council’s wildfire icon Smokey Bear. At 75-years-old, Smokey is one of the nation’s most recognizable bears, and famous for having the longest running PSA initiative in U.S. history. While Smokey’s primary focus is on wildfire prevention, he has a great pup…

By Heather Taylor Last year, legendary legume Mr. Peanut made headlines as a #MoMascot when he grew a mustache to celebrate Movember. We heard Mr. P was nuts about his stylish new look — so much so that he’s returned to support Movember by teaming up with grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness. Meet The Stylish Duo Mr. Peanut and Jonathan…

By Heather Taylor What’s the best way to start your day? Give a little yodel! Yodel-ay-hee-hoo! Are you a longtime fan of the hot cocoa and hot chocolate company Swiss Miss? If so, you may recall Swiss Miss had an iconic character that represented the brand several decades ago. Swiss Miss, with her golden pigtails and blue frock, could always…

By Heather Taylor Over the last few months, the GEICO Gecko’s adventures have been fairly docile. He’s been busy with work presentations and made his first (fiery) s’mores during a camping trip. This October, the Gecko celebrates “Happy GEICOween!” in a new series of GEICO commercials from The Martin Agency. GEICOween may be the first time we’ve ever seen the…

By Heather Taylor In 1995, Ronald McDonald couldn’t figure out what he was going to be for Halloween. One thing was for sure: he wasn’t going to the costume party dressed as a clown! This is the plot of “What Am I Gonna Be For Halloween?” the two-part McDonald’s Halloween-themed commercial from advertising agency Leo Burnett. McDonaldland’s Biggest Halloween Fan…

By Heather Taylor 2022 may still be a few years out, but the Beijing Winter Olympic Games has debuted its mascots! Meet Bing Dwen Dwen, the official Olympic mascot, and Shuey Rhon Rhon, the Paralympic mascot for the 2022 Olympics. Welcome Bing Dwen Dwen! The active, and adorable, panda ambassador Bing Dwen Dwen is sure to melt the hearts of…

By Heather Taylor Can you tell me — or better yet, Professor Burke, the spokesperson for Farmers Insurance —how to get to Sesame Street? Since 2010, Professor Burke (played by actor J.K. Simmons) has appeared in more than 65 Farmers Insurance commercials. From rooftop parking to “hit and drone” runs, Professor Burke has seen and covered nearly everything in the…

By Heather Taylor As Advertising Week kicked off #AWNewYork on Monday September 23, 2019 and inducted new brand mascots into the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame, it was also a very special day for another character. The first lady of fruit, Miss Chiquita of Chiquita banana fame, celebrated her 75th anniversary. From getting a makeover to winning the PopIcon International…

By Heather Taylor Welcome to the first day of #AWNewYork with Advertising Week! On Monday September 23, 2019, brand mascots celebrated Advertising Week’s 16th Annual Madison Avenue Walk of Fame by inducting two beloved characters and iconic brand slogans. Meet The Winning Mascots! 2019’s nominees included fresh faces and longtime favorites in the advertising industry. Our winners were the Oscar…

By Heather Taylor The truth is out there… and it tastes really good, too. Starting September 19th, alien believers and Kool-Aid enthusiasts get to sip on Kool-Aid’s limited-edition “UFO-Yeah Intergalactic Green” drink mix — for free. How Do I Get My Free Kool-Aid? Unfortunately, the aliens themselves will not be descending down on Earth to pass out this drink mix…

By Heather Taylor Orville Redenbacher was destined to lead an a-maize-ing life. Today, when we see his bespectacled, bowtie-clad, smiling face on packages of Orville Redenbacher classic popcorn many of us may not know much about his story behind the snack. Redenbacher put decades of dedication into developing the perfect popcorn hybrid that changed the way we savor popcorn forever.…

By Heather Taylor Horatio Magellen Crunch has encountered more than a few unusual personalities in his time spent sailing the Milk Sea on the S.S. Guppy! The Cap’n Crunch icon spent his 1960s voyages often accompanied by crew mates like Sea Dog and Crunchberry Beast. Occasional journeys included a swashbuckling showdown with the nefarious pirate Jean LaFoote to protect boxes…

By Heather Taylor We’re big fans of brand mascots at PopIcon, but how does our love for characters measure up to the rest of the United States? Crestline, a custom promotional products company, recently conducted a survey to uncover advertising’s most memorable mascots. The survey consisted of responses from 1,630 participants covering 82 different characters in high school yearbook-esque superlatives.…