Dude, totally. A mascot is a representation of a company, brand, organization, whatever, and its goal is to attract audiences and ultimately sell a product. In effect, it is a form of communication. Mascots typically don’t even speak–they are silent but entertaining, dynamic conversations between a consumer and a company. This article from Advertising Age, written by E.J. Schultz, gives great insight into the use of mascots as a marketing tool.
(By the way, media–plural for medium–is “the main means of mass communication regarded collectively.”)
So why am I talking about mascots and media? Did I have a dream about Ronald McDonald trying to sell me a hamburger? Or did Moondog goad me with popcorn, soda and LeBron jerseys?
No, no. Not quite. Believe it or not, I am reflecting upon the relevance of mascots as media because yesterday, I was a mascot for the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. This was me:
Okay, so maybe that is not actually me inside that costume, but I wore that same exact costume for 90 minutes yesterday! 90 dispersed minutes, of course; I could only be Sandy the Shark for half an hour before sweat started dripping over my eyes. That was my cue to head back inside and let my co-worker don the shark costume for the next half hour.
As this was my first stint as a mascot, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But now that I’ve had the experience, I realize just how important and effective mascots are as media tools! When I was Sandy, my goal was simple–get the attention of kids and interact with them. This allowed my co-worker to engage parents in a conversation about the aquarium. It worked, too! We encountered countless interested folks and handed out a good deal of pamphlets–and it all started with Sandy! Not to mention it was a pretty fun time–I received and gave many high fives, danced a lot and did a minimal amount of chasing (mostly seagulls, a few obnoxious kids). The absolute best part, though, was when a sizable group of small children crowded around my knees and lovingly touched my shark face and hugged my shark waist. It was awesome. In every picture I was in, I was smiling even though my face was totally hidden. It was a genuinely fun time! I unintentionally scared a few people, but none of the scares were as hilarious as these:
1:45 made me laugh out loud, repeatedly.
I must say, though… Never thought I’d be dressing up in a shark costume for college credit.
Now, imagine dressing up in a big furry costume for actual monetary compensation! Did you know that a mascot for a NBA team makes $100-$200 per game? This results in an annual starting salary of about $40,000. This information comes from a 2006 article in the Tampa Bay Times, written by Alan Sel. Those figures are over a decade old–just imagine how much mascots are making in 2015! This AskMen article is a bit vague on the actual numbers, but reports that the Denver Nugget‘s mascot, Rocky, supposedly earns up to six figures.
However, not just anyone can don a mascot outfit and start making big bucks. Professional mascots have a very physically demanding job. The amount of energy they must exhaust to entertain crowds while wearing a heavy, hot suit is massive. In fact, Ohio University’s own Backdrop Magazine recently published an article all about one man’s experience as OU’s mascot Rufus! According to Nate Hug, it was no easy feat.
Professional mascots pretty much have to be in the same physical shape as the professional athletes they’re rooting for. I definitely could not do that, so props to those who can!
Progress and Prosperity 