Why mascots are the next branding opportunity for sports teams
Mascots aren’t just tacky costumes anymore, they’re the next frontier in the world of sport branding, writes Mike Perry.
Surveying today’s sports brand landscape, one striking fact stands out. Teams aren’t just competing on the pitch anymore, they’re competing for hearts, thumb-scrolls and wardrobe space. For younger fans the experience of fandom is increasingly about being part of something shareable, humanised and always-on. In that race, mascots are emerging as one of the most underexploited weapons in a team’s arsenal.
Let’s use the term “mascot” here loosely, because we’re moving beyond the classic costume turkey or bear to something far more expansive. For today’s audiences, a mascot can be the character whose Instagram account has more personality than the club’s, whose voice drops more puns than strategy white-papers, and whose merch lines move faster than cup final tickets. When treated as a living brand rather than a brand adjunct, a mascot can become the most dynamic touchpoint a sports organisation owns.
In the UK, 49% of 18-to-24-year-olds say an advertisement during a major sporting event stands out to them and research shows campaigns using mascot or character-led assets can increase profit and emotional connection with consumers by up to 41 per cent. In short, when activated thoughtfully, mascots work.
Take Ellie the Elephant, the WNBA’s New York Liberty mascot. She’s amassed hundreds of thousands of social followers, driven engagement up by more than 600 per cent, and helped secure dozens of new partnerships. But the real magic is in the world built around her. Ellie goes way beyond a flat avatar or a costume; she’s a character fans can interact with, tell stories about, and even emulate online.
So, what does that mean for teams and sports brands who want to build something more than a logo on a jersey?
Weird and wacky
Mascots succeed when they carry authenticity. Some of the most effective characters come from odd corners of a club’s heritage: an inside joke, a local myth, a minor cultural icon. That’s because they feel real. They belong to the community and so invite participation rather than dictate it.
And it pays to be a little daring. The research tells us that campaigns featuring characters are more likely to deliver profit gains, new customers and deeper brand recall. A timid mascot that looks like an advert for safety probably won’t. The bold option often works better. Look no further than the Philadelphia Flyers of National Hockey League fame – their googly-eyed official mascot Gritty is chaotic, divisive, and arguably the most successful sports mascot of all time.
Build a world around your mascot
A mascot isn’t just a figure at halftime. If treated properly, it becomes a gateway to narrative, avenues of engagement and multichannel presence. Think social-first storytelling, appearances beyond the stadium (community events, digital activations, merch lines), even meta content like mascot “lives” on TikTok, or cameos in gaming worlds.
Static logos and taglines struggle to keep up with the omnichannel, always-on media habits of younger fans. Characters, though, can flex across platforms, adapt their tone, and live out story arcs rather than fixed ads. That’s why the notion of building out a ‘mascot universe’ is so compelling and valuable for sports brands.
The obvious choice often wins
When a club asks, “What mascot should we have?”, the temptation can be to invent something totally new and eye-catching, possibly riding the tails of recent trends. But often the right answer has been under the club’s nose all along. Maybe it’s a local animal, a much-circulated fan meme, or an unofficial icon the supporters have already adopted. New York City FC took this approach when we floated a five-storey-high inflatable pigeon (the team’s unofficial mascot) for the club down the Hudson River as a guerrilla marketing stunt last year.
The advantage of choosing a homegrown, familiar mascot is baked-in credibility and immediate recognition. A slick new mascot built for virality might tick all the boxes for design approval, but entirely fail to resonate with the people it’s meant to engage. Choosing an obvious yet under-leveraged option paves the way for authenticity and richly relatable storytelling.
Sports mascots matter more than ever
In a sports brand economy where TikTok and influencer drops compete for fan attention, the stadium no longer holds all the value. Teams are fighting for screen time, for merch hangers that last beyond match day.
It matters deeply that younger fans are more receptive than ever to sports advertising and brand engagement. If 49 per cent of Gen Z notice sport event advertising, and a significant portion say it improves their brand perception, then it follows that the brands who own character-led assets will have an advantage.
For sports brands, a key takeaway is not to relegate your mascot to the “nice to have” column. Think of it instead as a micro-brand, one you build, test, scale and evolve. A mascot can simply represent a team, but when it evolves into a brand it also amplifies it, secures cultural relevance, and wins the hard-fought attention of present and future fans.
Mike Perry is founder and chief creative officer at agency Tavern