Brand Mascots - New Form of Entertainment?

Until the unveiling of Ms. Brown by M&M at this years superbowl I never thought that a brand mascot would have its own Twitter account or personal story (especially a newly created mascot). Never before did I think that a mascot would take on a life of its own and have a fully developed back story. A google search of "Ms. Brown M&M" reveals that she is a feminist, she attended an Ivy League school and majored in business, is single with no kids and the New York Times calls her "an intelligent woman with a sharp wit who finally decided to reveal herself after working for decades behind the scenes as 'chief chocolate officer.'" 

Ms. Brown's business card is even posted on the M&M USA Facebook account which links you to her Pandora station, YouTube station and Twitter account. 


This made me interested in other companies and if they are using the same tactic as M&M - developing brand mascots into more than just a drawing with a tagline but an actual personality. 


AdAge published an article this week that talks about this idea and how advertising companies are reviving some classic mascots, and creating new ones, to give brands a voice and presence on different social media platforms. Some of these new mascots exist entirely online and will never been seen on traditional TV commercials. And other, more prominent mascots, are developing complex story lines through the Internet. 


The article then talks about how companies that develop new mascots are able to spend very little money while determining how effective they are.


While I think that this is very clever of advertising agencies and gives consumers a way to relate to certain products more - I also think it's somewhat weird but also entertaining.


What do you guys think? Would you ever take the time to learn about your favorite mascot? Do you think creating more complex characters is an effective form of brand marketing?


http://adage.com/article/news/mascots-brands-social-media-accessories/233707/