Elmo’s World: A Case Study on Memeing a Muppet 

It’s that little red puppet’s world; we’re all just living in it.

TL;DR 

A fun-sized summary of this article

Mascots are getting a facelift for 2024 as a new way to engage audiences online.

Character brand accounts are a fun - and effective - way to evolve worldbuilding on social in 2024.

Bringing back the mascot might just be the antidote to influencer fatigue - a phenomenon Gen Z is increasingly complaining about online.

Mascots aren’t a new thing in advertising by any means, but if you have one, consider making it an Instagram page. Characters on social media are bringing brands to life in the best, most chaotic of ways by mashing together the language of social media and the narrative of traditional brand storytelling. But brands winning at this strategy have to commit to the bit - no matter what it brings. 

Elmo Has A Question

At the start of 2024, Elmo did a national temperature check… and then regretted it, probably. 

"Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?"  - famous last words (aka Elmo’s tweet). The Internet took that as our que to trauma dump online. Now, we don’t necessarily needdddd an invitation (or excuse) for that, but Elmo just so happens to also be a social media darling; we shared because he’s our safe space ❤️. 

Scroll through the thread now, and you’ll laugh, cry, and remember to call your mom mid-way through. And in reaction to the online outpour, the Sesame Street X account tweeted out links to mental health resources - a wonderfully on-brand response, given their identity centers humor and humanity at equal measure.

Fictional Characters: The New Influencers?

When the influencer crap gets old, characters like Elmo and Duolingo’s weird owl offer a refreshing change; social media fatigue is real, and we need a reprieve. Characters like these provide a unique way to engage in the influencer space. If not nostalgia, they come with a built-in narrative that manages to balance creativity and authenticity on social. I.e., it makes brand storytelling fun again - for everyone. 

Where UGC Comes In

As great as this strategy is, if you're not getting UGC out of it then it’s practically dead in the water. As scary as it may seem, the best thing the internet can do with your content is snatch it up from their feeds and take things from there. After all, you’ve made a character - people want to be in on the story. 

There is a huge element of community involvement required in this type of brand building that necessitates risk. A risk to be weird and loud - and then let your audience be louder. Gen Z loves seeing you in comments and stitches, but we want to be a part of the narrative, too - turning your brand story into a collaborative experience makes us all active participants in your world. 

What Can Brands Learn From This?

Ask yourself: who, as opposed to what, is our brand?

And then, once you have an answer, anthropomorphize it if you can. The internet loves a little weirdo in a costume. If you can’t, then just think about the role of character in your identity - a new vehicle for brand storytelling, making your world easier for Gen Z to buy into and engage with. When we see a brand associated with a character (beloved or bemoaned), it transforms consumer engagement with companies online into an experience separate from the sell. This makes a huge impact on how we view - and choose between - brands in that space. 

So consider giving your marketing department a costume budget.