Why big tech is betting on cute mascots

An important development from the financial markets: Why big tech is betting on cute mascots9 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleChris MarshallBusiness reporterMicrosoftMicrosoft says its Mico character is "expressive, customizable and warm"Some of the world's biggest and most powerful brands are attempting to be more cute and cuddly. Tech giants Microsoft and Apple are among a wave of businesses who have recently introduced new cartoon character mascots, a tactic experts say is often used to make a brand seem more human and friendly, and to build a stronger connection with customers. Apple's character, a blue and white figure with an outsized head, has become unofficially known as Little Finder Guy.

Introduced in March in social media videos to promote a new laptop, it has gained some positive coverage. Microsoft, which years ago shelved its widely-disliked Clippy paperclip virtual assistant, has also unveiled a new cartoon character for its AI assistant Copilot. The company says the avatar, called Mico and resembling a blob with a smiley face, is "not a mascot, but an optional visual identity for Copilot".

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It adds that Mico is "expressive, customizable and warm", and "makes voice conversations feel more natural". There are plenty of good reasons for firms to adopt a cute character to embody their brand. Businesses whose marketing campaigns include mascots are 37% more likely to grow their market share than those which don't, according to research published back in 2019.

"They give a voice, a personality, a face even, to a company that is cold and impersonal to many people," says Anthony Patterson, professor of marketing at Lancaster University Management School. Some firms, tech businesses among them, are finding new ways to make use of existing characters. This includes the little green robot that Google uses as the mascot for its Android mobile operating system.

Last September, Google launched an app that allows users to create personalised versions of the robot. You can upload a selfie and the mascot will start wearing your clothes and copying your hairstyle. Google said it is about people being able to give the robot "different vibes".

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Among others, online forum Reddit updated its alien character Snoo in 2023 to be more animated and emotive. And in March of this year, Mozilla, operator of the Firefox web browser, turned its Firefox logo into a fully-fledged mascot called Kit. John Solomon, chief marketing officer at Mozilla, says: "If you think about our competition – look at a Chrome logo, look at a Safari logo, look at an Edge logo – they're very stark, somewhat similar, somewhat cold.

As a challenger brand, we want to distinguish ourselves from them. "AppleApple's new character has been dubbed Little Finder GuyYet, while sweet characters may win over some customers, not everyone is happy.

Financial markets are tracking the development closely as investors assess the likely impact.