List of European advertising characters explained

This is a list of notable mascots and characters created specifically for advertising purposes, listed alphabetically by the product they represent.

The list

Company Character(s) Years used Notes
1967–present
British American TobaccoBruno (HB-Männchen)[1] 1958-1972Used in Germany to advertise for the cigarette brand HB. The choleric little man that literally blew up in the air when in anger and was cooled down when smoking a HB cigarette, is considered one of the most popular mascots in German advertising history.
CadburyCadbury Caramel Bunny1980s
2022–present
Churchill (advertising character)Churchill 1996–present Voiced by Bob Mortimer and partners Vic Reeves in adverts.
2007–2016 Has been replaced by a mechanic dancing to a remix of "she's a maniac" from Flashdance.
January 2009–present Voiced by Simon Greenall
Cara Confused 2010–2013
Brian the Robot 2013–2016
Deutsche TelekomRobert T-Online1999-2003[2] Portrayed by Matthias Kostya, similar in appearance to the character Max Headroom
the Direct Line phone with wheels 1985–present in 2009 the Direct Line phone with wheels was given a voice by Stephen Fry and got an accomplice in the form of the Direct Line mouse with wheels, voiced by Paul Merton
Dr. OetkerFrau Renate1954-1960s[3] Portrayed by Hannelore Cremer
Ergo LebensversicherungHerr Kaiser1972–2009[4] Portrayed by Günter Geiermann (1972–1990), Franz Michael Schwarzmann (1990–1996) and Nick Wilder (1996–2009); Used as the queen's disguise in the comedy film 7 Dwarves – Men Alone in the Wood (2004); Has a cameo in a 2017 Check24 commercial[5]
FerreroMr. Bon[6] 2011–presentUsed in Germany to advertise for the product Kinder Schoko-Bons
Nocci[7] 2023–presentName derived from the Italian word for hazelnut, "nocciola"
Ole[8] 2020–present[9] Used in Germany to advertise for the product Kinder Pingui
2009–present
HariboGoldbear1960–present
IgloKäpt'n Iglo1985–presentGerman mascot of the brand
'Fat Charlie' 1958–present
the Lombard Direct phone 1995–present
Bibendum (the Michelin Man) 1898–present
MilkaMilka cow1971–present[10]
1961–1998, 2000–present the Milky Bar Kid is now computer generated and not an actual child
Nederlandse Zuivel OrganisatieFrau Antje1961–presentPortrayed by Kitty Janssen (1961-1963), Emilie Bouwman (1963-1973, 1984-late 1980s), Ellen Soeters (1973-1984), Saskia Valencia (late 1980s-1998, 2000–2012) Madeleen Driessen (1999-2014), Jeannette van Enst and Floor Schothorst (2014–present)
Nescafé Gold Blend 1987–1996[11] an episodic romance revolving around coffee, which spawned a 1993 novelization. Also used in Taster's Choice ad campaigns in the United States.[12]
Orange PolskaSerce and Rozum2010–presentThe characters were originally developed for Telekomunikacja Polska, which in 2012, become Orange Polska. Characters had appeared for the last time in television commercial in 2017, however they are still used by the company on its social media.[13]
the Oxo family 1983–1999
the 118 118 men 2003–present the 118 118 men became the 118 118 team in 2006 and was themed as an A team parody
2007–present Played by Emma Robbins, Carly Romain and Cathi Ogden. The trio would later become a pop group after the commercials took off and continued to perform in this capacity during their live appearances
Mr. Tayto 1954–Present Irish crisp company
Tesco Stores LtdTommy Tesco and Flynn the Frog 2011–Present Tommy is voiced by Stephen Mulhern
1973–2001, 2010–present
Dez, "The Number One Spice Girls Fan!" 2019 Forsakes himself (and embarrasses the entire United Kingdom on social media) for refusing to share his Walkers Crisp with the Spice Girls after winning a chance to tour with the act; his Mum shames him by leaving with the girls

See also

References

  1. Web site: Das HB-Männchen – Werbefigur des Wirtschaftswunders Zeithistorische Forschungen . 2023-07-02 . zeithistorische-forschungen.de . en.
  2. Web site: Die Geschichte der Deutschen Telekom: Deutsche Telekom . 2023-07-02 . www.computerwoche.de . de.
  3. Web site: Hannelore Cremer war Frau Renate - memoryRadio . 2023-07-02 . www.memoryradio.de.
  4. Web site: 2015-09-01 . Hamburg Mannheimer: Herr Kaiser verliert nach 35 Jahren seinen Job – WELT . 2023-07-02 . DIE WELT . de.
  5. Web site: Hallo, Herr Kaiser: Wie Check24 der legendären Werbeikone ein selbstironisches Comeback verschafft – HORIZONT . 2023-07-02 . www.horizont.net . de.
  6. Web site: kinder Schoko-Bons - Mr. Bon - kinder Deutschland . 2023-07-02 . www.kinder.com . de.
  7. Web site: KG . FERRERO MSC GmbH & Co . Name gesucht! www.das-ist-ferrero.de . 2023-07-02 . www.das-ist-ferrero.de . en.
  8. Web site: KG . FERRERO MSC GmbH & Co . Pinguin Ole von kinder Pinguí über Glücks-Momente, Herausforderungen und mehr www.das-ist-ferrero.de . 2023-07-02 . www.das-ist-ferrero.de . en.
  9. Web site: kinder Pinguí. So geht Auszeit! Wer freut sich denn hier so? Kleiner Tipp: Er heißt Ole und ist der Star des neuen TV-Spots von kinder Pinguí. By Kinder Facebook . 2023-07-02 . www.facebook.com . en.
  10. Web site: Redaktion . 2012-07-22 . Wie die lila Milka-Kuh Adelheid zur Werbe-Ikone wurde . 2023-07-02 . DerWesten.de . de-DE.
  11. Book: Elliott, Richard . Larry . Percy . Strategic Brand Management . 55–6 . Love Over Gold - The untold story of TV's greatest romance . . 2007 . 978-0-19-926000-3 . https://archive.org/details/strategicbrandma0000elli/page/55 .
  12. Book: James, Susannah . Love over Gold . 0-552-14104-6 . 1993 . London . Corgi.
  13. Web site: Serce i Rozum znikają z reklam Orange, w nowej kampanii dziecięce "All you need is love" (wideo). wirtualnemedia.pl. pl.