How to make a mascot for your small business and use it in videos

A mascot gives a small business a face that isn’t yours, posts every week, and never has a bad hair day. You can make one in an afternoon.

What you need

• An iPhone with Rift.
• A sense of your brand: two colours, one word for the mood.
• Your logo, if you want the mascot to come from it.

Step by step

1. Describe the mascot to Spark: what it is, its colours, one trait.
2. Ask for four versions and pick the one you like.
3. Save it as a character.
4. Put it to work. Name it in a line, or share a trend and say it does this.
5. Make a weekly slot: the same mascot, a new situation each week.

Lines to try with Spark

• “A friendly orange fox in a barista apron, round and soft, cheerful, four versions.”
• “Bolt the fox hands a coffee to the camera, morning café light.”
• “Bolt does this trend,” with a trend you share.
• “Bolt in a scarf, building a snowman outside our shop.”
• “A small green cactus mascot with sunglasses for our plant shop, four versions.”

Tips

• One trait. Clumsy, overly serious, always sleepy. People follow the trait.
• Two colours. Use your brand colours so it reads as yours.
• Original only. Don’t base it on a famous character.
• Use it everywhere. Profile picture, product videos, holiday posts.