Maybe this time, they’ll get lucky: Why marketers believe in mascots again

In this saturated market, brands are hoping new mascots will tickle consumers’ nostalgia and help them stand out from the competition.

In the last few months, Domino’s pizza launched Mac Scott, a penne-shaped mascot, fast-casual restaurant chain Cava rolled out Peter Chip, a pita chip with googly eyes, and candy brand Hi-Chew introduced Chewbie, the brand’s first official, self-described “ambiguous mascot with a big personality.” This is after Instacart’s first-ever Super Bowl ad this year featured notable brand mascots like Chester Cheetah, the Old Spice man, Mr. Clean, the Energizer Bunny, and the Kool-Aid Man.

“They make more sense now than they ever did because everyone’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter and there’s so much more saturation in the market,” said Colleen Masters, executive creative director at Aloysius Butler and Clark ad agency.

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Some news publishers see resurgence of Facebook referral traffic, but aren’t sure what to make of it

After years of lamenting the decimation of Facebook referral traffic, some publishers are starting to see that traffic return this year.

It’s nothing like the heyday of Facebook referral traffic in the late 2010s. But this new wave of growth is noteworthy, according to five publishing executives.

Facebook referral traffic quadrupled in March 2025 compared to March 2024, according to Josh Awtry, svp of audience development at Newsweek. He declined to share raw monthly visitor figures. (Newsweek’s referrals from all social platforms are up almost 10 times compared to the average day in March last year, Awtry noted.)

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