Mascot as a Marketer - CASE Branding Conference 2024

In this session, we explore the strategic integration of the university mascot's persona into the broader marketing ecosystem. We will discuss the process of personality profiling to develop a comprehensive and consistent character for the mascot. The session will highlight ongoing collaborative efforts with the spirit program, students, and fans, including focus groups and surveys to refine the mascot's persona. Participants will learn how AI can be leveraged to ensure continuity and consistency in the mascot's portrayal, an essential element in strengthening the university's brand identity.

1. Mascot as a Marketer: Integrating Persona in University Branding The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Kara Lara, Social Media Marketing Manager Alex Garrido, Dir. Digital Marketing & Analytics

2. About the speakers 3 Kara Lara Social Media Marketing Manager [email protected] Linkedin.com/in/ KaraLara Alex Garrido Dir. Digital Mrkt & Analytics [email protected] LinkedIn.com/in/ AlexGarrido

3. <your_turn> Get into groups of 2-3 and share your funniest, most heartwarming, or most unforgettable mascot moment. The most applause-worthy story wins a special mascot-themed prize! </your_turn> 4

4. Imagine your university mascot as more than a costume—it's a digital entity that never sleeps, embodies your values, and connects with thousands. Now, picture this: your mascot isn't just representing your brand, it's actively shaping it. It's brainstorming viral campaigns, crafting Gen Z taglines, and critiquing your latest designs. In the age of AI, your mascot has evolved into the ultimate 24/7 brand ambassador and marketing consultant. Welcome to the future of higher education marketing—where your most valuable team member might just be the one who's not even human. 5   Council for Advancement and Support of Education © 2022 

5. Presentation Outline Introduction Strategic Integration of Mascot Persona Collaborative Efforts in Persona Development Leveraging AI for Mascot Consistency AI Applications in Mascot Marketing Future Direction Q&A 6

6. 7 Hello! instagram.com/ utrgvmascot x.com/ utrgvmascot facebook.com/ utrgvmascot poe.com/UTRGV_Mascot

7. More than a Mascot Mascots are more than game day characters; they create emotional bonds and enhance brand versatility.  8

8. Importance of mascots in university branding and marketing: Brand Identity and Recognition : Mascots become recognizable symbols of the brand, making it easier for audiences to identify and remember the brand. Emotional Connection : Mascots often evoke positive emotions and create a personal connection with the audience, fostering loyalty and engagement. They make the brand feel more approachable and relatable. Versatility : Mascots are effective in various contexts, from advertisements and social media to events and merchandise, reinforcing brand messaging flexibly. Storytelling : Mascots can be central figures in the brand’s storytelling efforts, helping to convey narratives that resonate with the audience and reinforce the brand’s goals and objectives. 9

9. 10 Who are the Vaqueros?

10. Vaquero Mascot History 11 2014 The Vaquero mascot symbolizes the cowboy or cattle driver, reflecting South Texas and Northern Mexico's ranching heritage. It was adopted when UTRGV was formed from a merger of UTPA and UTB.  2016 A mascot committee comprising students spearheaded the development of costume designs and mascot details. 2018 Two options for the mascot look were unveiled and a  student poll was conducted. Later that year, the winning look and renderings were revealed at a UTRGV Baseball game, 

11. Vaquero Mascot History 12 2019 The official Vaquero mascot costume was unveiled at the Vaquero Roundup and made its debut at athletic and campus events throughout the year. 

12. 13 Flashback Nov 10, 2014 : The Vaquero protest

13. 14 Fastforward to 2024

14. 15 Fastforward to 2024: Licensing Apparel, Beer, Salsa, BBQ Sauce, Coffee

15. 16 Fastforward to 2024: Recruitment

16. 17 Fastforward to 2024: Reputation & Rankings

17. 18 Persona Development Bringing The Vaquero to Life

18. Challenge : Defining the young mascot's authentic character, particularly on social media. Spirit Program : Shaped the mascot's behavior and antics. Marketing Team : Matched the tone online. Issue : Inconsistent tone due to different social media managers. Solution : Created a persona profile in and started using AI for consistency and cross training. 19

19. Refining The Vaquero's Character Student Surveys Case Study Focus Groups 20

20. 21

21. 22 Personality Traits: Fan Interactions: Confident & Approachable : Swaggers like the "Big Man on Campus" but friendly and welcoming. Outgoing & Energetic : Always in the spotlight, full of enthusiasm and excitement. Mischievous & Humorous : Loves pranks and making people laugh with his antics. Culturally Aware & Trend-Savvy : Connected to the community and up-to-date with trends. Tailored Approach : Adjusts behavior based on the audience and setting. High Energy & Engagement : Hyping up crowds, leading cheers, and dancing. Playful Pranks & Antics : Enjoys lighthearted pranks and playful interactions. Respectful Boundaries : Understands personal space and relies on his handler for guidance.

22. 23 What you might see him do: Hobbies and Interests:  Dancing : Line dancing, "gritty," and grooving to music. Hyping the Crowd : Using a megaphone, high-fiving fans, and cheering. Interacting with Spirit Program : Performing with cheer and dance teams. Photobombing : Master of the photobomb for memorable pictures. Using Props : Creative and humorous use of props. Giving Speeches : Pretending to give motivational talks. Playing Games : Enjoys pool or basketball matches. Sports Enthusiast : Passionate about basketball and cheering for UTRGV teams. Music Lover : Enjoys country, rap, and hip-hop, often dancing and playing air guitar. Social Butterfly : Loves making new friends at campus hotspots. TikTok Star : Engages in trends and challenges with humorous content. Foodie : Loves exploring local cuisine, favorites include Raising Cane's and Wing Barn.

23. 24 Leveraging AI for Mascot Consistency Avoiding the “last great employee syndrome”

24. AI Integration 25

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27. Benefits of AI in maintaining brand consistency 28 24/7 Consistency Round-the-clock brand representation Consistent messaging across time zones Elimination of human fatigue factors Multi-Platform Adaptation Seamless adaptation across digital platforms Consistent tone and style in various formats Automated content customization Rapid Response Real-time engagement with brand-appropriate responses Automated brand guideline compliance Reduced risk of off-brand communications

28. What makes for a good AI Mascot? Model Strength Some LLM models are fine-tuned for specific tasks. For example, Meta’s Llama is trained on social media user data. Therefore, it might make a great model for an AI chatbot that auto-replies to comments or DM. 😍 Senses Context Window The more knowledge the bot has about the end-user and the larger the context window, the better the interactions will be. Models that support a larger context window are usually more expensive. 🧠 Memory System Prompt The specific directive, aka instructions, the bot has. A sound system prompt forces the LLM to embody an entity and gives it clear rules of engagement that it must follow. 👻 Spirit 29

29. 30 Testing Different Models Google AI Studio : Our initial training platform for the model (free developer access) Poe : Quora’s AI platform. Allows for multiple model testing (free dev and user access). GPT4/Microsoft : Our secure implementation, connected to Microsoft Products (requires license)

30. 31 https://aistudio.google.com/

31. 32 https://poe.com/create_bot

32. 33 Secure Integration with Microsoft Power Automate & Predict (free*) https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/ai-builder/predict-action-pwr-automate

33. 34 The Secret is in the System Prompt   Council for Advancement and Support of Education © 2022 

34. 35 poe.com/Mascot_bot_builder

35. The Iterative Process of AI Mascot Dev 36 Gather Insights Get as much information about the mascot, student surveys, opinion polls, previous social media posts or publications, recorded appearances, training materials, etc. Test & retest Try getting your stakeholders involved. Try to “break your model,” think about your model holistically and look for the perfect tone and style. Train Your Model Use any training platform to feed your data/insights and refine your system prompt. Try to optimize your system prompt as much as possible. 03 01 02

36. Future Applications 37 Emotional Intelligent Conversational Bot ->

37. Future Applications 38 Emotional Intelligent Conversational Bot ->

38. <your_turn> How would YOU use an AI-powered mascot in a Marketing/Communications campaign? Share your most creative ideas for a chance to win </your_turn> 39

39. 40 Thanks ! Any questions?