Friction beats friendly

Four campaigns building memorable companions in an age of sycophantic AI

May 25 • Stef Hamerlinck

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This Chinese retailer built a $2.4B business by selling characters, not products

The Miniso playbook: rented IP, owned IP, and why your brand needs to know the difference.

May 12 • Stef Hamerlinck

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April 2026

An AI squirrel just scored top 1% of all TV ads ever measured.

Plus five more brands that quietly proved characters are the only thing left worth owning in 2026

Apr 29 • Stef Hamerlinck

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Prada got a mascot?

It's not about what your mascot looks like. It's about what you do with it.

Apr 7 • Stef Hamerlinck

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March 2026

Did Apple just launch a mascot?

Plus: puppet data that should embarrass every brand not using characters.

Mar 11 • Stef Hamerlinck

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February 2026

Nostalgia is everywhere. Only mascots get to keep it.

Dunkin' rented the '90s for 60 seconds. Kellogg's put a tiger on Spotify forever.

Feb 25 • Stef Hamerlinck

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The mascot cinematic universe is here

From masochistic marshmallows to a singing shark (plus a bonus that isn’t a mascot but should be)

Feb 18 • Stef Hamerlinck

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The haters are right about AI.

And they're also completely wrong. Here's what everyone is missing about AI and brand-building.

Feb 11 • Stef Hamerlinck

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Celebrity vs character: a fight in five rounds

The math on borrowing fame vs building it

Feb 4 • Stef Hamerlinck

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January 2026

Why your brand book isn't enough anymore

Why entertainment companies invest in universes while brands waste money on one-off campaigns

Jan 28 • Stef Hamerlinck

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Five mascots doing more for their brands than most CMOs

From distinctive blobs to real-time avatars, here's what winning looks like in 2026

Jan 21 • Stef Hamerlinck

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Brand mascots gone rogue.

5 surprising brand mascots that didn't follow the rules.

Jan 13 • Stef Hamerlinck

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