Financial institutions use mascots to create a fun, festive presence at events like parades, fairs and branch grand openings. Many banks and credit unions have created mascots to support their kids clubs/accounts, notably Harris Bank’s widely loved Hubert the Lion. Sometimes these mascots transcend their original purpose and can wind up being the spokesperson for the entire organization, making appearances in nearly every single ad and marketing piece.
Financial institutions pick some predictable characters to reflect a fairly standard range of personality attributes — friendliness, strength, wisdom, etc. Dogs and lions are the most common creatures chosen for bank mascots, however other animals like eagles, owls, tigers and bears are used as well. There are a few exotic — even mythical — creatures used as bank mascots, including a whale, dolphin, hippopotamus, rhinoceros and a dragon. Some banks create costumes out of their logos, while plenty of others choose the hackneyed piggybank concept.
Does your financial institution need a mascot? Doubtful. If you’re extremely active in the community and sponsor a lot of events every year, then perhaps a mascot character could help you maximize your investment. But be careful with the design process. Put a lot of thought into what will best represent your organization and its values. And whatever you do, don’t cut any corners. Most financial institutions with a mascot are already at risk of looking pretty hokey and stupid… a cheap suit is sure to cinch the wrong image in consumers’ minds (as the last costume in this article does).
RBC – Leo the Lion
PNC Bank – Linky
US Bank – Captain Shield
Bendigo Bank – Piggy
Key Bank – Key
Chase – Chase the Dog
Harris Bank – Hubert the Lion
ABSA Bank – Piggy Bank
Ulster Bank – Henry the Hippo
St. George Bank – Happy Dragon
Commerce Bank – Mr. C
Metro Bank – Metro Man
Bank Atlantic – 7
Maybank – Yippie
Nittany Bank – Nookie Monster
County Bank – Buck
Piedmont Community Bank – PC Bear
Butterfield Bank – Vern
Waukesha State Bank – Friendly the Eagle
Nadra Bank – Whale
Wells Fargo – Jack the Dog
In gold rush days, Wells Fargo agents sometimes had dogs to help guard Wells Fargo treasure.
This dates back 143 years, accompanied by the motto, “Alert & Faithful.”
Andhra Bank – Dolle the Dolphin (India)
DiBa Bank – Otto the Rhinoceros
Unknown Bank – Lion Suit
Norwest – Barney the Snowman
Citizen’s Bank – Logo
