Hanson Dodge Places a Bet on a Mascot for Green Gobbler’s First National Campaign

Some green brand mascots have stood the test of time. The Jolly Green Giant and the GEICO Gecko come to mind. We can add a new one to the list: the Green Gobbler. 

While that sounds like a hero (or villain) in the Marvel Universe, there’s more to it for the brand of the same name. 

Their agency, Hanson Dodge, is placing a bet that this green superhero can upend some of the giants in drain-unclogging titans Drano and Liquid-Plumr. 

The upside? This fella did well in testing. It’s always a good sign, especially since a new national campaign just dropped. 

So, how did this mascot come to be? And why did the agency go in this direction? We asked Mitch Markussen, Creative Director at Hanson Dodge and Jon Bellante, CMO at Purposebuilt Brands.

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How did the idea of introducing a new mascot end up being the idea? 

We were initially only asked to help with the drain de-clogger, But the Green Gobbler appears prominently across their full range of products. It made sense to use him as the brand representative as he’s the first thing people see on the label along with the name … a household hero who could eat other problems, like ice and weeds, for a homeowner. We wanted to create a character with whom the homeowner could have a relationship, the guy who devours their problems. He’s depicted in an illustrative form on the package, but we thought we could build on this by bringing him to life.

Characters for brands across other categories have been very successful – Tony the Tiger, Jolly Green Giant, Mr. Clean and the Burger King, just to name a few. The Green Gobbler isn’t at that level …yet. (Markussen)

Obviously, the name helps inform the mascot’s design—but what were the creative/design decisions made during the process? How did it change? 

The creative/design decisions were collaborative with Jon Bellante (CMO of PurposeBuilt Brands) and the team at ATKPLN (production company). Both really helped streamline the process/experience. ATKPLN had experience developing 3D animated characters, and Jon was decisive and insightful. We had a blueprint from the illustrated version on the bottle and didn’t want to deviate too far from something recognizable.

Initially, we knew we wanted him to be a friendly, amiable personality you can feel good about but have a tough/edgy side you can laugh with while knowing he knows his stuff and will get the job done (guaranteed). He had to be likable while also communicating tough and effective. Visually, this led us to have two states: one where he can walk around and carry on a conversation and a power, or tornado state, which shows he’s working. 

We did a lot of exploration on his walking state (enclosed). They varied from a big, tough superhero-ish ripped with muscle to an every man whose body type isn’t necessarily distinctive. We were deliberate in choosing a body to complement our voice direction.

We wanted his tornado state to be unique and have a recognizable sound specific to the Green Gobbler. Once again, it couldn’t overpower what you saw but shouldn’t sound puny and weak. It needed to communicate the problem is being solved.

Some traits we honed in on were dependable, humble, self-assured, and, most of all, hungry. For the character’s voice, we honed in on influences from Click and Clack (the Tappert brothers from NPR’s Car Talk) to Tom Silva, Dennis Leary, and Bill Burr. He needed to reflect an uncompromising guy attitude who knows his stuff and gets the job done right, no matter how nasty. He isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. While he may come across as a bit blunt or with a hint of sarcasm at times, he’s a teddy bear at heart. (Markussen)

How did you sell in the idea of a mascot to the brand?

Honestly, there wasn’t a lot of selling that needed to be done. Jon, his team, and HD were reasonably aligned on making the Green Gobbler the hero of this campaign. He’s on the front of the product, and it’s called Green Gobbler, obviously a character’s name, so why try to fix something that’s not broken? (Markussen)

What did you learn from other brand mascots that helped the agency determine the best strategies for its rollout and consumer introduction?

We knew we had to show him in action to show who and what the Green Gobbler is. Other media would support the launch, but it was essential to introduce the Green Gobbler as a live-action character. (Markussen)

How is the mascot planning on being used after the initial rollout?

The Green Gobbler is and will continue to be central to the brand. He provides an approachable way to think about what the product does and the benefits it provides to consumers. As the brand continues to grow, expect the Gobbler to have new adventures as the character will continue to be in center stage as the brand expands. (Bellante)

Learn more about Hanson Dodge in their Meet an Indie Agency interview.