Bunny Business!
What is pink, fuzzy and runs on batteries? Bunnies obviously!
Specifically the Duracell and the Energizer bunnies. There are differences obviously, first up, the Duracell Bunny is less of a bunny and more of a species. Also, it’s older, existing since the 70s. The Energizer Bunny is more stylish, has larger ears, wears flip flops and shades and beats a drum. The idea for both was to portray toys that run on batteries and can outlast other similar toys run on inferior batteries. In fact the Energiser was a parody of the Duracell and was launched in the 80s.
The Energizer Bunny came into being when Duracell was reportedly too slow to renew its trademark. Energizer hired DDB Needham Worldwide to create a rabbit of its own. Europe still has the Duracell Bunny following a 1992 arrangement between the battery giants but only in European countries.
The Energizer is up for a makeover, he is 27 years old after all. He would be animated, so his movements would become more realistic, have a range of motion and facial expressions. His fur would be softer as well. The new look Energizer is scheduled to debut at the New York Fashion Week. Not that this will be his first brush with fame. Between the Duracell and the Energizer the bunnies have hung out with the likes of Darth Vader, the Grim Reaper, the Wicked Witch of the West, King Kong, Wile E. Coyote, Blackburn Rovers and Dracula to name a few.
Both of these are marketing success stories and would figure in the most recognisable mascots list. In fact, the Energizer Bunny, according to a survey of the over-40 crowd in the US, is second only to Bugs Bunny in terms of recognition and to target the millennials Energizer is planning a significant social media campaign for their new look Bunny, across outlets like YouTube and Snapchat.
Very few companies can boast of such memorable mascots that come with a heavy sprinkling of nostalgia. The bunnies are a marketers dream and the two battery giants are reaping the benefits of simple yet intelligent and memorable marketing campaigns of the past!
