The Art of Creating Character Brands and Secrets from the Phillie Phanatic | with Dave Raymond
Brand to Fan Show Ep29
Discover the power of character branding as Dave Raymond, the legendary Phillie Phanatic, shares how fearless leadership, storytelling, and emotional connections can transform your brand into a fan favorite.
Episode 29:
Embracing the Power of Character Branding
Dave Raymond is the “best friend” behind the iconic Phillie Phanatic mascot. In this Brand to Fan Show episode, we delved deep into character branding and how it can transform a brand into a fan-driven phenomenon. Dave's powerful insights and experiences inspired me, and I'm excited to share the key takeaways from our conversation with you.
Building Fan Connections: Breaking Down Walls and Taking Risks
Dave understood the insecurities of the Philadelphia Phillies fans and used the Phillie Phanatic to have fun with opposing fans, building a strong connection that transcended the game.
A chance encounter on the field led Dave to realize the importance of breaking down the wall between fans and players, truly understanding the power of fan engagement.
Fearless leadership, like Bill Giles's, allowed Dave the freedom to be creative and take risks, leading to unforgettable fan experiences.
The Art of Character Branding: Storytelling and Emotional Connections
Building a character brand requires careful consideration of the brand's history, future customers, and current customers.
Storytelling is a vital component of creating a character brand, and Disney was the pioneer in utilizing this technique successfully.
Character brands create a strong emotional connection with their audience, enabling customers to interact and take memorable photos with these brand ambassadors.
Influencers cannot offer the same level of connection as a character brand, as the latter becomes a living extension of the brand itself.
The Process of Creating a Character Brand
Dave shared his four-step process for creating a character brand: storytelling, design, finding a performer who can immerse themselves in the character, and finally, nurturing and believing in that character.
The role of enlightened leadership, as Dave experienced with Bill Giles, is crucial in successfully implementing character branding initiatives.
Connecting Fans as a Community
Sports have a unique ability to bring people together, creating a sense of unity and belonging within a community.
Dave emphasized the importance of valuing fun and finding happiness in life, leveraging the power of joy and kindness to enhance personal and professional experiences.
By creating character brands that resonate with fans, entrepreneurs can foster a sense of family among their customer base and build a stronger and more loyal community.
Unleash your Brand Superstar
Remember that character branding is not just for sports teams. It holds immense potential for entrepreneurs and beloved brands. By following Dave Raymond's four-step process, embracing fearless leadership, and embracing storytelling, we can transform our brands into something truly extraordinary.
Visit Dave Raymond's website at daveraymondspeaks.com to learn more about character branding and sign up for his monthly newsletter.
Written with an AI assist from Castmagic. You can check out more insights from the episode here and sign up for your own account.
“Fandom is what you want with your family, with your community, with your church, with all of your outreaches. So as a brand, if you can build family, it solves everything that we’re going through in this world.”
The Guest: Dave Raymond
Moving directly from college student to campy green furball, Dave Raymond pioneered the field of sports mascots as the first person to go out on the field as the world-renowned Phillie Phanatic. During his 16 years performing as the Phanatic in 48 states and five countries, Dave’s charismatic showmanship carried the Philadelphia Phillies to World Series victories and unimagined levels of popularity, sparking a revolution in the mascot industry.
Leveraging the unique lessons he learned from the inside out (literally!), Dave made a seamless transition as an entrepreneur into the world of character branding and mascot development. Since starting Raymond Entertainment Group nearly 20 years ago, he has designed and rehabilitated hundreds of character brands for Fortune 500 companies, sports teams, and colleges and universities. In 2005, he founded the Mascot Hall of Fame.
In the The Power of Fun! keynote, virtual events and best-selling book, Dave shares his “phantastic” story—and how his time as the Phanatic revealed to him fun’s transformative effects as the key to living a content, healthier and more productive life. While others have studied how to unlock the power of fun, Dave actually lived it. Now, he shares his simple-to-implement F.U.N. process for creating sustainable, long-lasting happiness—and building the life of your dreams.
WHERE TO FIND Dave:
Learn more about Dave on his website
TL;DL (too long; didn’t listen)
My real-time notes from the conversation with Dave Raymond
Dave Raymond, a lifelong sports fan, transitioned from a Phillies internship to becoming a beloved mascot.
He learned enlightened leadership from strong mentors who empowered him to make the fan experience better.
Understanding Phillie fans allowed Dave to embody the fan experience and bridge the gap between fans and players.
He focused on building a sense of family and community among fans.
The Phanatic became known as a "random act of kindness machine" by spreading joy and kindness.
Dave emphasized the importance of saying hello and smiling first in engaging with fans.
Any brand can create a great character that resonates with people.
Creating a character involves telling a story, finding a designer inspired by the story, selecting the right performer, and ensuring stewardship of the character.
Resistance to investing in fun and joy often comes from budget constraints.
Dave focuses today on helping people value fun and happiness in life.
In this Episode (Time Stamps):
[00:01:01] Dave Raymond: Phillie Phanatic to Mascot Whisperer
[00:07:15] Revered leader sets simple expectations and encourages feedback.
[00:07:57] Creating a character that aligns with the typical Phillie fan
[00:14:46] Promotions create memorable moments; fandom builds family.
[00:16:58] Family-focused Phillies ownership creates memorable experiences
[00:21:37] No resume, thanks to unexpected career path.
[00:24:21] Sports work, family, and brand impact joy.
[00:27:37] A branding asset that leaves an impact.
[00:33:48] Caring storytelling, unique design, great performance
[00:36:16] How the iconic Gritty mascot originated
[00:41:50] Social media speed led to meme adoption.
[00:45:11] Powerful experiences, joy, kindness, enabling others. Brand and person fan.
[00:46:18] Wawa: a phenomenal convenience store connecting people.
[00:52:05] TL;DL Recap
[00:55:02] Stop chasing shiny objects, build lasting affinity.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FANWEAR ITEM?
It was given to me by my kids. So it's special.
What I love about about our business is you can take your home jersey. So in the Phillies PIN stripes, you can take that, and you can customize whatever you want on the back. So my kids built one for me. It says Fanatic on the back, and it has 78 for the year that he was born. And it is. It's so cool.
My children have become such gigantic sports fans, and specifically Phillies fans, and they grew up. So my son, who's 18, and my daughters, who are 23 and 25. My son Kyle, who's out in Colorado, is 33. So he grew up when I was the fanatic, my 3 kids with Sandy, and I didn't know me as the fanatic. They just knew that's what I did. So they got go to the games, and the fanatic would pull them up on the dugout and dance when they were little kids.
So I got to watch what a brand the fanatic is, and how it can turn young children into huge fans. So it it was fun to witness that outside of being his best friend and just being a fan. So there's no question. That's my favorite. I've got a lot of Phillies beer, as you can imagine, but that's that's my favorite.
Show Credits
Brand to Fan Show is produced by Teague FC and supported by FanWagn
Audio production by Bryan Griggs / Griggs Production
Producer: Kimberly Voorhis
Video Editing by Garrett Teague
AI assistance from Pictory.AI and Castmagic
And I’m your host, Lauren Teague.
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