BEING VAIN AND HAVING A LITTLE time on my hands, I revisited some entries on this blog site.
Early on it was dedicated to Enterprise Risk Management, a/k/a business continuity, COOP, and even disaster recovery.
In the entry for Sunday, January 4, 2009, I wrote that
- Smokey, the senior spokes-cartoon, has been around since 1944 - the Bear is almost old enough to file for full social security and probably older than most of this blog's readers. Many of you grew up with Smokey or Sparky, Smokey's urban counterpart. Today's kids, unfortunately, also have - and need - an anti-crime mascot, McGruff who "takes a bite out of crime."
Smokey, more than the others, pops up in places you would expect—at the entrances to federal and state parks and forests—and in places you might not expect - on a subway in a major metro area.
He is almost ubiquitous.
That's what we need - a message, or perhaps a messenger associated with a specific message - that "is almost ubiquitous" and one we collectively are introduced to at an early age.
Of three mascots mentioned above, only one comes from a cartoonist's mind. The others are based on actual animals, particularly Smokey. The suggestion is that whatever image carries our message, it has to be one able to span the generations with minimal change (think of Aunt Jemima who "slimmed down" and, I think, lost a great deal of her appeal). This is not a job for Joe Camel or the Marlboro Man.
The nice thing about animals - at least those that look like "the real thing" (e.g., Smokey and Sparky vs. Joe Camel or the Pink Panther) is that they are based on something we can see, albeit perhaps only in a zoo or picture book, and these animals, unlike people (e.g., Uncle Sam and Aunt Jemima) are free of any racial connection; they are almost "politically correct." (I have a little black bunny named Franklyn who would volunteer and I'm sure he could "beat the drum" for self-preservation at least as good as that obnoxious battery bunny.)
I've done a bit marketing in my day, but I think selection of a suitable mascot for self-preservation needs to be "discovered" by advertising pros and approved by the experts in kindergarten - these experts are, after all, the ones who will carry the message to their parents and, later as parents themselves, will share it with their children.
Spokes rabbit candidate Franklyn
The problem with Franklyn is that he may be too “laid back.”
On the other hand, knowing he has a valid, tested, maintained, and regularly exercised enterprise risk management plan at hand, he may be justified in his laid back attitude.
On the other hand
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On the other had, managers who refuse to take enterprise risk management seriously might be represented by a horse (that can be led to water but won’t drink), or an ostrich, with its head in the sand.
- By the way, according to Science Focus (https://tinyurl.com/2k759pb7) As flightless birds, ostriches are unable to build nests in trees, so they lay their eggs in holes dug in the ground. To make sure that the eggs are evenly heated, they occasionally stick their heads into the nest to rotate the eggs, which makes it look like they’re trying to hide – hence the myth.
Images of events — e.g., Rome burning, the attacks in Pearl Harbor (7 DEC 1941) and the Twin Towers (11 SEP 2011), floods and forest fires — are limited to one risk. Even a cartoon of the Chinese virus has limited application.
Frankie’s advantage
Since a mascot that is less likely to offend is racially and sexually neutral, the current mascots — Smokey the Bear, Sparky the Fire Dog, and McGraw the “Take a bite out of crime” Dog — all seem to be males, someone most assuredly will object to their use (if objections have not already been raised).
While Franklyn the rabbit is a male, it is not an easily visible attribute, at least not in the manner of the current mascots.
Someone might take umbrage because he is black or because he is a Polish dwarf rabbit. But he has relatives who are other colors — sometimes several colors in spots and patches — and relatives who have different ancestry — it’s easy to tell by their ears.
On the other hand, Franklyn is not obnoxious, unlike the battery bunny, nor does he lay eggs as the Cadbury claims (no one wants to “lay an egg” if, when a plan is needed, it fails). Uncle Remus’ Br'r Rabbit might be suitable, but he is a conniver: “Don’t throw me into that brier patch.” Besides, Uncle Remus and his tales are unacceptable to the “woke” generation. The Trix cereal rabbit is too flighty while Jessica Rabbit (right) simply is “too much.” It’s hard to take Chuck Jones and Warner Brothers’ Bugs Bunny seriously, even though the Warners and Bugs "teamed up" to defeat Hitler. (https://tinyurl.com/ka5x2ym9).
My vote goes for Franklyn as the Enterprise Risk Management mascot. (Jessica Rabbit gets my vote as First Runner Up; but I know NOW and other ladies’ leagues will object.
In his 14 years as my roomie, I never saw him loose his cool.
He did kick up his heels on occasion, but he always showed up when needed.
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