Other brand icons
For every brand icon that gets the interactive star treatment, many more are relegated to far less glamorous online surroundings. The Jolly Green Giant just seems to loiter around his product page. Charlie Tuna also seems like a guest at his own site. Colonel Sanders and Aunt Jemima make appearances for their respective companies, but neither icon gets much attention.
In a digital world where deep interactivity and rich media are now the norm for brand superstars, even a marketing pro like Jack in the Box's Jack seems to be in a bit of an online holding pattern. While Jack in the Box does deserve recognition for Jack's MySpace page that helps promote a deeper relationship with the character, his "office" on the restaurant chain's site seems stagnant in comparison to the other online icon domains.
Even Orville Redenbacher, the recent recipient of a highly questionable reprieve from mortality for the sake of a new ad campaign, doesn't get too involved on his company's site.
If a company goes through the considerable trouble of digging up their flesh and blood founder but declines to put him to work online, there are clearly no obvious rules for using brand icons in the interactive world.
Regardless of their activity level online, the one constant among all the brand icons is their longevity. Even in the face of fluctuating cultural and technological changes, these characters retain a core of vitality that keeps them relevant to consumers. Each is also strong enough that in the event they become dated or irrelevant, they can be updated for a more progressive audience. The jump from traditional to interactive media exemplifies this amazing strength of character.
