Credit Porter Airlines for thinking outside the cage. The short-haul service, which will operate flights from Toronto to destinations such as Ottawa and Montreal beginning this fall, has chosen an animal marketing mascot. But since a winged creature would be too obvious, Porter chose a nocturnal, garbage-raiding, land-bound omnivore as its brand icon. Designed by U.K. agency Winkreative, “Mr. Porter” is a raccoon who’ll appear in a variety of formats, from advertising to luggage tags. According to Porter Airlines, he represents warmth, sophistication, and an “element of surprise”-and marketing experts are indeed surprised. “It’s a particularly bizarre choice,” says Thomas Pigeon, CEO of Pigeon Branding and Design. “It’s a more ferocious animal than people know, so there’s nothing particularly warm and ingratiating about them.” Pigeon does, however, find the creative execution of Mr. Porter “curious, approachable and fun.” Michael Clancy, director, strategic and creative planning at Brandworks International, says the mascot may create awareness but questions whether consumers will relate positively to a raccoon. “Most of us hate them. They’re pests.” But Alan Middleton, professor of marketing at York University’s Schulich School of Business, says there could be a relevant message behind Mr. Porter, one that recalls the WestJet spying scandal of a few years ago. “Maybe they’re saying that Porter’s going through Air Canada’s garbage.”
