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Cover image for the article: Brand Universes: From Mascots to Multiverses—How the Most Iconic Brands Built Worlds, Not Just Content

Brand Universes: From Mascots to Multiverses—How the Most Iconic Brands Built Worlds, Not Just Content

By Alberto Luengo·07/24/25
content strategy
analytics
brands
enterprise
Mascots, rituals, and fandom artifacts—today’s top brands don’t just sell products, they build worlds. From Michelin to Duolingo and K-pop, discover how brand universes became the new growth engine.
Brands that endure and thrive in 2025 all have one thing in common: they create immersive, living universes. This article traces the rise of brand worlds, analyzes the best case studies (Duolingo, K-pop mascots, Apple), and breaks down what every ambitious brand can learn from history’s most successful examples.

What Is a Brand Universe? (And Why Do They Matter Now?)

A brand universe is more than a logo, a campaign, or even a “community.” It’s an interconnected, evolving world—with its own characters, lore, rituals, and symbols—where the audience plays an active role.
In 2025, this isn’t an option for ambitious brands: it’s survival. When content is infinite and attention is scarce, only the worlds with real gravity endure.

Brand universes are the reason you can spot a Starbucks from a block away (the siren, the cup, the “order language”), why people line up for hours at Pokémon pop-ups, and why the Apple Event is a digital holiday. They’re why K-pop fans identify as ARMY or MOA, own plushies and lightsticks, and even know their group’s mascot birthday.

But how did we get here?

The History: From Mascots and Myths to Multiverses

The Early Era: Mascots, Myths, and Mass Appeal

Brand universes didn’t begin on Instagram.

  • Michelin Man (“Bibendum”, 1894): Michelin didn’t just sell tires—they personified their brand with a jolly, indestructible mascot who appeared in print, events, and—eventually—cartoons and viral campaigns.
  • Mr. Peanut (Planters), Tony the Tiger (Kellogg’s), Ronald McDonald: These figures made brands feel human, memorable, and safe, especially to families.
    Mascots anchored stories, campaigns, and product lines—but they were mostly one-way: the brand talked, consumers listened.

The Fandom Age: Co-Creation and Collectibles

  • Pokémon (1996–): The franchise blurred lines between product and universe. Cards, video games, anime, plushies, memes, events—fans became collectors, theorists, and evangelists.
  • Hello Kitty (Sanrio): Mascots became more than product spokespeople—they were cultural icons with their own timelines, friends, and media.
  • Early K-pop (2000s): Korean groups began naming fandoms and giving them symbols, official colors, and eventually lightsticks (the first was BIGBANG’s Bang Bong in 2006).

The key shift: The audience became co-authors—making fanart, inventing “headcanons,” and sharing experiences.

The Modern Multiverse: Social, Rituals, and Brand Worlds

By the 2010s, leading brands realized the opportunity wasn’t just mascot + merch, but full-blown ecosystem:

  • Fandoms have their own slang, mascots, holidays, and “entry points” (webtoons, games, AR filters).
  • Rituals—anniversary streams, product launches, “mascot birthdays,” or live event watch parties—anchor the year.
  • Social media is the main stage: brands don’t just broadcast, they riff with fans, reply in-character, and create inside jokes that cross platforms and borders.

Why Brand Universes Work (And Why They Outperform)

1. Cognitive Gravity

A universe—unlike a “campaign”—generates context.
People remember stories, faces, rituals. When you see the Michelin Man, the Starbucks cup, or the Duolingo owl, you recall feelings and history, not just a product.
McKinsey found brands with a coherent universe have up to 3× higher retention.

2. Participation and Identity

Universes are “open worlds”: fans don’t just buy, they join.
K-pop’s lightsticks, custom emojis, and mascot lore give fans a sense of identity and “club membership.”
63% of Gen Z say they join brands, not just follow them. (Ypulse, 2025)

3. UGC and Viral Momentum

Mascots, rituals, and artifacts are meme-fuel.
Mascot brands see 2.8× more organic UGC.
Fans do the work of spreading the world—remixing, interpreting, and even policing the boundaries.

4. Durability Across Channels

Campaigns fade; universes adapt.
When TikTok trends shift, mascot memes and rituals can pivot to new formats, languages, or platforms, preserving brand equity.

Case Study 1: Duolingo—From App to TikTok Multiverse

How a Green Owl Became a Global Meme

Duolingo is proof you can turn a “boring” SaaS into the internet’s favorite character.

  • Duo the owl: Not a static mascot, but a fully “alive” character who jokes, roasts, and even “threatens” users for skipping lessons.
  • Supporting cast: Lily (goth girl), Zari (overachiever), and other characters have distinct personalities and fandoms.
  • Rituals and lore: April Fools’ “Duo kidnaps you,” “unhinged” TikToks, and ongoing storylines—fans debate shipping, make fanart, and react as if the cast is real.
  • Social media dominance: Duolingo’s TikTok is #1 by engagement in EdTech for three years running (Socialinsider, 2025). Their memes, self-aware humor, and willingness to let the brand be “weird” make every platform a playground.

Why it works:

  • The brand becomes endlessly remixable.
  • Duo and friends act as “hosts”—inviting fans into a world, not just to use an app.
  • The risk of being “cringe” is outweighed by the viral and emotional payoff.

Case Study 2: K-pop—BT21, Lightsticks, and the Fandom Engine

Turning Music Groups into Parallel Worlds

No industry has mastered brand universe-building like K-pop.

  • Mascots with lore: BTS and Line Friends’ “BT21” (Tata, Cooky, Chimmy, etc.) each have a backstory, webtoons, official birthdays, and endless merch drops.
  • Lightsticks: Every group has a custom-designed, trademarked lightstick, which is essential for live concerts (ARMY Bomb, Carat Bong, Nachimbong, etc.). Fans decorate, collect, and even “hack” them.
  • Fandom names and roles: Being an ARMY, MOA, STAY, etc. is an identity.
  • Rituals and social moments:
    • Mascot “takeovers” on Twitter, Weverse, TikTok
    • Animated shorts and lore “episodes”
    • Mascot birthdays as community holidays (with UGC, contests, real-world meetups)

Measurable impact:

  • Over 85% of fans can name their group’s mascot and lightstick (Statista, 2024).
  • Mascot-driven campaigns drive weekly surges in hashtags, UGC, and even search trends.
  • Rituals mean every comeback, tour, or merch drop is a multi-platform story.

Case Study 3: Apple—Ritual, Myth, and Social Theater

Making Every Launch a Global Event

Apple’s “universe” isn’t just about products.

  • The Apple Event is a cultural ritual:
    • Anticipated “entrances” (Tim Cook skydiving, cycling, AR effects) are dissected and meme’d across X, TikTok, and YouTube.
    • Easter eggs, inside jokes, and nods to past launches become “shared lore.”
    • Hashtag usage spikes up to 12× over peer brands during event week (Sprout Social, 2025).
  • Consistency:
    • The “Shot on iPhone” campaign, retail design, packaging, and even “fan-made” leaks all harmonize to expand the world.
  • User participation:
    • “Bingo” memes for event clichés, fan-edited highlight reels, and wild speculation are all part of the lead-up.

The result:

  • Apple fans don’t just “watch”—they participate, predict, and perform.
  • The world is so sticky, even parody and critique reinforce the brand.

Why Social Media Is the New Stage for Universes

  • Amplification: A story, meme, or ritual can cross the world in hours, reaching fans in every language and region.
  • Remixability: Worlds built on lore and artifacts invite playful user co-creation—challenges, remixes, cosplay, “mascot IRL” sightings.
  • Continuity: Worlds persist between launches or campaigns, so a fan’s journey never ends.
  • Belonging: The inside jokes, artifacts, and rituals make followers feel like members—not just an audience.

The Blueprint: How to Build a Brand Universe (2025+)

  1. Invent Lore and Rituals:

    • Give your brand a mythos, not just a tagline.
    • Plan recurring events, mascot “holidays,” or in-jokes your team (and superfans) can build on.

  2. Design Artifacts:

    • Mascots, physical objects, or digital collectibles (filters, emojis, AR) give your audience identity and conversation starters.

  3. Empower the Community:

    • Let users participate—host UGC contests, mascot takeovers, “design the next merch” challenges.
    • Celebrate the best contributors with status, features, or exclusive access.

  4. Automate and Orchestrate:

    • Use automation to schedule rituals, coordinate launches, and track UGC.
    • Cross-post with consistency but adapt the voice and format for each channel.

  5. Measure Gravity, Not Just Reach:

    • Track return visits, cross-channel journeys, UGC participation, and lore adoption—not just impressions.

Final Word: Why the Future Is World-Building

As AI makes it easier than ever to mass-produce content, meaning and belonging become your moat.
Brands that invest in worlds—lore, rituals, mascots, artifacts—will win not just for a campaign, but for a generation.
Whether you’re an enterprise, creator, or upstart, the time to build your universe is now.
If you want followers, run ads. If you want a legacy, build a world.

Sources

About the author

Alberto Luengo is the founder and CEO of Rkive AI, a leading expert in AI for content automation and growth. He shares real-world insights on technology, strategy, and the future of the creator economy.