In Character

Since Stuart Montaldo, founder of DoubleStar LLC, which does business as Cogno Products, started using a space creature to promote the company's board games, Cogno the alien has become the recognizable "face" of the company.

Mascots can be a great shorthand for what your company is, says Florence Quinn, founder of PR agency Quinn & Co., as long as you have:

• A Message: "Your mascot should make the culture of your company easy to understand just by looking at it," says Quinn. Cogno represents the brainy, sci-fi feel of the games. 
  
• Continuity: "Use the mascot over and over so customers see it and immediately know that's your company," she says. 
  
• A Visual: The mascot has to make an interesting visual--like Montaldo's life-size inflatable Cogno.