Mascots are used to personify the brands that employ them. Time Magazine recently released its list of the Top 10 Creepiest Product Mascots to “celebrate the retirement” of what it considers one of the creepiest of all – Burger King’s “The King.”

The King has been haunting Burger King’s commercials since 2004, having become a bit of a cultural icon in his own right. During his tenure, The King was known for stalking and causing feelings of uneasiness. Burger King has just recently retired The King in favor of a healthy food focused campaign. As Christine Turnier explained, “The King, originally developed to target teenage boys, is far too creepy for [Burger King's] new target market [families]. So out with the old positioning, and in with the new.”

Budweiser, one of the best-selling beers in the United States, has introduced a new can design (the 12th since the brand first started using cans in 1936).

Interestingly, the focus of the redesign is Budweiser’s allegedly “iconic” bowtie. According to Budweiser, “there is no written documentation on the origins of the Budweiser bowtie,” but its integration within the new design is part of an effort to encourage people to order the beer by its full name, rather than just “Bud.” What do you think of the Budweiser bowtie?

Social media is powerful, no doubt. But, as all good things do, it has its limitations. Brands shouldn’t dive headfirst into a social media plan without considering the things that social media will not be able to do for them.

Creating a social media presence is not, in itself, the key to community engagement. Econsultancy points out 5 main things that brands are responsible for that social media can not do:

Make You Cool
As Econsultancy explains, “Long gone are the days when being on Facebook or Twitter meant you were ahead of the curve. Today… your social media presence is only as cool as you are.” It’s how you use it that makes you “cool.”

Create Great Products & Services
Social media may help your brand, but it can’t make up for poor quality products and services.

Quash Criticism
With a social media presence, you can respond to criticism more effectively, but criticism will not cease to exist.

Provide Free Marketing
As Econsultancy explains, “Building, growing and maintaining a social media presence always requires an investment in time, and for every business, time is money.”

Improve Your Customer Service
Social media has become a helpful tool for providing customer service, but the quality of your customer service is still as good as you make it.

And on that note, your social media campaign is only as good as you make it.

Imagine the possibilities of revamping an often overlooked branding opportunity and customer touch point: the sales receipt.

London-based design consultancy Berg did just that. As Matt Jones explained, receipts are printed by machines that already manage a variety of complex information – most obviously, purchases. Consider that a receipt from CVS includes coupons for products in categories you’ve recently purchased in; Berg’s concept goes even further, with more useful and engaging personalization. As Berg explained to Icon magazine, “We think the humble receipt could be something like a paper ‘app’ and be valuable in small and playful ways.”

A logo does not make a brand. So, why do marketers always want to make the logo bigger?

As Tom Fishburne wrote, “A bigger logo won’t fix a small brand. It won’t make a brand more remarkable. There is no direct correlation between the size of a logo and the effectiveness of an ad. But, in the qualitative world of creative review, it’s a tangible, quantitative response. So, marketers give this feedback a lot, even if it’s superficial and even if it detracts from the strength of the creative execution.”

Engaged consumers generally become loyal consumers, and we all want loyal consumers. So, how and why do consumers engage? According to a recent study, more than 97% of respondents said that an online experience has influenced whether or not they bought a product or service from a particular brand… so it would be wise to know what spurs engagement. For some insight, check out GetSatisfaction’s infographic.

With a new software update and new second generation hardware on the horizon, Microsoft has unveiled a new Windows Phone logo.

According to WinRumors, the logo features “a more square look, presumably to compliment the square tiles of the operating system.” This new logo will be used in all marketing and branding efforts for the upcoming Windows Phone 7.5.

Business cards are essentially used for sharing professional contact information, but with the right strategy, they can do so much more.

Immediately engage prospects and colleagues with a QR code included directly on your business card, the new school version of a URL.

You’re destined to be remembered with an edible business card. Of course, I’d keep some traditional paper back-ups handy – these won’t last long.

Giving out a 3-dimensional card, something fun to display, will increase the chances of people sharing your card with others.

See some more ideas at Mashable.

A new Old Spice Guy? Yes, the latest series of ads from Wieden + Kennedy have replaced the tried-and-true Isaiah Mustafa with a new character… Fabio.

Watch the newest Old Spice spots at NewOldSpiceGuyFabio.

QR codes are recognizable, but unfortunately generic-looking. Luckily, their designs are more flexible than you would think. With a 30% tolerance in readability, these codes can be customized while maintaining their technical effectiveness (and that customization will likely improve their marketing effectiveness). See a few examples below, via Mashable.

HBO’s True Blood:

Louis Vuitton:

Discover LA Tourism Bureau: