Nerf now has a mascot called Murph, a humanoid creature made entirely of nerf darts who will be pushing the toy brand into the future.
Nerf has unveiled a mascot it’ll use to sell its products, a humanoid figure called Murph who is entirely made out of Nerf darts. The brand was introduced in 1969 by its owner Hasbro to commercially sell a line of foam-based toys from sports balls to launchers that shoot polyurethane foam darts, as well as water-based toys and some licensed video games.
In its fifty-year history, Nerf hasn’t employed a mascot in its marketing, usually letting the products sell themselves by virtue of the fun they can produce for their demographic. The company introduced the slogan “It’s Nerf or Nothin’!” in its commercials and to this day uses it to emphasize its association with balls and toy weaponry. Nerf has also had many brand deals with popular video games like Fortnite to push its products into the hands of its target audience.
Now, Hasbro has unveiled a new marketing strategy: Murph. The new mascot character is made entirely out of Nerf darts of multiple colors, with a head, two arms, two legs, and a torso, but no clothing or facial features, giving off the appearance that every square inch of him is indistinguishable from the rest. New images of Murph see the mascot in a variety of action poses with Nerf products, showing how Nerf intends to use Murph in marketing. Check out Murph, below:
Murph has already been compared to Gritty, the mascot of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers who was initially met with negative reviews from sports fans for his frightening appearance. However, Gritty became an Internet sensation and developed a cult following for his unique performance and demeanor, receiving an official honor from the city of Philadelphia. Murph will become a figure in Nerf’s branding and will start appearing in social media posts as well as commercials and retail locations, giving him an opportunity to develop a following of his own.
In a culture where it’s become impossible to tell a joke apart from genuine feeling, Murph feels like a product not meant to sell toys, but to get people talking about the brand for its unorthodox marketing strategy. There’s no such thing as bad press, and if Murph has the same effect as Gritty, it will certainly get potential customers to talk about the brand. In the end, Murph may not be Nerf‘s safest marketing ploy, but hopefully, he’ll do what they intend him to do without traumatizing too many children in the process.
Source: Hasbro
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