{
  "id": 10918025,
  "title": "Ad pros say Meta should ignore the haters and go all in on its cuddly Muse mascot",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/ad-pros-say-meta-should-ignore-the-haters-and-go-all-in-on-its-cuddly",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-30T10:30:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-should-position-jolly-mascot-center-of-muse-marketing-2026-9"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Meta’s new AI agent, Muse, has been met with criticism for its mascot, Jolly, who has been dubbed a \"Carnival Tamagotchi\" and described as sinister. However, marketing and branding professionals believe Meta should embrace Jolly even more. Gary Stibel, CEO of New England Consulting Group, argues that Jolly's familiarity will create a sense of safety, reliability and efficiency for users. Jolly was not prominently featured in Meta's launch ad for Muse, which instead showcased a woman using the AI to manage various tasks. Ad testing firms indicate the ad was not particularly successful, receiving low scores for branding fluency and eliciting negative emotions. However, proponents argue that the mascot may help make AI more approachable and accessible to a broader audience.",
  "summary": "Brand mascots are one of the oldest mnemonics in the marketing playbook for a reason: they work well.",
  "key_points": [
    "Jolly mascot criticized for being sinister and Carnival Tamagotchi-like",
    "Marketing pros argue Jolly creates safety, reliability, and efficiency",
    "Muse ad not successful; Jolly may make AI more approachable"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}