If you don't know the difference between cheap car insurance and entrepreneurial meerkats, then you probably don't own a TV set, or perhaps you're just a bit 'simples'.
He may have been on our screens only since early 2009, but Comparethemarket.com's Alexsandr Orlov, created by VCCP, has become one of the most-loved brand mascots in recent times, appearing in nine TV ads to date.
This month brings the launch of the final ad in a trilogy documenting the history of Alexsandr's ancestors.
Simon Veksner, creative director at ad agency Bargle Bogle Hegarty, says: 'While this may be the end of the trilogy for Aleksandr, I suspect that - like Star Wars - he'll have another one. A mascot should be killed off only when the public is bored, and surely we haven't tired of our little meerkat friend yet, have we? In my opinion, he must stay.'
The aristocratic Russian mammal has brought colour to a low-interest sector, and some argue that brands in less engaging markets have the most to gain from adopting mascots. Lucky, the More Th>n dog, starred in ads from 2001 until 2005, for example, while Churchill the Dog continues to promote the eponymous insurance brand.
When to pull the plug
There is surely an attendant risk, however, that a character can outlive its welcome. Benson, the dog who starred as Lucky, died in 2005 and the brand opted not to replace him. It also claims it has no plans to bring back the character, created by Ogilvy & Mather.
Giles Thomas, managing partner of brand consultancy Branded, believes a mascot should be killed off for one of two reasons: '[It should happen] when it has outlived its ability to generate commercial revenue or when audiences for a particular mascot have ceased to think positively toward it and fallen out of love with it,' he says.
Not everyone agrees a mascot's life should be finite, however. The Andrex Puppy, for example, is still going strong after 38 years, and continues to represent the softness desirable in toilet paper - a brand value that is unlikely to change. 'Why would any sane brand want to throw away the years of brand equity that its mascot has accrued,' asks Veksner. 'That is, of course, assuming that the values the mascot represents are still desirable.'
Guy Lambert, strategy partner at Branded, adds: 'The [Andrex] puppy is a great example of effective brand mascots. Look at some of the lasting examples - the Bakers Complete dog, the Dulux dog, the Esso tiger - most of them are animals. They never lose their appeal, whereas something animated or fake has only a limited shelf life and needs reinvention.'
Rather than scrapping mascots, they can be successfully adapted to keep up with the times while still encompassing the brand's intrinsic values.
One-time pencil-necked domestic cleaner Mr Muscle is today a muscle-bound superhero, while Captain Birdseye temporarily lost his beard, a few decades and several pounds to become a square-jawed seafarer, only to revert to his old look after a mixed response from consumers.
Last year, meanwhile, Cadbury relaunched the Caramel Bunny with a sexier image as part of a £1.2m revamp of the brand. Similarly, Sugar Puffs' Honey Monster is another mascot that has spanned generations by evolving through the years.
Cereal brands have, of course, long used characters to appeal to children, through mascots such as Tony the Tiger, Snap, Crackle & Pop and Coco the Monkey. So, while using this method of promoting cereals (often high in sugar) to children has come under scrutiny in recent years, the characters' durability is testament to the value they bring to their brands.
With more than 755,000 Facebook friends and 30,000-plus followers on Twitter hanging on his every word, there is plenty more Orlov and his comrades have to offer Comparethe market.com, albeit to his, and perhaps consumers' eventual irritation.
MARKETING'S TOP 10 BRAND MASCOTS
Rank Character Brand
1 The Andrex Puppy Andrex
2 Alexsandr Orlov Comparethemarket.com
3 Smash Martians Smash
4 Churchill the Dog Churchill Insurance
5 Honey Monster Sugar Puffs
6 Tony the Tiger Kellogg's Frosties
7 The Dulux dog Dulux
8 Bibendum - the Michelin Man Michelin Tyres
9 Caramel Bunny Cadbury's Caramel
10 Captain Birdseye Birds Eye
Agree with our list? Have your say at: marketingmagazine.co.uk