Have you seen Bask Bear's new mascot with a comically long tongue?

Bask Bear has rebranded its identity and launched a new mascot who brings life and meaning to its motto, 'Taste the confidence'. 

The rebrand, created in parntership with TBWA\Kuala Lumpur, is designed to reinforce Bask Bear's flavour and delight in every bite and sip. To do so, Bask Bear needed a distinctive character to convey the message. To do so, Bask Bear created Brader BLE. 

Brader BLE is inspired by the brand's existing logo featuring the Malayan sun bear. Despite being the smallest species of bear, it has the longest tongue in the bear family and can stretch its tongue to 20 to 25cm long.

Don't miss: Bask Bear Coffee's bold OOH ad challenging McDonald's sees tepid reception 

Its comically long tongue exudes ultimate confidence, said Bask Bear in a statement. 

"B.L.E is my eating ritual when I’m slurping and enjoying toasties and a good cup of coffee. It stands for ‘Bite, Lick, Enjoy’. Just three steps. Super easy to remember," said Tay Kai Wei, head of brand at Bask Bear. 

On top of the rebrand, Bask Bear set out in-store murals and canvases of Brader BLE quotes. This is paired with retail packaging and in-store makeovers that taught customers how to B.L.E. 

Accompanying these efforts, is a catchy music video featuring Brader BLE as a hero as he defeats the enemy of confidence - Fear. 

In the music video, Brader BLE is seen eating sandwiches before facing the "big bad boss" Fear. Brader BLE then wraps Fear with his long tongue and squishes him. 

To celebrate his victory, Brader BLE twerks and dances across the screen. The music video ends with the quote "Bite, lick, enjoy to taste the confidence". 

Bask Bear has been making the news as of late. Recently, the brand put up a cheeky OOH ad featuring their own burgers above a McDonald's outlet in Malaysia and calling them "better". 

The OOH ad features the brand's beef burger on a white background and a text that reads "Bask Bear's burgers are better". The quote is attributed to a Bask Bear customer named Ronald. Coincidentally, Ronald is the name of the McDonald's mascot. 

Bask Bear Coffee shared a video and picture of their new OOH ad on socials with the caption, "See what Ronald, a Bask Bear’s happy customer, had to say about our new burgers. Come over to Bask Bear and #TasteTheConfidence".  

The ad quickly garnered attention from netizens, with 22% pointing out that it was "failed marketing". The comments were particularly about the similarity in design, logo size and placement of McDonald's ads, leading to customers mistaking the ad for a McDonald's promotion.

However, 12% of netizens praised Bask Bear Coffee's bold marketing, highlighting the ad's creativity, strategic location and humour.

Some netizens jokingly connected Ronald, who was attributed as a Bask Bear Coffee customer, to McDonald's, saying his last name must be McDonald. 

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