Fuelman

Fuelman, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

When there's no real person to embody an abstract service, marketers sometimes create fictional people to personify brand attributes.

The Maytag repair man, General Motors' Mr. Goodwrench, the MicroWarehouse customer service rep, Dell's Uncle Dudley—these characters help us visualize service qualities (such as "reliable" and "responsive") that otherwise might not come across as credible. Of course, invented characters can also backfire: Microsoft's intrusive Office paperclip figure personifies much of what users find obnoxious about Microsoft itself.

Read more in Softletter.