Placeholder image, will be replaced once the real Peter is graphically designed. Peter will remain in space to stay in keeping with the new Omen space branding, per @KeenanL’s feedback, and incorporate Omen branding in the image. Peter will be copy-pastable into other graphics for use on the Omen website providing tips, in Medium articles, and more!
How a brand mascot will help Omen
Omen’s brand is lacking, with little to differentiate Omen from other prediction market competitors. Omen’s superior tech stack counts for little, because Omen is not memorable. Brand mascots are a great way to engage customers and make a brand memorable. Take the Geico Gecko as an example: Before the Geico Gecko, the prevailing thought was that companies in certain industries like tech and insurance had to be serious, and couldn’t have fun mascots, but of course Geico proved them wrong. The Geico Gecko and its associated marketing propelled Geico from being a boring, little-known insurance agency to the insurance giant it is today!
Traditional companies aren’t the only ones to benefit from brand mascots - DeFi lending protocol UniLend Finance has Bodhin the DeFi Space Monk. Bodhin the DeFi Space Monk helps UniLend differentiate itself from all of the other lending protocols, and is included in graphics in many of UniLend’s Medium articles, furthering UniLend’s brand. Omen has an opportunity to greatly improve the Omen brand with a new mascot, Peter the Prediction Squirrel. Peter will do for Omen what the Gecko did for Geico, allowing Omen to claim its rightful place as the leading prediction market platform!
Why a Squirrel?
I know what you’re probably thinking - “I get it, a mascot would help the brand, but why a squirrel?”
I examined many possible mascots when I was brainstorming, from cats to dogs to groundhogs, but I settled on a squirrel for many reasons. Here are a few:
- A Space Squirrel is fun, silly, and weird. These are all good qualities - fun is good because people like things that are fun, and so they will also like Omen more. Silly is good because it makes it more memorable than something serious - we like to think about things that make us laugh. Weird is good because it draws attention to the brand and may even generate free press. Think about this - how many celebrities do you think are average, normal people? Hardly any of them, because to become a celebrity, being weird is a big plus for free press and more people talking about you. Weird = Interesting. Same goes for Omen Squirrel.
- A squirrel is unique: There is no other crypto product, or any major brand whatsoever, with a squirrel mascot. Let alone a space squirrel! This makes Omen’s Squirrel that much more memorable to users who visit the site
- Squirrels are well-recognized and commonly seen. How often do you see squirrels in your backyard, in the trees, or even in the city? For most of us, this is quite often, as they’re quite of a common animal. With Omen Squirrel, every time an Omen user sees a squirrel, they will think of Omen, and be naturally reminded to check back on the website. We’ll be gaining an entire guerilla marketing army of more than 2 billion squirrels worldwide!
- A squirrel makes sense: Squirrels gather up acorns which they store in the ground, some of which later grow into trees. Similarly, Omen bettors gather up information to plant a seed which they hope will sprout into a big win. “Peter the Prediction Squirrel gathers up nuggets of knowledge on the web which he stores in Omen, just like he used to gather and store acorns.”
Introducing Peter the Prediction Squirrel! FIRST DRAFT of backstory
Note: this is only the first draft, and will be substantially revised as I work with other Contributors, including a branding expert, to further refine and develop Peter. Everything here is subject to change, even Peter’s name - another suggestion has been to instead call Peter simply “Omen Squirrel”.
Peter was born as a grey squirrel in a forest near a small, quiet town. Growing up, Peter could never understand why his squirrel parents were content with living such a boring life. Day after day, Peter watched his parents gathering and storing acorns, with only the occasional game of tag to break the monotony. Peter was bored as he followed his parents around gathering acorns from the same trees, day after day, and he yearned for something more.
As Peter grew bored, he started to study the workings of the forest. He watched the birds during the day, looking to see when they came and went, and he learned the calls they made when a predator was coming. At night, Peter would stay up late to watch the owls. After watching for a while, he was able to predict when an owl would catch a mouse it was chasing, or when the mouse would escape. Many times when he was supposed to be gathering acorns, Peter’s parents caught him sniffing the air and looking at the sky. Peter tried to explain that he was doing this to see what the weather would be like later, but they only rolled their eyes.
Peter shared his excitement about what he was learning with any squirrel who would listen. Peter couldn’t explain how he did it, but he developed a reputation around the forest for his ability to predict when a storm was coming, sometimes even days in advance!
Once during the middle of the day, during a thunderstorm, Peter ventured out of the thunder-shaken forest to explore the town. As he climbed up a tree, he looked into the open window of a nearby house and saw a glowing screen. He was intrigued, so he hopped up on the window sill. He saw a lot of small lines, but he couldn’t make out much more. Boldly, Peter mustered his courage and jumped onto the desk to have a closer look at the screen. As he looked closer, there was one thing which stuck out to him: a blue-white circle.
Before Peter could think about what this meant, his contemplation was rudely interrupted by a shout from behind. Peter turned around to see a long-haired man holding a plate of food and yelling at him, and he jumped in terror! But before Peter could run away, a sudden, loud BOOM was heard and a flash of lightning came down, striking the very room of the house Peter and the man were in! The energy from the lightning was disbursed by the walls around them, and the only thing struck was Peter’s tail, which was hanging slightly out the window.
Remarkably, instead of being hurt by the lightning, Peter instead felt a warm energy about him. His vision had changed, becoming clearer. Even more astonishing, Peter could now understand what the man was saying. “OUT!, OUT!,” Peter heard the man yell. But because of the warm energy that the lightning had bestowed upon him, Peter was no longer afraid. Channeling a voice he didn’t know he had, Peter replied, “But sir…” The man’s eyes opened wide, and his jaw dropped, leaving him speechless. “…I was just intrigued by the full-moon-shaped symbol on your computer,” Peter continued.
After spending a full minute staring at Peter in disbelief, the man shook himself, and replied “Ok, sorry for yelling. That symbol is for DXdao, a decentralized autonomous organization. The other space-looking symbol is for Omen, which is a prediction market.”
Through the powers of the mysterious energy that cloaked him, Peter was able to understand even what most humans are baffled by, and he replied, “A prediction market? I love predicting things!”
The man, despite questioning his sanity, sat down and explained how Omen works to Peter, and Peter explained his joy of predicting what was going to happen in the forest. The man also explained that Omen was looking for a mascot to represent the brand, and that Peter might be a good fit, but he’d have to go into space. Peter couldn’t be happier to leave his boring forest behind, so he agreed.
Peter’s new proposed role at Omen
Peter will take some time to adapt to his new life in space, but he’s already excited to be doing what he loves: Making predictions and helping others do the same! Peter is learning how Omen works fast, and he plans to offer a variety of tips to help new users on Omen’s website. Peter will be an ever-present guide to Omen and a brand representative. He’ll use Twitter to share tips, as well as the predictions he gleans from Omen’s crowdsourced knowledge. Peter even buried a few surprise acorns which he’ll dig up when the time comes. In his free time, Peter the Prediction Squirrel gathers up nuggets of knowledge on the web which he stores in Omen, just like he used to gather and store acorns.
Next Steps
This morning, I met with @geronimo @Tammy and @KeenanL to discuss this proposal, and we determined that the next step towards making Peter the Prediction Squirrel a reality is passing a signal proposal. I will create such a proposal on xDai in a couple days so this post has a chance to gather feedback. If this signal proposal passes, I will then be able to work with all of Omen’s stakeholders, who will all get a say in how Omen’s mascot turns out, as well as take into account feedback from the community. I will also hopefully get to work with a professional branding expert, as @Tammy suggested. Tammy also mentioned an opportunity for Peter to possibly be included as an Easter egg in the upcoming Omen video.
Thoughts, comments, or feedback? I’d like to hear them 
