The Making of a Brand Mascot with Ed Mahlman, BA ’69

Ed Mahlman, BA ’69, is the mind behind the second most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania. 

As executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery, Mahlman was tasked with reversing a downward trend in revenue and sales that had persisted prior to Governor Ed Rendell’s first term in 2003. Out of these brainstorming sessions, Gus the Groundhog — the friendly, giggling rodent seen Christmas caroling and reminding viewers to “keep on scratching” during TV commercials — was born.

“I was among the first lottery directors with a marketing background,” Mahlman remembers. “Applying typical marketing discipline, we changed the products, adding more games and prize money, and dramatically increased the number of retailers, but we also made structural changes, like in promotion. That’s where Gus comes in.” 

In the search for a mascot, a groundhog seemed to be a natural fit — he was already an expert at scratching. More than that, though, Gus represented a carefully considered image that the team wanted to send to the people of Pennsylvania.

“It happens in the world of gambling: overstatements about prizes and changing lifestyles,” Mahlman says. “The lottery should not be seen as a means to change your life. It’s a fun activity, and you can certainly win a lot of money, but we’re not trying to inappropriately seek any investment from a player. We wanted a wholesome, down-to-earth representation of the lottery, and he’s been one of the more enduring representatives of any product for the last 20 years.” 

Under Mahlman’s direction, lottery sales grew from two to three billion dollars in just four years. The revenue generated directly benefits older Pennsylvanians through property tax and rent rebates, reduced prescription drug costs, and free mass transit for those over 65. 

“The sales were exceptional, but that was the expectation,” Mahlman says. “Governor Rendell and the team had high goals for the older people of Pennsylvania.” 

Mahlman studied English at Saint Joseph’s University before earning his master’s in journalism from Boston University. Though he didn’t study marketing, Mahlman has found his experience at St. Joe’s to be vital in his career success. 

“The discipline of a St. Joe’s education was terrific for me,” he says. “The shift from writing in the English program to marketing was not really a big shift. There was a combination of sequential thinking — what are the parts of this novel or poem that make it work — and creativity. Inevitably, a creative idea is not just the sum of left brain parts. There’s a spark that’s needed.”

Mahlman’s earlier advertising clients include Verizon and Deloitte and, after his role with the Pennsylvania Lottery, he was chief marketing officer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Since 2010, he has served as an executive vice president at Brian Communications, Philadelphia-based national strategic marketing communications agency whose clients include Independence Blue Cross and Comcast Spectacor as well as assignments for St. Joe’s.

“You have to have a command of changing and evolving media,” Mahlman advises current marketing students. “The development of a great brand is not just understanding media impressions, but also the notion of the relationship between brand and customer. Marketers understand that and can anticipate where it might go to improve the experience. Have a broad wingspan and embrace flexibility in your career.”