• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, February 11, 2013

Ever ask a friend or co-worker to write you a coveted LinkedIn recommendation, to boost your online business profile? It’s up there with pulling teeth. And when someone does write a recommendation, chances are they’re a close colleague or friend, not a random LinkedIn connection that you’ve never met.

A&W Restaurants saw an opportunity in this space and created a LinkedIn profile for its mascot, Rooty The Great Root Bear.

Anyone who connects with Rooty will receive the ultimate LinkedIn gift: a free, personalized (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) recommendation. A sample recommendation reads: “I have looked up to Whit my whole life, even though I’m pretty sure he’s younger than I am. He provided invaluable mentoring during a particularly rough time in my life – I won’t go into details but let’s just say it involved an unfortunate incident on a ropes course.”

“It’s a new, unique use of a known social media platform,” said Ashlee Harris, assistant account planner at Cornett-IMS, the agency behind the campaign. “The thinking behind this was that brands are all using Linkedin the same way – to network and connect with current and potential employees and clients. While it is intended for business networking, there was a huge opportunity for a brand like A&W to engage with consumers in a fun way.”

Rooty’s LinkedIn page launched last week, and so far 22 recommendations have been sent.

Presently, Rooty’s LinkedIn page isn’t being promoted; the page is part of a larger campaign for A&W. The brand recently launched a new website where it expects users to find out about Rooty’s LinkedIn page, as well as via word of mouth on LinkedIn.