A study of young consumers’ perception on mascot design characteristic with reference to Indian food brand A thesis submitted In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Preeti Yadav Department of Design Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India 781039 January 2017 A study of young consumers’ perception on mascot design characteristic with reference to Indian food brand A thesis submitted In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Preeti Yadav Roll No: 126105009 Under the Supervision of Professor Debkumar Chakrabarti, PhD Department of Design Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India 781039 January 2017 TH-1675_126105009 DECLARATION It is certified that the work contained in this thesis entitled “A study of young consumers’ perception on mascot design characteristic with reference to Indian food brand” has been carried out by me, a student in the Department of Design, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG), Assam, India under the guidance of Professor Debkumar Chakrabarti being submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy. This work has not been submitted elsewhere for a degree. Preeti Yadav, Department of Design, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati Guwahati - 781 039 Assam, India Place: Guwahati Date:11-01-2017 TH-1675_126105009 CERTIFCATE The research work presented in this thesis entitled “A study of young consumers’ perception on mascot design characteristic with reference to Indian food brand” submitted by Ms. Preeti Yadav to the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, has been carried out under my supervision. This work has not been submitted for the award of any other degree or diploma to this institute or any other institute or university. She has also fulfilled all the requirements including mandatory coursework as per the rules and regulations for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. Professor Debkumar Chakrabarti, Supervisor, Department of Design, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati Guwahati - 781 039 Assam, India Place: Guwahati Date:11-01-2017 TH-1675_126105009 i Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to thank my God and then express my sincere gratitude to my Guide Professor Debkumar Chakrabarti for the continuous support of my Ph.D. study, for his patience, motivation (especially his motivational stories), and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this thesis. I could not have imagined having a better guide and mentor for my Ph.D. study. Besides my Guide, I would like to acknowledge other members of my doctoral committee: Professor Amarendra Kumar Das, Professor Rohini Mokashi Punekar, and Dr. Sougata Karmakar for their insightful comments and encouragement, but also for the hard questions which incented me to widen my research from various perspectives. My sincere thanks also go to Dr. Abhirup Chatterjee for his valuable comments, suggestions, and guidance because during my statistical analysis he helped me a lot without his help and direction it would have never been possible to achieve the goal. Further, I would also like to express my gratitude to all the volunteers who cooperated in my experiments. I also thank my friends for providing support and moral boost that I needed most during my thesis work. A special thanks to my family. Words cannot express how grateful I am with my parents and my elder brother, for me, they have remained a constant source of encouragement and understanding. My brother has been my best friend all my life, and I love him dearly and thank him for all his advice and support. I am indebted to my litter daughter Vrinda also, though being small when she needed me the most, she allowed me to stay away from her long time. One very special person in my life, I will remain ever grateful to, is my companion who has always believed in me and encouraged me to follow my dreams; he is my strength which supported me in every possible way to see the completion of this work. My heartfelt acknowledgement goes to all those people again, who have contributed to the successful completion of this thesis and whose name I may have forgot to mention. Date:11-01-2017 Guwahati Preeti Yadav TH-1675_126105009 ii ABSTRACT The instrument of brand mascot is widely used in modern marketing because of its effectiveness and ability to create the emotional attachment with customers. A lot of studies aim to identify the influence of mascots on consumers in comparison with celebrities’ endorsers. At the same time, the aspect of mascots’ design characteristics has not received enough attention in the academic literature. The current investigation addresses the question of how mascots’ design characteristics influence consumers’ perception of mascots in the Indian food industry. The objectives of this study are to identify the main characteristics of mascots as a marketing instrument, to determine the features of food brand mascots, to distinguish the differences between national and international mascots in the Indian food industry, and to explore which design characteristics of mascots have a substantial impact on the young generation’s perception of the brands. The study is based on quantitative methodology with surveys as the main research method. The thesis is composed of an introduction, literature review, methodology part, the chapters of data analysis and conclusions. The empirical part of the investigation implies conducting five preliminary studies, three pilot studies and the main experiment aimed at identifying essential characteristics of mascots’ design on the example of Halidram’s mascot as a hypothetical case to experiment with. This research is characterized by a comprehensive analysis of the existing studies devoted to the problem of mascots, an identification of the mascots’ features which are relevant to customers, a review of the main classification of mascots, and a distinction between the national and international food brand mascots in India. To compare the national and international food mascots in the Indian food brand, two case studies were conducted, on Ronald McDonald and the Amul Girl. The investigation significantly contributes to the understanding of mascots’ role in the Indian food brand. It emphasizes that most of the successful mascots in this sector are characterized by symmetric forms and cheerful gestures. At the same time, the study concludes that there is a substantial difference between the ways in which mascots are used by national and international brands. While international TH-1675_126105009 iii mascots are entirely focused on promoting their products, some local mascots like the Amul Girl try to participate in the Indian social life and give comments on the current events. The empirical study conducted in line with this research addresses the aspects of mascots’ physical, design, color, cultural and miscellaneous features. It demonstrates respondents’ positive attitude towards mascots with rounded and symmetric forms and provides a premise to state that considering local specifics is crucial for creating an effective Indian food mascot. Respondents agreed that the best choice, for food brand mascots is an anthropomorphic character in traditional Indian outfits. It is recommended that this mascot would be a peculiar combination of modern and traditional looks. It is also argued that using red color as the primary color for a mascot is highly recommended as it attracts attention. The participants of the study included 445 volunteers aged between 18 to 24 years from both genders, and they were randomly selected. The target group of this study was the young generation, and they were chosen purposely because this approach allows this study not only to analyze the current situation on the Indian food market but also to provide recommendation and formulate a forecast. This study was conducted in three phase 5 preliminary studies, 3 pilot studies, and main experiment. The main experiment was conducted with two groups (each group of 150 participants). One group was from IIT Guwahati and other from Delhi University north campus, and the participants were from the different academic levels of UG and PG. Main reason to conduct this study with these two group was that the IITG represent a cosmopolitan population, where choices were limited, compared to the second group i.e. Delhi University (NC) which represent the metro city. To explore the role of design characteristics in mascots’ perception by young customers, it was decided to use Haldiram’s brand as an example. Several variations of mascots for this brand were developed during the preliminary studies. Eventually, it was found that the most efficient mascot for Haldiram was characterized by the Rajasthani origin and was associated with trust, taste, quality and ethnicity. The study deduces six features which might be embodied in mascots’ TH-1675_126105009 iv design: a reference to the place of origin, content, product’s emotion, trust, uniqueness and dynamics. The study Findings support for both theoretical and practical perspectives of new advertisement strategy. From the theoretical viewpoint, it fills a research gap by examining in detail the influence of brands’ design characteristics on the young generation of customers in India. From the perspective of practical applicability, it generates recommendations for marketers concerning the ways in which mascots can be effectively used in the Indian food industry. Keywords: mascot, food brand mascot, Indian food industry, design characteristics of mascots. TH-1675_126105009 v CONTENTS Declaration Certificate of Originality Acknowledgement i Abstract ii-iv Tables of Contents v-viii List of Figure ix-xiv List of Table xv-xvi CHAPTER - 1 INTRODUCTION: BRAND EXPLORATION WITH MASCOT INDIAN NEEDS 1-57 Chapter Overview 1 1.0 Introduction 2-3 1.1 Research Background 4-7 1.2 Motivation 8-9 1.3 An overview of literature review 9 1.3.1 Definition of Mascot, Its Main Features, and Classifications 9-23 1.3.2 Mascots in the Food Industry 23-27 1.3.3 Mascots in the Indian Food Industry 27-33 1.3.4 Perception of Food Brand Mascots by Consumers 33-36 1.3.5 Design Characteristics of Mascots 36-39 1.3.6 Case Studies 39-47 1.3.6.1 Ronald McDonald’s 39-43 1.3.6.2 Amul Girl 44-47 1.4 Lacuna/ Requiring areas 47-49 1.5 Problem Statement 49-52 1.6 Research Questions 52 1.7 Scope and relevant of present work 53 1.8 Hypothesis 53 1.9 Aim and Objectives 53 1.10 Expected outcome 54 TH-1675_126105009 vi 1.11 Flow diagram of overall study 54-55 1.12 Thesis Structure 56-57 CHAPTER-2 CONCEPTUALISING MASCOT TO INDIAN CONTEXT 58-101 Chapter Overview 58 2.0 Introduction 59 2.1 Participant 59 2.2 Design 60-62 2.3 Development of mascot strategy 63-75 2.3.1 Preliminary study (1): People associated the brand with its mascot 63-64 2.3.2 Preliminary study (2): Figurative mascot is the most preferred design 64-66 2.3.3 Preliminary study (3): Identify the level of popularity of Indian food brands 66-68 2.3.4 Preliminary study (4): Identify the need of mascot for Haldiram’s 68-70 2.3.5 Preliminary study (5): Proposed mascot design for Haldiram’s 70-76 2.4 Evaluation of mascot concepts 77-96 2.4.1 Pilot study-1 77-80 2.4.2 Pilot study-2 81-84 2.4.3 Pilot study-3 84-96 2.5 Assessment of Consumer Perception 97-100 2.6 Statistical Analysis 100 2.7 Conclusion 101 CHAPTER- 3 IDENTIFYING DESIGN ELEMENTS FOR MASCOT CONSTRUCTION 102-153 Chapter Overview 102 3.0 Introduction 103 3.1 Choices of IITG respondents regarding mascot forms and features for Haldiram’s 104 TH-1675_126105009 vii 3.1.1 Comparative analysis of the Cumulative preferences of the best and worst mascot forms by IITG respondents (5 Depts. taken collectively) 104-106 3.1.2 Comparative representation of the selection of three best/worst forms by the five departments of IITG respondents 107-109 3.1.3 Preferences of best and worst mascot forms and identification their contributing of features by IITG respondents (Department wise) 110-128 3.1.3.1 Preference of mascot features expressed by Mathematic Department respondents 110-113 3.1.3.2 Preference of mascot features expressed by Engineering Department respondents 114-116 3.1.3.3 Preference of mascot features expressed by Design Department respondents 117-119 3.1.3.4 Preference of mascot features expressed by Chemistry Department respondents 120-122 3.1.3.5 Preference of mascot features expressed by HSS Department respondents 123-125 3.1.4 Cumulative responses regarding forms of mascots and their contributing feature as per IITG respondents (All 5 Depts. taken together collectively) 126-128 3.2 Preferences of DU(NC) respondents regarding mascot forms and features for Haldiram’s 129 3.2.1 Comparative analysis of the Cumulative preferences of the best and worst mascot forms by DU(NC) respondents (5 Depts. taken collectively) 129-131 3.2.2. Comparative representation of the selection of three best/worst forms by the five departments of DU(NC) respondents 132-134 3.2.3. Preferences of best and worst mascot forms and identification their contributing of features by respondents of DU(NC) (Department wise) 135-152 3.2.3.1 Preference of mascot features expressed by B.COM Department respondents 135-137 3.2.3.2 Preference of mascot features expressed by Economics Department respondents 138-140 3.2.3.3 Preference of mascot features expressed by Mathematics Department respondents 141-143 3.2.3.4 Preference of mascot features expressed by Political Science Department respondents 144-146 3.2.3.5 Preference of mascot features expressed by Chemistry Department respondents 147-149 TH-1675_126105009 viii 3.2.4 Cumulative responses regarding forms of mascots and their contributing feature as per DU(NC) respondents (All 5 Depts. taken together collectively) 150-152 CHAPTER- 4 DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION 154-185 Chapter Overview 154 4.1 Discussion: identifying prominent elements for mascot construction 155-176 4.2 Salient Feature 176-178 4.3 Conclusion 178-179 4.4 Limitations 180 4.5 Future Scope 180 4.6 Summary 181-185 References 186-190 Appendices 191-210 Appendix A- Proposed Mascot Design for Haldiram’s 191-192 A(1) 18 Proposed Mascot Design for Haldiram’s 191 A(2) 15 Proposed Mascot Design for Haldiram’s 192 Appendix B- Questionnaires 193-204 B(1) Pilot Study-1 Questionnaires 193-195 B(2) Pilot Study-2 Questionnaires 196-198 B(3) Pilot Study-3 Questionnaires 199-201 B(4) Main Study-1 Questionnaires 202-204 Appendix C- Publications 205-210 TH-1675_126105009 ix List of Figures Figure 1: Markets and researchers consider other ways of promoting products in mordent market 03 Figure 2: Celebrity Endorses vs. Mascot Endorses (E. Kent, 2014) 04 Figure 3: The Usage of Captain Morgan Mascot in Social Media 05 Figure 4: (a) Mr. Ronald, (b) Colonel Sanders, (c) Duracell Bunny are the official mascots of MC Donald’s, KFC and Duracell 04 Figure 5: (a) Amul Girl, (b) Maharajah Air India, (c) Bholu, and (d) Parle G (mascot) were designed for engaging in a communication process with Indian consumers 07 Figure 6: An overview of the paradigm (Literature review) 09 Figure 7: Celebrity Endorses VS Mascot Endorses 11 Figure 8: Freddie, the Official Mascot of Mailchimp 13 Figure 9: Mr. Mucus, the Official Mascot of Mucinex 14 Figure 10: Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders and the Amul Girl are the example of Anthropomorphism categories 15 Figure 11: Geico example of Zoomorphism categories 16 Figure 12: Toilet Duck considered as metaphorical brand 17 Figure 13: Californian Raisins mascot helped the company to gain a huge 18 Figure 14: Die Coke Commercial with Jessica Rabbit ("Jessica Rabbit Diet Coke Commercial", 2008) 21 Figure 15: Coca-Cola's Print Ad with a Bear (Frazier, 2014) 22 Figure 16: Android, Google's Mascot for the Android Operational System 23 Figure 17: Marketing strategies of different food companies (a) McDonald’s prefers statues and life appearances, (b) Burger King mostly focused TV ads, (c) Amul Girl entirely focused on print ads 24 Figure 18: Hamburglar, the McDonald’s Mascot 25 Figure 19: Scoopie, the Official Culver's Mascot, giving pose with the different age group consumers 26 Figure 20: Amul Girl (Mascot), specifically created for the Indian Market 27 TH-1675_126105009 x Figure 21: Fido dido the Official 7-Up mascot 28 Figure 22: Popular personalities in the country (India), such as (a) Amitabh Bachan, (b) Madhuri Dixit, (c) Juhi Chawla endorse the food brand advertisement 29 Figure 23: The Role of Celebrities Endorses in the Motor Vehicle Industry and In the Food Industry in India (by Jain (2011) 29 Figure 24: Celebrities participated in numerous marketing campaigns; depending of social accents in cinema, their presents in advertisement are protractions 30 Figure 25: (a) Amul and (b) Parle-G print advertisement 32 Figure 26: Design characteristics of Parle- G girl and Amul girl mascot 32 Figure 27: KIA Hamsters (Zaleski, 2015) 34 Figure 28: Lemonhead, the Official Mascot of Stewie Griffin (Zaleski, 2015) 34 Figure 29: Mr. Opportunity, the Official Mascot of the Honda's Annual Clearance Event 35 Figure 30: Regularities regarding their affective and cognitive responses to mascots by Cote-Real, A. & Lencastre, P. (2009) 37 Figure 31: Ronald McDonald and Hrithik Roshan, the Bollywood star (Kannan, 2014) 40 Figure 32: First Ronald McDonald is a Vegetarian (Woensdaq, 2013) 41 Figure 33: Ronald McDonald's Statues in Thailand (Armstrong, 2012) 42 Figure 34: "Baby Ronald McDonald": an Indian advertisement 43 Figure 35: Amul Girl design characteristics 44 Figure 36: A Print Ad with the Amul Girl during the 2010 FIFA World Football Championship (Joshi, 2014) 45 Figure 37: Issues of research that led to think visual characteristics of mascot 50 Figure 38: The Influence of Mascots on Brands' Shareability 50 Figure 39: Wenlock and Mandeville, the Official mascots of theLondon 2012 Olympic Games 51 Figure 40: Research strategy followed in the thesis 54-55 TH-1675_126105009 xi Figure 41: Over all study layout 62 Figure 42: Consumer perception of the Amul Brand 63 Figure 43: Group (a) Colonel Sanders KFC mascot and group (b) Mr. Ronald MC Donald mascots 64 Figure 44: Selection of mascot design 65 Figure 45: Response Chart of mascot selection 66 Figure 46: Graph depicting Indian popular food brands among young customer 67 Figure 47: Haldiram’s restaurant pictures 68 Figure 48: Food brand with the mascot 68 Figure 49: Participants responded for the need to design a mascot for the Haldiram’s food brand 70 Figure 50: Proposed Haldiram’s Mascot designs 71 Figure 51: Feature Comparison Chart 76 Figure 52: Slides of mascot designs for pilot study -1 (see appendix A-1) 77 Figure 53: Pilot study- 1 Questionnaire (see appendix B-1) 78 Figure 54: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for best- supporting design in pilot study -1 79 Figure 55: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for not supporting design in pilot study -1 80 Figure 56: Slides of mascot designs for pilot study- 2 (see appendix A-1) 81 Figure 57: Pilot study- 2 Questionnaire (see appendix B-2) 81 Figure 58: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for best- supporting design in pilot study -2 83 Figure 59: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for not supporting design in pilot study -2 83 Figure 60: Slide of mascot designs for pilot study-3 (see appendix A-1) 85 Figure 61: Pilot study- 3 Questionnaire (see appendix B-3) 85 TH-1675_126105009 xii Figure 62: Best and worst mascot selection in pilot study -3 86 Figure 63: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for best- Supporting in pilot study -3 87 Figure 64: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for worst Supporting in pilot study -3 89 Figure 65: Four mascots design discarded from the display sheet 90 Figure 66: After Pilot study-3, Once again Feature comparison chart analysis 91 Figure 67: New mascot formed as per the feedback of volunteer 92 Figure 68: Character was designed and named Aapno Halwai 96 Figure 69: Respondents participated in main experiment 97 Figure 70: Diagram of assessment of consumer perception 98 Figure 71: Slide of 15 proposed mascot designs for main experiment (see appendix B-2) 99 Figure 72: Main study questionnaire (see appendix B-4) 100 Figure 73: Comparative representation of best mascot forms by the five departments of IITG 106 Figure 74: Selection of three best mascot forms by the five department of IITG respondents together 109 Figure 75: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Mathematics dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features 113 Figure 76: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Engineering dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features 116 Figure 77: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Design dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features 119 Figure 78: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Chemistry dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features 122 Figure 79: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from HSS Dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features 125 Figure 80: Collective preference of the five dept. of IITG respondents to the three best mascot forms and features 128 Figure 81: Comparative representation of best mascot forms by the five) department of DU (NC) 131 Figure 82: Selection of three best mascot forms by the five departments of DU (NC) respondents together 134 TH-1675_126105009 xiii Figure 83: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from B.COM dept. of DU (NC) for best mascot forms and features 137 Figure 84: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Economics dept. of DU (NC) for best mascot forms and features 140 Figure 85: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Mathematics dept. of DU (NC) for best mascot forms and features 143 Figure 86: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Political Sciences dept. of DU (NC) for the best mascots forms and features 146 Figure 87: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Chemistry dept. of DU (NC) for best mascot forms and features. 149 Figure 88: Collective preferences of the five depts. of DU (NC) respondents to the three best mascots forms and features 152 Figure 89:An Observation is seen that (1) Aapno Halwai, (2) Traditional and Exclusive, and (3) Best Cuisiner are most preferred mascot designs according to the data obtained from the five department participant 158 Figure 90: Section (A) Aapno Halwai had the greatest number of selections made from the five departments selecting it was the best mascot design and section (B) The section of the design with the worst appearance according to rankings had Disney style, Cartoon Style, Young Cuisiner. 159 Figure 91: Aapno Halwai and Traditional & Exclusive 160 Figure 92: Worst mascot Lacking design element. 160 Figure 93: Physical characteristics of the mascot scored highest rank at department level 163 Figure 94: Collective preferences of form and features (Best mascot) 165 Figure 95: The young generation is highly attracted to the physical form and the color of the mascot compared to the other factor 166 Figure 96: Worst mascot according to the Delhi University participant (a) Chubby and Cute Chef, (b) Passion of Tradition, (c) Rajasthani Halwai 167 Figure 97: Three best mascots (1) Best Cuisiner, (2) Aapno Halwai, (3) Traditional and Exclusive chosen by various department participant DU (NC) 168 Figure 98: Emphasizing physical characteristics 169 Figure 99: Worst mascots (a) Cartoon Style, (b) Promise of Quality, (c) Disney Style forms according to the department of DU (NC) 170 Figure 100: Worst mascot ignored some extent of Physical feature, Design feature, Color feature 171 Figure 101: Finding of Best and Worst mascot 172 TH-1675_126105009 xiv Figure 102: shows comparative conclusion 173 Figure 103: Study deuces six features which should be embodied in mascots’ design 178 TH-1675_126105009 xv List of Tables Table 1: The Comparison of Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorses and Mascots Endorses in the Field of Social Media 11 Table 2: Preliminary study- 2 response table 65 Table 3: Indian food brand rating 67 Table 4: Customers Attitude towards food brand 67 Table: 5 Participant responded for the need of mascot for Haldiram’s food brand 69 Table 6: Features Comparison table 72-74 Table 7: Criteria for best supporting design 78 Table 8: Criteria for not supporting design 79 Table 9: Best and worst mascot design 82 Table 10: Best mascot design feature selection 82 Table 11: Data for not supporting design 83 Table 12: Data for not supporting design 87 Table 13: Worst mascot design data 88 Table 14: Choice of three best /worst mascot forms by various depts. of IITG 108 Table 15: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Mathematics Dept. of IITG 112 Table 16: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Engineering Dept. of IITG 115 Table 17: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Design Dept. of IITG 118 Table 18: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Chemistry Dept. of IITG 121 Table: 19 Choice of best and worst mascot features by HSS Dept. of IITG 124 Table 20: Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of five departments of IITG 127 TH-1675_126105009 xvi Table 21: Choice of 3 best / worst mascot forms by the respondents of various departments of DU (NC) 133 Table 22: Choice of best and worst mascot features by B.COM dept. of DU (NC) 136 Table 23: Choice of best and worst mascot feature by Economics dept. of DU (NC) 139 Table 24: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Mathematics dept. of DU (NC) 142 Table 25: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Political Science dept. of DU (NC) 145 Table 26: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Chemistry dept. of DU (NC) 148 Table 27: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Five depts. of DU (NC) 151 TH-1675_126105009 1 Chapter Overview The chapter provides a detailed view on the brand mascots in the Indian food industry and explains the research strategy of this study. It describes the research background, explains the research strategy and study motivation, identifies the main features and characteristics of mascot, determines the specifics of their usage in the food sector, specifies the unique aspects of the Indian food brand mascots, explains their perception by customers and lists the main approaches towards designing mascots. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION BRAND EXPLORATION WITH MASCOT AND INDIAN NEEDS TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 2 1.0 Introduction The globalization processes have significantly changed the nature of international marketing. Customers gradually become more immune to advertising as various companies use similar marketing strategies and mechanisms. As a result, the effectiveness of conservative advertising instruments is under decrease. This argument may be illustrated with the example of banner ads. According to the study conducted in 2013, only around 2.8% of respondents considered banner ads as relevant for them. Moreover, only around 14% of them were able to recall the last display they saw with the specific brand or product that was supposed to be promoted (Hemphill, 2015). The phenomena of banner blindness and other manifestations of the fact that customers become immune to conservative forms of advertising make marketers and researchers consider other ways of promoting products in modern markets shown in figure 1. Domazet, Zubovic & Jelocnik (2010) claim that relationship marketing is now one of the main sources of competitive advantage. Its focus on building long-term relationships with customers provides a possibility for ensuring a stable development of the company and a stable demand for specific brands and products. Naturally, relationship marketing requires specific advertising mechanisms which are different from the mechanisms that are used in traditional marketing. Marketers try not just to promote some products or services, but to ensure a high level of brand recognition which will eventually result in a high level of customer loyalty. A high level of brand recognition sometimes can be achieved with the help of some specific things or figures that are directly associated with the brand. For instance, some companies prefer using the instrument of celebrity endorsement as celebrities’ positive features can be subconsciously transferred to the brand. However, this instrument has several flaws. Firstly, it is quite expensive. Secondly, a deterioration of celebrities’ reputation may have negative consequences on the brand’s image. Therefore, as Kalb (2012) points out, some companies choose the instrument of mascots instead of celebrity endorses. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 3 Figure 1: Markets and researchers consider other ways of promoting products in mordent market TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 4 1.1 Research Background Mascot is “an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck” (Dictionary.com, 2016). In marketing, mascots are commonly used for helping consumers to connect with the specific brand or company and to create long-term customer loyalty. E. Kent (2014) reveals results of the study which illustrates that mascot are more effective in marketing campaigns than celebrity endorses shown in figure 2. Although mascots are used in various industries, it is admissible to claim that food brands tend to use mascots more often than brands in most of other sectors. Such mascots as Mr. Ronald or Colonel Sanders are well-known across the world and they contribute significantly to the brand recognition of McDonald’s and KFC. The impact of mascots in the food sector is substantial. First of all, it has a high stopping power potential. While, as stated above, people tend to be immune to conventional forms of advertising with the images of products and random people, the possibility of them paying increased attention to some unusual characters or figures that represent the brand is surely higher. Secondly, as in the case with celebrity endorses, positive features of mascots can be transferred to the products. Thirdly, a suitable mascot can increase customers’ awareness of the brand’s features and ensure brand’s holistic perception. For example, the image of a typical pirate Figure 2: Celebrity Endorses vs. Mascot Endorses (E. Kent, 2014) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 5 contributes to the brand recognition of the “Captain Morgan” rum. The figure 3 demonstrates a typical example of mascot’s usage in social media. From the perspective of the brand, mascots work like a trademark of the brand. Through a mascot, consumers recognize the product or the brand. Kleppner (1996) claims that mascot provides the friendliness of an actual personality. Thereby, it creates an emotional tie between the consumer and the character (Zacher, 1967). The mascot can create promotional continuity across advertising campaigns and brands in a product line. Mascot’s effect is evident when mascot keeps showing on ads and representing the specific brand which results in a high level of product identification. Product line continuity implies that mascot can provide continuity across brands in a product line. This can result in cumulative publicity which may eventually help to sell the brand (Strasser, 1989). The mascot can also provide continuity over time (Phillips, 1996). This makes consumers have a deeper impression of the link between mascot and the brand. The design and implementation of the mascot are imperative to its success. In the case of a fast food industry, mascots are especially important because they often imply children and their mothers as a significant part of the target audience. Surely, this group of customers often tends to positively respond to mascots while traditional forms of advertising usually don’t have a substantial Figure 3: The Usage of Captain Morgan Mascot in Social Media TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 6 impact on them. Finally, the fourth dimension of mascots’ effectiveness lies in the field of memorability. Memorable Mascots ensure a high level of brand recognition because mascot’s features help customers to remember brand’s main features and characteristics. It is important to emphasize that mascots are an important marketing instrument which is considered by specialists to have a substantial potential from the perspective of ensuring reliable brand recognition. However, sometimes the power of brands even goes beyond marketing. The study designed by V. Kraak & M. Story (2014) deduces an evident influence of food companies’ brand mascots on children’s diet and health. So, it is admissible to claim that an efficient usage of mascots in the food industry can lead not only to marketing success but also to visible cultural transformations in the society. The current study is investigated to the research of the young generation’s perception of mascots in the Indian food industry. It is important to point out that the target audience of this study is composed of people aged between 18 and 24 years old. In light of the research goal, it seems logical to distinguish a well-known classification of mascots that is relevant for India. Experts tend to divide mascots into the two groups. The first group is represented by international mascots. For instance, the figure 4 shows Mr. Ronald, Colonel Sanders, and Duracell Bunny are the official mascots of McDonald’s, KFC and Duracell in all the countries including India. Figure 4: (a) Mr. Ronald, (b) Colonel Sanders, (c) Duracell Bunny are the Official mascots of MC Donald’s, KFC and Duracell TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 7 These mascots are supposed to be neutral and be suitable for any customer in any country. While this approach simplifies marketing campaigns, it may lead to negative consequences because Indian customers and American or European consumers may sometimes perceive mascots in very different ways due to cultural differences between them. In contrast, the second group is represented by mascots which are designed specifically for the Indian market. In the figure no 5, Amul Girl, Maharajah Air India, Bholu and Parle G-Girl, can barely be successful worldwide because they were designed for engaging in a communication process with Indian consumers In any case, while analyzing Indian food mascots, it is crucial to recognize this classification because mascots which appear in the global scenario and mascots which appear in the national scenario usually promote their brands in line with substantially different marketing strategies. Figure 5: (a) Amul Girl, (b) Maharajah Air India, (c) Bholu, and (d) Parle G (mascot) were designed for engaging in a communication process with Indian consumers TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 8 1.2 Motivation The sphere of marketing has always been fascinating for me. Considering that I see myself as an entrepreneur in the restaurants business in several years, this field is certainly crucial for my future. Unfortunately, I find it very hard to learn the most effective marketing instruments because global changes in the modern world make a lot of marketing techniques and forms of advertising obsolete. The phenomenon of banner blindness mentioned in the previous paragraph is a bright example of this statement. Accordingly, it is substantial for a young entrepreneur to be able to distinguish effective marketing instruments from the outdated mechanisms which were only effective in the 20th century. In addition, globalization processes should also be considered as a factor that negatively influences the effectiveness of many marketing instruments. Although the American and Indian markets have some differences, mostly from the perspective of consumers’ mentality and cultural features of the societies, companies tend to implement similar marketing campaigns in both these markets. In this situation, it seems logical for me as a future entrepreneur to recognize the best ways of implementing marketing campaigns and to distinguish those marketing approaches which are not effective and efficient anymore. As stated above, it is barely justified to rely on situational marketing and traditional forms of advertising at the moment. Ensuring a stable public demand on products or services usually requires building a reliable system of relationship marketing aimed at creating and maintaining long-term relationships with customers. In my opinion, celebrity endorses and mascots are the most obvious ways of strengthening the brand recognition and increasing the stopping power of the brand’s advertising. Considering that celebrity endorses are quite expensive for young entrepreneurs, mascots seem to be the essential component of my marketing campaigns in the future. This is the main reason why I have chosen this research problem. Indeed, researching Indian food mascots, their features and effectiveness is supposed not only to have a certain theoretical value but also to imply a substantial practical applicability which may be used by me in the future when I TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 9 decide to start my restaurant. Thus, as a conclusion, it is admissible to emphasize that, although the problem of Indian food mascots has a certain scientific interest for me, my motivation of conducting this investigation is mostly based on practical considerations. I hope that the survey which would be conducted in line with this research would become a peculiar starting point for my business while I design a mascot for my restaurant. 1.3 An overview of Literature review Figure 6 shows broad area of research started. Figure 6: An overview of the paradigm (literature review) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 10 1.3.1 Definition of Mascot, its Main Features and Classifications Finding a precise definition of a mascot is a complicated task because various specialists tend to give various meanings to this notion. Phillips (1996) points out that the overwhelming majority of definitions of the notion “mascot” don’t help to draw a clear line between mascots, characters, icons and spokes- creatures. Creating a logo with some random animal or some fictional figure which has nothing in common with the brand’s identity should be understood as a stage of the process of mascot’s creation. In order to become a mascot, this figure or animal should have some character, background history and unique features. In other words, it should be not static, but dynamic. However, there is still no agreement among specialists regarding the degree to which a figure or a character should be “alive” in order to be considered a mascot. For instance, there is a common opinion among specialists that any animated figure may be perceived as a mascot. At the same time, other experts argue that a simple act of animation is not enough. According to Spears & Germain, the mascot inventory “includes humans, super-humans, extraterrestrials, deities, demons, dinosaurs, monsters, specters, cyborgs, androids and all sorts of ordinarily inanimate objects such as rocks, ropes, rolling pins and root vegetables” (Brown & Cabe, 2014). However, it is very important to accent that “ordinarily inanimate” objects should be animated to be considered mascots. The logo of Apple Inc. cannot be identified as a mascot. However, if company’s managers had decided to add some human parts to this apple for some reason and to make it “alive,” this “apple” would have become a popular mascot. Mascot vs. Celebrity endorsement It was already stated above that the nature of mascot’s work can be compared to celebrity endorses. Both these marketing instruments are aimed at increasing public demand on certain products or services through the creation of a strong connection between the figure (mascot or celebrity) and the brand. Surprisingly, despite the fact that celebrity endorses are much more expensive than mascots, mascots proved to be more effective. The table 1 illustrate the TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 11 effectiveness of mascots in the field of social media in comparison with celebrity endorses. As it may be deduced from this table 1, a smart usage of mascot endorses is even more effective than celebrity endorses while it is certainly far less expensive. All the celebrities aside from Danica Patrick have generated insignificant brand’s buzzes in social media while only Tony the Tiger has generated brand buzz which is less than in the case of other celebrities. In figure 7 (below) which represents results of the same study is even more demonstrative. Celebrities Mascots Celebrity Endorser % of Total Brand’s Buzz in Social Media Mascot Endorser % of Total Brand’s Buzz in Social Media Danica Patrick (GoDaddy) 12.72% Doughboy (Pillsbury) 22.14% Rihanna (Cover Girl) 3.19% Duck (Aflac) 11.82% LeBron James (Nike) 1.73% Flo (Progressive) 6.85% Alec Baldwin (Capital One) 1.36% Gecko (Geico) 6.15% Jennifer Aniston (Smart Water) 0.32% Tony the Tiger (Frosted Flakes) 0.59% Table 1: The Comparison of Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorses and Mascots Endorses in the Field of Social Media Figure 7: Celebrity Endorses VS Mascot Endorses (retrieved from http://venngage.com /blog/ shocking-stats-about-mascots-vs-celebrities/) (Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/socialties/mascots-generate-more-social-media-buzz-for-brands-than- celebritites-study-reveals/130185) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 12 Main features of effective mascots Now it is logical to explore the aspect of mascot’s main features. Although this issue was partially explained in the research background of this study, this aspect requires more attention in the literature review. There are nine elements of effective mascots which make them successful. In particular, they should be memorable, recognizable, original, flexible to adapt and adjust, stylistically harmonic, applicable for diverse tasks, looking good in various sizes and resolutions, lively and user-friendly. They are also supposed to represent a consistent character with its characteristics and image. P. Isola, J. Xiao, A. Torralba & A. Oliva (2011) put forward an argument that people usually tend to remember actual images longer than some abstract ones. Furthermore, characters which reflect human-like features are supposed to be especially memorable. In line with this conclusion, it seems natural that one of the main advantages of mascots is their high memorability potential. At the same time, marketers should put a lot of effort into making mascots unique. A standard character with human-like features will be barely an effective mascot. It should be bright and unforgettable. Thus, it is admissible to claim that the first feature of successful mascots is memorability. Aside from being memorable, an effective mascot should also be recognizable. G. Moran (2007) assumes that recognizability is one of the substantial requirements for mascots. In other words, a mascot not only has to be memorable, but it also has to be recognized as a mascot of the specific brand. If a mascot is not recognizable, consumers may fail to recall which product or service it represents. The aspect of originality seems to be obvious. Without being original, a mascot does not have a chance to become memorable and recognizable. At the same time, marketers should be attentive with this requirement and try to avoid a common mistake of making a mascot “too original.” The example of the official mascots of the London 2012 Olympic Games, Wenlock, and Mandeville, illustrate an argument that sometimes actually unique mascots can fail to deliver a message to the target audience. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 13 The fourth requirement for effective mascots, flexibility to adapt and adjust, is very important for the current study because it implies that international mascots must be able to adjust to the Indian market’s specifics. As M. Polizzi (2016) explains, this requirement is derivative from a general recommendation for modern marketers to make brand identity more flexible. He argues that new brands “must create diverse experiences and interactions.” Accordingly, mascots should create diverse experiences and interactions too. They should manifest themselves in a static state in print ads; they are recommended to have their pages on Instagram and Twitter, and they need to be able to communicate with different groups of consumers which are of different ages, interests, and nationalities. Freddie, the famous mascot which represents Mailchimp, appeals at various contexts as it may be seen in figure 8, below. An axiom that mascots need to be stylistically, harmonic entails a hard work of marketers who must create attractive images of a figure which contributes to the brand recognition. A particular classification of these features will be presented in the third part of this literature review. Thus, it seems unreasonable to go into detail about this question here. While mascots need to be stylistically harmonic and consistent with the brand’s identity, they should also apply to various tasks. The figure above illustrates how a single mascot can be used for communication with different groups of consumers. A flexibility mentioned above may be effectively used for ensuring that a mascot can be used in various marketing campaigns Figure 8: Freddie, the Official Mascot of Mailchimp TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 14 including print ads, social media, TV or sometimes even face-to-face communication with children. To achieve this aim, marketers, and graphic designers need to be sure that their mascot looks good in various sizes and resolutions. A mascot is also supposed to look friendly. It might seem that sometimes markets should consciously make a repulsive mascot as an example of something that a proposed product can overcome. However, the empirical evidence gives a compelling reason to claim that this opinion is erroneous. A bright confirmation of this statement is Mr. Mucus shown in figure 9, which was a mascot of Mucinex M. Russel (2012) published results of the survey which identified Mr. Mucus as the second most disliked mascot. As she explained, the fact that he didn’t look friendly turned off a lot of consumers. Considering that the current study is focused on food mascots, it seems relevant to mention that the most disliked mascot in this study was Burger King. Although this character was capable in the past, ineffective marketing campaigns and a weird slogan “Wake up with the King” turned a successful mascot into a negative factor for the brand’s image. Finally, the last requirement for effective mascots implies that mascots need to be consistent figures with their features. Considering that mascots are commonly used in various elements of branding and content strategy, it seems natural that they need to be consistent. Creating unique features of a mascot is considered by Figure 9: Mr. Mucus, the Official Mascot of Mucinex TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 15 specialists as a right decision because it is supposed to contribute to the mascot’s memorability and recognizability. However, in this situation, marketers need to be attentive and not to endow mascots with some weird features. In the case, as mentioned above of the Burger King, this mascot demonstrated a distinctly strange behavior in the last video ads. Almost 60% of the respondents from the survey presented by M. Russel (2012) considered Burger King’s habits to look at sleeping people and to stalk young women as creepy. Typology of Mascots In order to conduct a quality study on mascots, it is important to understand their classifications. In addition to the typology as mentioned earlier which implies dividing mascots into national and international, there is also a theory designed by Brown (2011) that distinguishes three types of mascots’ personification. By this theory, these categories are anthropomorphism, zoomorphism, and teramorphism. Anthropomorphism is a popular approach that entails creating human-like mascots. Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders and the Amul Girl (an Indian origin) (figure.10) are bright examples of such category of characters. This group is the most popular among marketers because human-like mascots have a better chance at achieving customers’ association with the character and conveying an intention to buy some product or service. Zoomorphism positions mascots as animals with their characters and backstories. Geico is one of the most successful mascots in the group shown in figure 11. Figure 10: Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders and the Amul Girl are the example of Anthropomorphism categories TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 16 However, the available evidence gives a premise to assume that zoomorphism is barely an effective approach in the food industry. Animals and restaurants rarely harmonize because the existence of animals in restaurants clearly is a sign of unsanitary. If Geico had become a mascot for McDonald’s or Amul, it would have probably ended up in a failure because customers would have barely liked to associate restaurants, where they eat, with geckos. The last category of mascots which are based on teramorphism is represented by a large group of characters that have nothing in common with both humans and animals. These mascots derive from some objects associated with the brand. In the case of the food industry, mascots based on teramorphism can be various. “Alive” hamburgers or milkshakes with their specific backstories might have a strong potential to influence customers’ opinions. However, managing teramorphism mascots require substantial marketing experience and solid professional expertise. There is a significant risk that customers will not associate these mascots with the brand. For instance, it happened with Wenlock and Mandeville mentioned above. These characters were typical examples of teramorphism mascots. Unfortunately, the objects which they were based on had nothing in common with the London 2014 Summer Olympic Games. As a result, specialists agreed on their low efficacy as the Olympics’ representatives. Figure 11: Geico example of Zoomorphism categories TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 17 Classification of Brand mascots Another interesting classification of brand mascots, which was also designed by Brown (2011), explains the types of their figurative relationships with the brands. The scholar identified metaphorical, metonymical and simple groups. Metaphorical brands are a peculiar embodiment of the brands. They demonstrate a high level of products’ efficacy and enrich products with new features. Such mascots, as in figure 12, Toilet Duck can be considered a metaphorical brand because it is a “life” version of the corresponding products. In the food industry, these examples are relatively rare. Considering that the primary function of the food product is to be eaten by a customer, metaphorical mascots would have been demonstrated a desire to be eaten. Although it might seem appropriate to some teramorphism characters, this approach may be considered ineffective in the sector under investigation. Metonymical brand mascots are endorsers. While comparing mascots with celebrity endorses in the previous paragraph, the main focus was on this exact type of mascots. Ronald McDonald, the Amul Girl, Colonel Sanders, the Parle-G Girl are all examples of metonymical mascots. In the food industry, this group of brand’s embodiments is the most famous mascots’ group. This approach provides flexibility for marketers. They can use metonymical mascots in print ads, in social media, in life appearances, and in TV ads. At the same time, metaphorical mascots are much less convenient in marketing. Finally, the last category, simile mascots, is usually determined as the least lasting. Indeed, such brands’ embodiments as the Californian Raisins can barely represent a brand for a long time. But they can be Figure12: Toilet Duck considered as metaphorical brand TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 18 effective during a short period. In the case of the Californian Raisins (figure 13), they helped the company to gain a huge popularity as singing raisins were perceived as a sensation in 1986. Distinguishes twelve types of mascots on the basic of the roles which they play and images which they create. The classifications above divide mascots into different categories independence on their physical characteristics. However, aside from physical characteristics, it is also critical to recognize the emotions conveyed by brands’ embodiments. The study conducted by D. van Hoolwerf (2014) distinguishes twelve types of mascots by the roles which they play and images which they create. These groups are caregivers, jesters, heroes, explorers, creators, regular guys, rulers, lovers, outlaws, magicians, innocent mascots and SAGE mascots. Hero mascots convey the emotions of courage, self-confidence, and power. Brands with these mascots are usually very ambitious and try to aggressively capture new markets or significant shares of the existing markets. As the scholar points out, these brands also often participate in various social events, in which their mascots play an important social role that goes beyond the promotion of products or services. The efficacy of this type of brand mascots is usually connected with the way in which they challenge customers. For instance, Nike challenges customers to run an extra Figure 13: Californian Raisins mascot helped the company to gain a huge popularity TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 19 mile with their new sneakers. In a similar way, every “hero” mascot must challenge potential customers to achieve something with their products. If this challenge is not relevant to customers, the marketing campaign with a “hero” mascot will inevitably end up in a failure. Caregiver mascots convey the emotions of empathy and compassion. Such brands’ embodiments also provide an excellent opportunity to participate in social projects, especially in charity events, to emphasize the caregiving nature of the brand. Van Nistelrooij (2012) points out that caregiving brands are usually characterized by anthropomorphic figures with open postures. In the food industry, a caregiving mascot can hardly be effective. However, in the medical industry, it has some high potential. Jester brands and, accordingly, jester mascots are focused on the bright side of life and try to maintain an optimistic approach in their marketing campaigns. An intention to bring joy and happiness may be very effective, although some people might find it annoying and insincere. Mark & Pearson (2001) claim that the most important factor of jester mascots’ effectiveness is their connection with the surroundings. In other words, if mascots’ gaiety is not reasonable as it is not caused by the current situation, there is a high chance that customers will find it unjustified. Like caregiver mascots, jester mascots also are always pictured with open postures and cheerful gestures. In the food industry, jester mascots are popular because they convey a hidden message that eating the specific food brings joy to people. Explorer mascots are a very unusual marketing instrument. They are usually used to motivate customers to think about significant problems, to understand themselves and to recognize their actual needs. Of course, in the food industry, these mascots cannot be used. The only field in which explorer brands and explorer mascots might be useful is some educational or motivational products and services. While explorer brands significantly differ from caregiver or jester brands, explorer mascots have a lot in common with caregiver and jester brands. They are all usually created with open poses and cheerful gestures. The only factor different between their design characteristics is various surroundings. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 20 Creator brands are focused on conveying self-expression and maintaining imagination. Interestingly, as Van Hoolwerf (2014) points out, creator mascots should be small and unrealistic. Lego mascot is an example of creator mascot as it motivates children to be creative and to compose new forms out of Lego components. A mandatory requirement for creator mascots is to be unusual. Interestingly, this unusualness can be manifested in various ways. It is not necessary to create unique mascots like Wenlock and Mandeville because there is a high risk that a connection between them and their brand will be slight. Sometimes a unique mascot or unique logo can be created on the basis of a non-unique object like in the case of Apple Inc. Regular guy mascots represent brands which are accessible to anybody. As a rule, such brands don’t have a narrow target audience and try to communicate to society as a whole, not only to some social groups. The image of a regular guy helps people to feel the usefulness of the products and the brand’s popularity. Requirements for regular guy mascots imply regular outfits, familiar gestures and poses and typical behavior. In other words, these characters should not be doing anything that is not typical for a current society. In the food industry, this approach may be useful for supermarket chains like Big Bazaar that try to emphasize their mass character. The ruler mascot is aimed at helping customers to gain leadership. It is critical to emphasize that ruler mascots don’t necessarily need to be rulers. Moreover, most of the ruler characters in branding are not ruler mascots. For instance, Burger King, a well-known personage of TV ads, is not a ruler mascot because he doesn’t help customers to gain leadership, only to satisfy their hunger. Most of the ruler brands don’t have mascots because having mascots may be considered inconsistent with the signals they send to customers. However, in case they exist, ruler mascots are characterized by an attempt to convey solidity and strength. Most of these brands’ embodiments are anthropomorphic mascots with open poses and attributes of power and success. In the food industry, ruler brands are rare. Nevertheless, it is possible that ruler mascots, created for some elite restaurants, may demonstrate solid marketing efficacy. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 21 While ads based on characters’ sex appeal are very popular in modern marketing, this aspect is not widely covered by mascots. Indeed, it seems that there is no evident sense in creating a lover mascot when it is possible to film an advertisement with celebrities. However, sometimes, lover mascots are used in ads, although their appearances are relatively rare. In the food industry, one of the brightest examples of using this type of mascots in marketing was the appearance of Jessica Rabbit in McDonald’s and Die Coke’s commercials, shown in figure 14 (“Jessica Rabbit Diet Coke Commercial”, 2008). At the same time, an identification of Jessica Rabbit as the “lover character” in the case of these commercials may be disputed because this character is rather perceived as a popular cartoon personage. An outlaw mascot is probably the most interesting mascot from the perspective of the problem under investigation because its design characteristics significantly differ from all the other mascots’ groups. Mark & Pearson (2001) emphasize that outlaw mascots are characterized by an unrealistic nature, asymmetric forms, closed postures and very aggressive outwards. There are peculiarly rebellious, anarchist characters that do not meet any social rules. Brands which create outlaw mascots are created for those people who appreciate freedom and independence. Accordingly, design characteristics of such mascots should demonstrate their avulsion from the surroundings. An aggressive nature of outlaw mascots makes them unique in comparison with all the other eleven mascots’ groups. Figure 14: Die Coke Commercial with Jessica Rabbit ("Jessica Rabbit Diet Coke Commercial", 2008) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 22 Magician mascots aim to capture the “magical moment” of a transition guaranteed by the product or service. They are also unrealistic, but their unrealisticness should not be aggressive or rebellious. On the contrary, van Hoolwerf (2014) recommends marketers to consider magician mascots as “good wizards” that help customers to realize their dreams. In marketing, magician mascots are rare. It is more common to focus on the results of a transition rather in the process. It might seem that the food industry is a great sphere for using this type of mascots because the process of tasting food can be potentially illustrated with the help of some anthropomorphic mascots. But, in fact, there are no famous examples of magician mascots in the food industry at the moment. Like regular guy mascots reviewed above, innocent mascots are also created for brands which produce products and services for various social groups. The distinction of innocent mascots is that they are usually represented by zoomorphic or teramorphic characters. Mark & Pearson (2001) points out that domesticated animals such as dogs and cats are the most suitable candidates for innocent mascots because they convey trust and kindness. On the other hand, there are plenty of cases which demonstrate that non-domesticated can also be successful innocent mascots. In figure 15, a well-known Coca-Cola Bear is a convincing confirmation of this statement (Frazier, 2014). Figure 15: Coca-Cola's Print Ad with a Bear (Frazier, 2014) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 23 Finally, the last type of mascots independence on their emotional characteristics is Sage mascots. Like explorer brands, Sage brands are intellectual brands which are focused on achievements and innovations. But while explorer brands rather sell educational products and services, Sage brands sell goods and services which embody the innovations. A perfect example of a SAGE mascot would be a cyborg who would promote a company that design cyborg parts for a human body. At the moment, most of the innovations are concentrated in the technology industry, and a lot of them are connected with such brands as Google, Apple or Intel. Accordingly, their mascots are supposed to be the most prominent examples of SAGE mascots. They should embody innovations and an intention to change the world. An Android character is an interesting figure 16 which is relevant in our case. While being a teramorphic character, it has a unique appearance which embodies an innovational vector of development. 1.3.2 Mascots in the Food Industry Using mascots in the food industry is considered by specialists to be an effective marketing strategy. The overwhelming majority of articles on this problem are dedicated to the fast food sector. As C. Suddath notes, “How do you advertise enormous hamburgers and buckets of fried chicken when that's just going to remind Figure 16: Android, Google's mascot for the Android Operational System TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 24 people that they're not supposed to eat large hamburgers and buckets of fried chicken? You get a funny mascot to do it for you” (Lutz, 2015). As in other industries, the fast food sector uses mascots to build relationships with consumers on a more personal level. Also, fast food chains actively employ mascots in their marketing activities because mascots are usually positively perceived by children. Thus, it seems reasonable that the phenomenon of brand mascots plays a significant role in food industries across the world. The usage of brand mascots in the food industry varies significantly in dependence on the specifics case. There are not a lot of universal rules which apply to all the food brand mascots. On the one hand, it may seem that food brand mascots are supposed to be focused on food and not be involved in any social projects like it sometimes happens with Sage or explorer mascots. On the other hand, there is the case of the Amul Girl that participated in various social projects and events. This mascot was even involved in some religious conflicts in India which will be discussed below. The spheres in which food companies use mascots also vary. McDonald’s prefers life appearances while the Amul Girl is entirely focused on print ads. At the same time, the Burger King is mostly famous for its TV ads, shown in figure 17. So, as may be observed, marketing strategies of different food companies predetermine the fields in which they use mascots. In other spheres, it can be stated that some similarities take place. In particular, the available evidence provides a Figure 17: Marketing strategies of different food companies (a) McDonald’s prefers statues and life appearances, (b) Burger King mostly focused TV ads, (c) Amul Girl entirely focused on print ads TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 25 compelling reason to state that most of the food mascots are anthropomorphic and they are usually pictured in symmetric and cheerful postures. Interestingly, at the moment, experts identify an interesting trend that food companies bring back their mascots. For instance, a well-known Burger King character appeared in a set of TV ads and appearances. Indeed, as stated above, the main reason for this tendency lies in the area of unhealthy food. People’s awareness in this field is increasing. D. Kline (2016) explains that fast-food companies like McDonald’s or Burger King try now to make their products healthier by making changes in their menus. However, this process will take a lot of time which may be accompanied by declined revenues. In this situation, mascots help to reduce financial losses connected with implementing this transition. They simultaneously awaken nostalgic feelings among old customers who feel an emotional attachment to old mascots and to speak to young customers who may pay increased attention to those brands which use celebrities or mascots. In other words, a wide usage of mascots in modern food industries in many countries is rather a temporary measure. It is not aimed at creating long-term competitive advantages. It is very important to emphasize that employment of mascots doesn’t only boil down to print or online media. Indeed, the most famous mascots in the food industry, such as the Burger King, the Colonel Sanders or the Hamburglar (figure 18), are mostly focused on participating in national marketing campaigns and engaging customers through social media. Figure 18: Hamburglar, the McDonald’s Mascot TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 26 However, some other brands also use different strategies where mascots become actually “alive” and take part in various social events. For example, Scoopie, the smiling custard cone that represents Culver, often participates in holidays, children’s birthdays and parties. As Mary Schulter, the marketing, and communications manager of Culver, points out, “It’s amazing the impact a mascot has on people. Adults and children respond with huge smiles and curiosity. Scoopie, who is often recognized by kids, parents, and grandparents, works well with” (Kneiszel, 2015). The usage of Scoopie in Culver’s marketing provides interesting insights on the rules of using mascots by brands in the modern food industry, shown in figure 19. M. Schulter claims that modern food brands should create mascots that express their thoughts through actions, not roles. If a mascot start talking, it may break a peculiar “spell” around its image. However, if it moves and gesticulates, but not talks, the image of a “fairy tale character” might be preserved. At the same time, naturally, if a mascot cannot talk, this fact significantly complicates its communication with consumers. Therefore, M. Schulter recommends always having an individual near a mascot that will be responsible for communication. This individual is supposed to listen to customers’ questions and “translate” mascots’ response from the language of gestures and actions into words. First of all, it makes the process of communicating with mascots more interesting. Secondly, it makes Scoopie or some Figure 19: Scoopie, the Official Culver's Mascot, giving pose with the different age group consumers TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 27 other brand’s representative look friendly. This is especially important considering that a lot of mascots are big. Accordingly, having a friendly individual near these mascots encourages children not to be afraid of them (Kneiszel, 2015). 1.3.3 Mascots in the Indian Food Industry The power of mascots in Indian advertising is significant in comparison with other countries. It cannot be stated that mascots are better perceived in India than in all the other countries in the world because there is no available evidence on this issue. However, it can be claimed that the usage of mascots in India is more effective than the usage of mascots in the US. The reason of this regularity lies in the area of Indian culture and Indians’ mentality which are unique. In order to engage Indian customers into a communication process with effective advertising, a mascot should possess some Indian features. For instance, the most well-known mascot in the Indian food industry is shown in figure 20 as the Amul Girl, was specifically created for the Indian market which is obvious from its design. Thus, despite the slogan on the ad below, the Amul Girl’s success can barely be duplicated in the US as this mascot does not represent any features of the US culture. B. Maalish (2012) analyzes the trends in Indian advertising during the last century. As he explains, a rapid development of the Indian economy led to an Figure 20: Amul Girl (Mascot), specifically created for the Indian Market TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 28 appearance of many mascots in the middle of the 20th century. In particular, specifically in the food industry, it may be admissible to mention the Amul Girl and Fido, which represented 7-Up in figure 21. After a certain period, the effectiveness of mascots in the country started to decline. Of course, it didn’t concern all the food brand mascots. Some of them continued to be successful in bringing numerous customers to their brands. Nevertheless, the general marketing trends across the country provided a compelling reason to claim that this marketing instrument has lost a substantial part of its attractiveness for consumers. Celebrity endorses over mascots (in the food industry) In this situation, Indian companies turned to a popular Western strategy of using celebrity endorsements. As B. Maalish (2012) notes, “We also lived in a time when there was no argument regarding the fact that a celebrity can make or break a brand”. A recognition given to a celebrity that promoted a product was sometimes even more substantial than the product itself. Celebrities were believed to transfer their success, personality and even fan groups to the brand. Creating great brand awareness, sustaining the brand image, ensuring product association, and reviving brand image seemed to be strong arguments for choosing celebrity endorses over mascots. Figure 21: Fido dido the Official 7-Up mascot TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 29 As a result, a lot of food companies in India started using celebrity endorses. Popular personalities in the country, such as Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachan, and Juhi Chawla (figure 22), helped them to significantly expand their customer bases and, ergo, to increase profits. For instance, Juhi Chawla has significantly helped PepsiCo (kurkure brand) in its marketing campaign in India. Interestingly, the effectiveness of celebrity endorses in the food industry is a little higher than the effectiveness of celebrity endorses in most other industries. This statement is supported by many empirical investigations on the problem of celebrity endorses in India. In particular, a study conducted by Jain (2011), found that celebrities’ influence on consumers’ behavior in the food industry in India is substantial. The figures 23, below illustrate the impact of celebrities’ influence as a motivating factor in the motor vehicle and food industries. Figure 22: Popular personalities in the country (India), such as (a) Amitabh Bachchan, (b) Madhuri Dixit, (c) Juhi Chawla endorse the food brand advertisement Figure 23: The Role of Celebrities Endorses in the Motor Vehicle Industry and in the Food Industry in India (by Jain, 2011) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 30 As these figures show, the influence of celebrities endorses in the food industry is estimated at the rate of 15% while their impact in the motor vehicle sector constitutes only around 10%. Indian food industry is turning back to mascots However, despite the obvious effectiveness of celebrity endorses in the food industry, its popularity as a marketing instrument also declined recently in accordance with the world marketing trends. As per Maalish (2012), it is mostly connected with the two reasons. Firstly, a negative behavior of celebrities turned out to be associated with the brand as much as their positive behavior and success. Secondly, a lot of celebrities participated in numerous marketing campaigns as illustrated in figure 24 below. Therefore, their association with specific brands became less strong. As a result, now the Indian food industry is turning back to mascots. Aside from those reasons of turning back to mascots, which were reviewed above, there is also an important factor which makes mascots a desirable marketing instrument in the modern food industry. According to the statistics, India is host to almost 19% of the kids in the modern world while people under the age of 15 years old constitute for around a third of the country’s population (Venkiteswaran, 2015). Of course, such significant percentage motivates food companies to come up with advertising which looks attractive for children. And, as stated above, mascots are an effective mechanism from the perspective of attracting children. Figure 24: Celebrities participated in numerous marketing campaigns; depending of social accents in cinema, their presents in advertisement are protractions TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 31 Design characteristics of Indian food mascot A classification of brand food mascots into national and international in India is similar to other countries. Indeed, some companies like McDonald’s, KFC, or Burger King have entered the Indian market with their famous mascots. Neither Colonel Sanders, not Burger King have any association with Indian culture. However, the popularity, image, and reputation of their brands make this association unnecessary. Of course, the primary reason for people picking McDonald’s or KFC is because they like food. But, if there is an intention to go into detail regarding their motivation, it can be rather stated that they go to McDonald’s due to the international status of this fast food chain. In other words, international brands need to maintain their international status in India. Otherwise, they will not stand competition with the national brands. In contrast, national brands, such as Parle-G or Amul, appeal to the Indians’ mentality features. Their mascots look especially attractive for Indians because they can associate themselves or their children with the Amul Girl or the Parle-G Girl. From the perspective of the problem under investigation, the design characteristics of food brand mascots, it may be useful to mention that the features of these mascots’ design characteristics (primarily, red chicks and dark skin) improves the perception of the Parle-G and the Amul Girls by Indian consumers. At the same time, it is crucial to emphasize that these mascots are not static. There were plenty of similar figures in India which represented food brands, but only a few of them achieved success. The reason for this success is connected with the mascots’ positioning and “behavior”. For example, in the case of the Amul Girl, specialists agree that her humor and comments on many important events in India have made this figure one of the symbols of India, not only of the Amul brand or the food industry (Kerala, 2011). An example of the Amul Girl illustrates the validity of the statement, which has been put forward above, that a successful food brand mascot should have its unique features and live its “life.”An interesting feature of most of the popular national brand mascots in the Indian food industry is their usage in print ads. While international brands prefer TV ads, life appearances or even statues, Indian TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 32 companies, such as Amul or Parle-G, primarily use their mascots in print ads, illustrated in figure 25. The Amul Girl and Parle-G Girl, two very famous food brand mascots, and they become famous due to their print ads. In the case of Parle-G, the mascot was created by a real person’s face. An example of the Parle-G Girl (both are an Indian originated food brand) shows that a mascot may not be involved in social events to become famous. If it provides right incentives for customers, it can exist as an image. An analysis of design characteristics of Indian food brand mascots shows that the overwhelming majority of them have a lot of similar features, especially in the case of those mascots which were created by national companies. In the figure 26 both the Amul Girl and Parle-G Girl may be considered examples of symmetric mascots with primarily rounded forms. They use a cultural appeal to attract customers. Figure 25: (a) Amul and (b) Parle-G print advertisement Figure 26: Design characteristics of Parle- G girl and Amul girl mascot TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 33 At the same time, they are used within the framework of fundamentally different marketing strategies. While Parle-G’s marketing strategy implies picturing the Parle-G girl as an image on products without going beyond advertising, the Amul Girl is a peculiar Indian symbol that participates in various social events. Thus, as may be concluded, although design characteristics of food brand mascots in India are mostly similar, the usage of these mascots differs significantly in dependence on specific marketing strategies. 1.3.4 Perception of Food Brand Mascots by Consumers Although this problem was already partly covered above, it seems logical to give more space to this aspect of the study because understanding possible scenarios of customers perceiving brand mascots is crucial for achieving the given research objectives. An interesting study which has a lot of insights relevant to this problem was conducted by I. Pairoa (2016). He examined the influence of brand mascots in India on consumer behavior. As it turned out, using brand mascots in the food industry has the following effects: it creates a positive feeling connected with the ownership over product with an attractive mascot, it leads to an increase in the number of purchases of the specific product, and it also influences customers desire to buy products from a particular organization, even if other products of this company are not connected with a mascot at all. Mascots are supposed to operate in the spheres of emotion and credibility. However, surely, there are scenarios, in which brand mascots in the food industry may be perceived negatively. There are three negative scenarios regarding customers’ perception of brand mascots. First of all, a brand can evoke negative feelings like disgust or even hate. The feeling of disgust usually takes place when marketers try to create some new types of animals or combine the features of the existing ones. At the same time, sometimes this feeling is caused by marketers’ attempt to use unattractive animals in their advertising. The figure 27 illustrates a very strange mascot which is called KIA Hamsters. One of the mice located in the right corner of the picture evokes the feelings of disgust squeamishness which don’t harmonize with the desirable image of KIA (Zaleski, 2015). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 34 Another example of the mascot which is perceived by customers with the feeling of disgust is a bright confirmation of the statement above that an attempt to combine the features of different creatures or, in this particular case, the features of different creatures and fruits illustrated in figure 28. Surprisingly, causing the feelings of disgust or hate is not the worst scenario. Even if people hate or disgust a particular mascot, they still think about the particular product. Their awareness is increasing which is one of the most desirable results of using mascots in marketing. Moreover, even effective mascots cause hate. K. Taylor (2016) points out that one of the latest ads with Colonel Sanders was perceived positively by 80% of respondents and negatively by 20%. Interestingly, those who perceived this ad negatively had a very strong negative feeling. As they said, they hated the idea of using a dead person in advertising. However, the rate of 80% positive reviews proves the effectiveness of this ad. So, it may be stated that a successful mascot is supposed to cause hate among some potential customers. Figure 27: KIA Hamsters (Zaleski, 2015) Figure 28: Lemonhead, the Official Mascot of Stewie Griffin (Zaleski, 2015) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 35 Marketers should ensure that this part of customers would be slight. But even if it is significant and a mascot causes mostly negative feelings, it can be considered as a relatively successful marketing instrument because causing negative feelings about the brand still increases customers’ awareness of the product. At the same time, an indifferent attitude towards a mascot has no influence on this awareness at all. Marketers should ensure that this part of customers would be slight. But even if it is significant and a mascot causes mostly negative feelings, it can be considered as a relatively successful marketing instrument because causing negative feelings about the brand still increases customers’ awareness of the product. At the same time, an indifferent attitude towards a mascot has no influence on this awareness at all. The scenario of indifference is probably the least desirable result in marketing. If a mascot causes no feelings among customers or it doesn’t stand out against other brands’ mascots, it should be replaced or even removed immediately. Interestingly, the scenario of indifference is not equal to the scenario of causing the feeling of boredom. Mr. Opportunity in figure 29 illustrated, who was a mascot of Honda’s annual clearest event, is an example of a mascot which causes the feeling of boredom. Simultaneously, it was identified by D. Zaleski (2015) as the 25 most horrible brand mascots. In contrast, those brands which cause the feeling of indifference cannot be included in any ratings because they become forgotten immediately. Figure 29: Mr. Opportunity, the Official Mascot of the Honda's Annual Clearance Event TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 36 The third negative scenario connected with customers’ perception of brand mascots is the most complicated. Most specialists agree that the final objective of marketing is generating sales. A derivative from this statement is that mascots should motivate customers to purchase a product of the particular brand. However, sometimes customers don’t tend to buy products of the specific brand, even if they have a positive attitude towards a brand’s mascot. The main conclusion based on this information is that marketers should try to incorporate some incentives in the mascots’ images. Mascots must not only create positive feelings but also push people to purchase the products and to be loyal to the brand. A connection between a positive perception of the mascot, customers’ purchases, and customer loyalty is supposed to be an important component of successful marketing (Hansen & Christensen, 2003). 1.3.5 Design Characteristics of Mascots Unfortunately, there are not a lot of studies dedicated to the influence of mascots’ design characteristics on their perception by customers. This research problem is not popular among specialists. Firstly, it is very hard to divide brands into groups in dependence on their design characteristics. Secondly, it is also quite complicated to distinguish the impact of design characteristics on consumers from the impact of a mascot’s backstory, appearance, connection with local culture, “style of behavior” and other main features. Nevertheless, there is one research which is entirely focused on this problem. It seems logical to review this research in the current study. First of all, it is important to emphasize the importance of the investigation conducted by A. Corte-Real & P. Lencastare (2009). They picked children as respondents and examined their responses to various brand mascots. They intended to find regularities regarding their affective and cognitive responses to mascots, shown in figure 30. There are a lot of significant conclusions in this research which enrich the current scientific knowledge on brand mascots. For the current study, the most valuable conclusion is connected with the influence of asymmetry and symmetry in mascots’ design on children’s responses. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 37 Unfortunately, the study conducted by A. Corte-Real & P. Lencastare (2009) is focused on children while the current investigation considers the young generation between 18 to 24 years old as the target audience exclusively. Nevertheless, there are compelling reasons to claim that research inferences of these scholars may be very relevant and helpful for the current research. First of all, they don’t include in their research strategy any specific features of perception inherent for children. In other words, they don’t analyze the ways in which children perceive animals or clowns. The questionnaires only try to find out which design characteristics of mascots have a positive impact on children, regardless mascots’ figures and meanings. Secondly, the group of people between 18 and 24 years old are close enough to children and it may be reasonable to assume that they have some similarities regarding the perception of symmetric, asymmetric or angular forms of mascots. Thirdly, the study conducted by Corte-Real & Lencastare is the only investigation available online which has the same research problem with the current thesis. Therefore, it seems logical to review it, although these scholars operate with a different target audience. First of all, it was found that asymmetric mascots evoke stronger affective and cognitive responses than symmetric. Based on the previous analysis of literature, it can be stated that symmetric mascots are more likely to cause the feeling of indifference while the asymmetric design is likely to be perceived as unique. Asymmetric design is better understood on both emotional and cognitive level when it is angular. If the asymmetry is rounded, the situation becomes more Figure 30: Regularities regarding their affective and cognitive responses to mascots by Cote-Real, A. & Lencastre, P. (2009) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 38 complicated. On the cognitive level, a perception of such mascots is very promising. But on the cognitive level, rounded asymmetric mascots perceive worse than symmetric ones. In the case of symmetric mascots, conclusions are the opposite. Children tend to associate symmetric forms with rounded models. Therefore, rounded symmetric mascots received positive responses. But symmetric angular forms are a bad marketing decision. As the scholars suggest, angular forms should be only used in asymmetric mascots. Conclusions made by A. Corte-Real & P. Lencastare (2009) may be used for putting forward an assumption regarding the influence of mascots’ design characteristics on consumers’ perception of these mascots and their further behavior. Rounded symmetric mascots evoke the feeling of harmony. The rate of affective responses to such mascots is very high. At the same time, the rate of cognitive responses to such mascots is relatively low. In other words, rounded symmetric mascots are likely to be positively perceived by customers, to evoke positive feelings, but are unlikely to cause any increases in purchases because they are not memorized. In contrast, asymmetric mascots, especially angular asymmetric ones, may generate consumer’s purchases of the particular product. Of course, the main limitation of the reviewed study is that it was only focused on children. However, considering the number of children in India and their crucial role in the food industry, it seems logical to assume that brands are recommended to use angular asymmetric mascots because they cause not only affective but also cognitive responses among potential customers. The study conducted by Gong identified two important principles of mascot design which are as follows: expressing a character through an outward appearance and creating unrealistic body proportions (Aaker & Joachimstaher, 2000). It was also concluded that most of the successful mascots were created by either anthropomorphism or personification methods. But, according to the scholar, it is impossible to extend the study’s inferences beyond these several aspects because different industries require mascots with different appearances and design characteristics. At the same time, a successful design is the main key to a mascot’s success regardless the specific market. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 39 Surprisingly, most of respondents in the research conducted by Mean, Prior & Kin-Tak Lam (2014) stated that cultural features of mascots play no significant role for them. While some people prefer mascots that consider local specifics, most of other consumers have no preferences in this area. It was also pointed out that the most useful emotion for mascot’s perception is the emotion of happiness which can be primarily conveyed with the help of so-called “warm” colors. In addition, as most of the respondents observed, marketers should always consider the factor of symbolic meaning while designing mascots. If a mascot has a proper symbolic meaning, the chance of its high popularity increases. 1.3.6 Case Studies 1.3.6.1 Ronald McDonald’s In line with the main experiment, it was decided to conduct two case studies dedicated to well-known mascots in the Indian food industry. In order to make these case studies more demonstrative, two food brands have been chosen, a national one and an international one. In the first case, the features of Ronald McDonald’s positioning in India Would are reviewed. As is known, Ronald McDonald has been promoting McDonald’s as the official mascots since 1963. In India, ads with this character are used by the fast food chain since 1996 when the first restaurant was opened at Basant Lok. It may be admissible to state that the usage of this mascot in India doesn’t have substantial differences from its usage in other countries. The biggest exposure gained due to this character usually implies its life appearances where the role of Ronald is played by different actors. In figure 31, below illustrates a typical case of promoting McDonald’s with the character of Ronald McDonald in India. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 40 The role of Ronald McDonald in India boils down to a set of life appearances on various events. He also participates in different projects. Interestingly, these participations were accompanied by officials’ statements that there was only one actor who plays this role at a time (Leung & Vranica, 2003). The usage of Ronald McDonald in print media in India is less noticeable than his life appearances. Universal Character A unique feature of Ronald McDonald in India is that he does not only interact with children. The figure above confirms the statement that marketers try to position himself as a universal character, not only a clown for children. The reason for this feature is connected with the demographic specifics of modern India. As is known, a substantial part of citizens is composed of young adults. As Kannan (2014) explains, these young adults are the most common audience at Indian McDonald’s restaurants. While, like in the US, a lot of visitors are families with kids, here most of the visitors are young people between 19 and 30 years old with no children. The author describes McDonald’s visitors in India as a very diverse group. In particular, due to the availability of the free Wi-Fi, there are a lot of employees or businessmen who work here on their laptops. In this case, the clown function of Ronald McDonald in India is less evident than in most other countries because families with kids are not such an important group of visitors here. Figure 31: Ronald McDonald and Hrithik Roshan, the Bollywood star (Kannan, 2014) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 41 Positive influence on sale Another interesting feature of this mascot in India is that he doesn’t promote any restaurant’s products which are composed of beef. The religious specifics of the country forced marketers to make Ronald McDonald “go vegetarian.” However, this process is not national-wise. In some cases, beef is replaced by the chicken which harmonizes with both Sikh and Hindu religious traditions (Lejacq, 2012). The article below in figure 32 is an example of Ronald’s positioning as a vegetarian mascot in India. Although it was not created by McDonald’s marketers, they supported its spread in India because it was clearly supposed to have a positive influence on sales. This example illustrates how McDonald’s marketers try to change the “character” of its official mascot in dependence on local specifics. Unfortunately, while the usage of McDonald’s mascot in India is a promising research problem, it is barely possible to claim that its design characteristics in the country differed from Ronald McDonald’s design characteristics in other countries. It appears in the same outfit, although his poses may differ slightly. It is possible to find examples of figurative, angular, symmetric and asymmetric images of Ronald McDonald in India. From this perspective, the Indian variation of McDonald’s mascot is no different from its variations in other countries. Interestingly, this conclusion cannot be made for all the states. For instance, in Thailand, McDonald’s marketers have decided to take into consideration local Figure 32: First Ronald McDonald is a Vegetarian (Woensdaq, 2013) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 42 cultural and religious traditions which resulted in the fact that the overwhelming majority of Ronald McDonald’s images and statues in this country are captured while conducting a traditional Thai greeting, wai (Armstrong, 2012) which is shown in figure 33. However, in India, there is no such strategy, and marketers don’t try to make Ronald McDonald do Namaste, the traditional Indian greeting, although this is a very popular tradition in this country. So, to conclude, it can be stated that the usage of McDonald’s mascot in India doesn’t significantly differ from other countries. It has two important features. Firstly, the “clown” role of Ronald McDonald is less important here because families with children are not the most important part of restaurants’ visitors in India. Secondly, there are plenty of ads that reveal the mascot’s will to go vegetarian which harmonizes with the local cultural and religious traditions. Of course, there are unique examples of mascot’s usage in some particular restaurants. For instance, figure 34 demonstrates a sensational ad with “Baby Ronald McDonald” which was supposed to promote a new restaurant near Kimaya Kothrud. From the perspective of design characteristics, it is very important to emphasize the importance of symmetry for McDonald’s mascot. Although the picture is not symmetric, the character’s face is. A. Sands (2012) points out that “this image is an example of an objective abstract piece in that it shows something real (a baby), but it takes liberties in altering the image and Figure 33: Ronald McDonald's Statues in Thailand (Armstrong, 2012) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 43 adding elements of fantasy”. So, as it may be observed, even this unusual ad still supports McDonald’s main principles for mascot’s design characteristics. In any case, the available evidence gives a premise to consider this “Baby Ronald McDonald” as an exception which is not inherent for the entire McDonalds fast- food restaurant chain in India. Ronald McDonald has typical design characteristics. It always has symmetric facial features which remain to be constant in all the ads and statues. Secondly, it exclusively uses the four colors: red, black, white and yellow. Yellow is the color of McDonald’s logo. In most cases, Ronald wears a yellow outfit with a yellow McDonald’s logo on it. The white color is a color of mascot’s skin, and it is also used for depicting sleeves and socks. The red color is combined with the white color in sleeves and socks. Besides, marketers have also made Ronald’s nose, hair and lips red as well to attract customers’ attention. Finally, the black color is the rarest. It can be only found on mascot’s eyes and eyebrows. The coloristic aspect of McDonald’s mascot is very important, and its colors never change. Even in the case of Baby Ronald reviewed above, these colors remain. 1.3.6.2 Amul Girl The second case study is Amul Girl, the official advertising mascot of Amul. In 1966, Eustace Fernandez (the art director) and Sylvester decided to create a character that would charm the attention of every house wife in the country (India). They thought of a little girl and thus the famous Amul girl (mascot)was born. Amul girl advertising have often been described as one of the best Indian advertising concepts because of their humor. The big idea of Amul centers around two basic Figure 34: "Baby Ronald McDonald": an Indian advertisement a Ad (Sands, 2012) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 44 themes: - The core idea based on the concept of delicious taste - Consequently, a new idea that focuses on having a taste of everyday life across all its campaigns. It basically brings out the ability to ‘laugh at yourself’ and at the problems around you. Amul tries to view common situations with a different perspective, a humorous outlook on all the controversies and issues of a common man’s life and as such, it connects to the public through its mascot-The Amul Utterly Butterly Girl. The second case study is Amul Girl, the official advertising mascot of Amul. As stated above, the effectiveness of the Amul Girl is confirmed not only by numerous polls and substantial increases in sales but also by the fact that this character has become a significant personage of the Indian social life. Interestingly, it might be justified to claim that the Amul Girl is just as much of an international mascot as Roald McDonald because it is present in almost 50 countries. However, the fact that its origin comes from India and most of sales and marketing campaigns are also connected with this country give us a premise to analyze the Amul Girl as a national mascot. Originally, the Amul Girl’s image implies a white frock with red polka dots, a blue hair with the puny tale and a bow on her puny her rounded face and cheerful face expression attract viewer attention. The mascot also held a freshly buttered slice of bread shown in figure 35. Since the start of the tag “utterly butterly delicious Amul,” the popularity of this mascot has been increasing dramatically. The ad campaign with this mascot has reached (in, 2007) the mark of 40 years which claimed a place in the Guinness Book (Thakkar, 2007). Figure 35: Amul Girl design characteristics TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 45 Uniqueness of Amul Mascot The uniqueness of the Amul Girl implies her comments on the current events. Sometimes it caused some conflicts like in the cases with criticism on the Indian Airlines or Suresh Kalmadi. But such occasions are quite rare. Besides, the fact that the Amul Girl causes conflicts between the huge companies maintain here status as a powerful character that has a huge potential not only to promote products but also to change public opinion. M. Joshi (2014) states that the key to the mascot’s success is that “Amul print ads capture the essence of India.” This character accompanies all the famous events which are important for India. The illustration in figure 36 below shows Amul’s print ads with the Amul Girl positioning as a referee on the FIFA 2010 World Football Championship. The design characteristics of this mascot are very hard to identify. Like Ronald McDonald, the Amul Girl’s face is symmetric. Sometimes she sticks her tongue out of her mouse which creates a slight feeling of asymmetry. But her eyes are always open, and there are always red spots on her cheeks. Her unusual hairstyle with a symmetric bow is always a constant component of the here image. All the other design characteristics are optional. While her usual outfit is a polka-dot dress, she may wear other clothes too like in the picture of FIFA 2010 World Football Championship. She changes her outfits and behavior in response to the specific situations. Figure 36: A Print Ad with the Amul Girl during the 2010 FIFA World Football Championship (Joshi, 2014) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 46 However, the available evidence provides a compelling reason to claim that such features as white frock with red polka dots, rounded eyes, blue hair with puny tail, and a cheerful face expression are crucial for this mascot. Rounded forms attract customers by the peculiar atmosphere of placidity which they embody. The feeling of peacefulness is probably the most evident characteristic of this mascot’s perception. It is mostly incarnated by the Amul Girl’s face expression. At the same time, an outfit of this mascot may be changed in dependence on the theme’s specifics. The color scheme of the mascot differs significantly from the color scheme used by McDonald’s marketers for creating Ronald McDonald. First of all, it uses different colors. The brown color prevails as the color of girl’s skin while the blue color is used for creating her peculiar hairstyle. Two other colors, the red and the white, are not as important. This conclusion can be made based on the figure 36. As may be observed, the Amul Girl wears a sports outfit. Marketers decided that her traditional dress is not very important for customers. However, her face is the same, and her hairstyle is the same as the original Amul Girl. In other words, those mascots’ parts which are a blue and brown repeat in every ad while other parts and colors fluctuate. This aspect makes the Amul Girl very different from Ronald McDonald as McDonald’s marketers don’t allow local restaurants to change anything in Ronald’s outfits. Appearances of Ronald Mc Donald and Amul Girl As might be observed, the Amul Girl and Ronald McDonald have little in common. They are both official mascots of the large companies in Indian food industry, but their features differ. Ronald McDonald mostly appears as a statue or as a life character while the Amul Girl is mostly well-known from print ads. Provided that Amul is an Indian company, it seems logical that the Amul Girl tries to use the knowledge on local specifics to gain new customers and attract public attention. In contrast, McDonald’s marketers are very careful in India, and they try not to get involved in any religious, political or cultural disputes. Ronald McDonald is an exclusive food mascot. It can never be involved in conflicts such as the one that happened with the Amul Girl at the Ganapati festival. The only aspect in which TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 47 McDonald’s mascot participates in social life is parties and cultural events, primarily films. At the same time, the Amul Girl uses any newsmaker to draw attention. While the roles and appearances of the Amul Girl and Ronald McDonald have so little in common, their design characteristics are similar. These mascots both have symmetric faces which stay symmetric despite the specific situation. The figurative variations of Ronald McDonald may vary in different Indian restaurants, but these differences are slight. On the contrary, the Amul Girl may entirely change her clothes and even behavior if it is required for the specific ad. This is barely possible in the case of Ronald McDonald which is very conservative in its outfits and poses. The only exception is the aforementioned ad with the Baby Ronald McDonald, but, as stated above, this ad was just a solitary case which didn’t harmonize with the general McDonald’s marketing strategy in India. Key design characteristic of mascot Coloristic features of these two mascots are also fundamentally different. Ronald is only depicted in four colors: red, white, black and yellow. They never change as all of them are used for maintaining a high level of brand recognition. In turn, the Amul Girl may be pictured in different poses and different social occasions with various outfits. The only unchangeable thing in this mascot is its head which is always drawn with blue and brown. However, all the other parts and, ergo, all the corresponding colors differ. Unlike Ronald McDonald, the Amul Girl cannot be considered as an example of a purely symmetric mascot. It has some asymmetric parts. For instance, the bow on the girl’s head is asymmetric. At the same time, this bow is one of the key design characteristics of the mascot which helps it to be recognizable in various ads. 1.4 Lacuna /work requiring areas Mascot has received enough attention from the researcher as marketing promotional tool. Its nature, specifics, and effect has been researched by various TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 48 specialists. Recently most of the analysts were focused on comparing mascots to celebrity endorsement from the perspective of the impact on sales (Kalb, 2012). The mascot is a very effective tool to publicize the brand. It requires in-depth studies which predetermine the effectiveness of further research of this marketing tool. It has also been noticed that not much attention is given to publish/formulate research information database in the following areas pertinent to research on mascot in particular reference to the promotion of Indian brands. Research Gaps Research Gaps are identified (in italics) from the available resources are as under:  There is critical scarcity regarding formulation, definition, and characteristics of the development of any mascot. There should be clear understanding regarding the specific role of the mascot as a particular form of influential advertisement / prospective brand identity.  The mascot should be designed and defined as per its present – National or International. Define proper characteristics for the mascot to be distributed National- International, so as to in cash the mast of its present.  There is inadequate information about out how mascots are perceived by the young generation in India; i.e. there is a lack of studies which aim to find out how the young generation of customers in India tend to perceive various design characteristics of food mascot in India Define proper aspects and features of the brand’s design contribution to the consumers’ recognition of the brand’s identity and their preferences towards specific food brands of India.  There is a lack of in look regarding whether the effects of mascots depend on aesthetics, functionality or in a proportionate combination of both. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 49 Define the specific design elements and aesthesis which make mascots influential. It is crucial to understand which aspects and features of the brand’s design contribute to the consumers’ recognition of the brand’s identity and their preferences towards specific food brands in India. In light of the above, it was perceived extremely contextual relevant to add some research contributions towards out current understanding of mascot and its design characteristics. Focus concentrates on Impact of Design Characteristics of Mascots (Brand identity) in Perception of Indian Food Brands. The current study aims to investigate the mascot’s visual characteristics and determine the design characteristics of fast food mascot of Indian brand based on the young generation’s perception. 1.5 Problem Statement The mascot is traditionally used in an advertisement to make the brand tangible. It has an ability to generate attention from the viewer’s side and to help the brand to build a strong corporate identity. Caufield (2012) points out that mascots have unlimited prospects to grab the consumer’s interest and recognition. Advertiser’s main objective is to sell products or ideas by presenting its message so well that the customer will buy the product or accept the presented idea. The design of mascot can be real, or it could be a fictional figure. It signifies the brand and enriches the brand’s image. The mascot is somewhat between the brand’s logo and a celebrity brand endorser. Phillips (1996) stated that mascots used the three ways of communication with consumers. Firstly, they contribute to the product identification. Secondly, they promote a brand’s personality. Thirdly, they provide promotional continuity. In the mind of the customer, a mascot makes a bridge between the brand, the product, and the advertising. “To be visually effective, the vehicles or mascots must be properly designed and satisfy both the viewer’s preferences and perceptions” (Lin, Lin & Ko, 1999). However, despite the citation above, the study of these scholars did not clear the test TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 50 whether the effects of mascots’ design exist due to design aesthetes. With this contextual figure 37, the present study has been undertaken to understand the influence of mascots on the Indian food industry in print advertisements where an image of a mascot can be especially effective from the perspective of attracting consumers’ attention. These eye cache mascots have an ability to grab the viewer’s attention and enhance positive attitudes towards the product being promoted. This effect is especially evident in the case of social media as it is illustrated in figure 38. Figure 38: The Influence of Mascots on Brands' Shareability Figure 37: Issues of research that led to think visual characteristics of mascot TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 51 This study tries to analyze the specific design elements or aesthesis which make mascots influential. It is crucial to understand which aspects and features of the brand’s design contribute to the consumers’ recognition of the brand’s identity and their preferences towards specific food brands in India. As specialists claim, mascots should be easy to identify. Otherwise, they won’t be able to achieve the goal of ensuring an association with the brand like in the case with Wenlock and Mandeville, which failed in attempt to become memorable mascots of the London 2012 Olympic Games in figure 39. Nevertheless, it is required to research this problem on a deeper level and to recognize the specific design characteristics which make mascots effective or ineffective. Specialists claim that the main mistake of the designers of Wenlock and Mandeville was that their mascot didn’t have any connection to London or the Olympic Games (Wainwright, 2012). Accordingly, it is logical to claim that an effective mascot should have a clear association with the product. In order to be successful, mascots should be associated with the product and with the culture. The current research is expected to extend this conclusion and to deduce other features of mascot which are mandatory for successful mascots. As stated above, this investigation is aimed at studying the perception of Indian food mascots. Considering the motivation explained above, an attempt will be carried out to focus on the young generation of consumers which is composed of people who are aged between 18 and 24 years old. This approach allows this Figure 39: Wenlock and Mandeville, the Official mascots of the London 2012 Olympic Games TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 52 investigation not only to analyze the current situation on the Indian food market but also to provide recommendations and formulate forecasts because the trends noticed among the members of the young generation group of consumers clearly have a high potential of becoming the common trends in marketing in the nearest future. At the same time, this thesis doesn’t address the aspect of children’s perception of mascots as children’s attitude towards mascots is very peculiar and it barely has something in common with the ways in which people of other aging groups in modern India perceive mascots. 1.6 Research Questions The research gaps identified here above gives rise to following questions: Q1. What are the main characteristics of mascots as a marketing instrument? Q2. What are the main features of mascot’s usage in the food industry and specifically in the Indian food industry? Q3. What are the character differences between using international and national mascots in the Indian food product? Q4. Which design characteristics of mascots have a substantial impact on the young generation’s perception of the brand specific to Indian made food product? This study adopts qualitative approach to looking into, Haldiram’s food brand as a hypothetical case study, derive a strategy for mascot design for Indian products as it is a renowned brand in India for sweets, snacks, beverages, frozen food, and meals, and is the pioneer in packaging and presentation of ready to eat food and is serving for a long time. Haldiram’s as a brand continues to reinforce in the minds of Indian consumers and leaves a mark on every occasion. It is close to the hearts of every common man because it brings inconvenience, economical and quality food through its quick service various outlets in India and abroad. This was taken as a hypothetical case to study the mascot characteristics suitable in the Indian context. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 53 1.7 Scope and relevant of present work Haldiram's developed into a brand and became an inseparable part of every occasion. The product lines were expanded to match the taste of various segments of the society. The young generation consumers (target group) purposefully opted for this investigation because this approach allows this study not only to analyze the current situation on the Indian food market but also to provide recommendations and formulate forecaster. And the design characteristics of proposed mascot gives a recommendation for striking mascot design for an Indian food brand. 1.8 Hypothesis The research explores whether or not identification and formulation/prescription of the characteristics of the mascot’s design of leading Indian food chains, can be conceptualized by perception of young consumers across India. 1.9 Aim and Objectives The study aims at identifying and to formulate/prescribe the design characteristics of mascots for the leading Indian food chains, which should poise assured impact on the perception of the young generation of customers across India. Objectives To understand the nature of mascot as a marketing instrument and its main features and characteristics;  To identify the differences between international and national mascots;  To investigate the usage of food mascots in modern India;  To distinguish the main design characteristics of food mascots in modern India;  To investigate the ways in which young consumers perceive various design characteristics of food mascots in modern India. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 54 1.10 Expected outcome The research would come up with the justified recommendation of design characteristics of a proposed mascot for a reputed Indian food brand (Haldiram’s a hypothetical case study), which might, in turn, enhance the market exist of Haldiram’s, especially among the young Indian generations of customers. It would be helpful for the brand as per Phillips (1996), mascots used the three ways of communication with consumers. Firstly, they contribute to the product identification. Secondly, they promote a brand’s personality. Thirdly, they provide promotion continuity. In the mind of the customer, a mascot makes a bridge between the brand, the product, and the advertising. 1.11 Flow diagram of overall study Figure 40 presented below explain the thesis work strategy followed. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 55 Figure 40: Research Strategy followed in this thesis (Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs 56 1.12 Thesis Structure The whole work has been distributed in four chapters as presented below. Chapter - 1 Introduction: Brand exploration with mascot and Indian needs The chapter provides a detailed view on the brand mascots in the Indian food industry and explains the research strategy of this study. It describes the research background, explains the research strategy and study motivation, identifies the main features and characteristics of mascot, determines the specifics of their usage in the food sector, specifies the unique aspects of the Indian food brand mascots, explains their perception by customers and lists the main approaches towards designing mascots. Chapter - 2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context The current chapter is a methodology section which explains how it is planned to conduct the empirical part of the study. It describes pilot studies, preliminary studies, and the main experiment which were employed during the three phases of this research including the development of mascot, its evaluation, and an assessment of consumer perceptions. This chapter is aimed at describing the research strategy of the study. Chapter - 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction The third chapter is focused on exploring design elements for mascot construction. It studies potential mascot forms and features for the Haldiram’s brand mascot. 300 respondents who took part in the main experiment were representatives taken from student of IIT Guwahati and Delhi University (North Campus). A decision to divide respondents into the two equal groups was motivated by the fact that they represent people from cosmopolitan and metro cities of two different cultural backgroung. Thus, it is possible to analyze how these two groups of potential customers perceive various design characteristics of mascots. TH-1675_126105009 57 Chapter - 4 Discussions and conclusion The current chapter analyzes the experiments' results and reflects on their validity and practical applicability. It deduces the critical importance of the physical form of a mascot as compared to design, color, and miscellaneous features. The chapter presents the prototype of a mascot for Haldiram’s (a hypothetical case) which was created by findings from the study. The chapter deduces the critical importance of the physical form of a mascot as opposed to mascots’ design and color. It also confirms the hypothesis of study as design characteristics of mascots have an impact on the way in which the young generation of customers perceives Indian food brand Mascots. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter Overview The current chapter is a methodology section which explains how it is planned to conduct the empirical part of the study. It describes pilot studies, preliminary studies, and the main experiment which were employed during the three phases of this research including the development of mascot, its evaluation, and an assessment of consumer perceptions. This chapter is aimed at describing the research strategy of the study. CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTUALISING MASCOT TO INDIAN CONTEXT TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 59 2.0 Introduction This research was conducted using descriptive and analytical design approach. It entailed the collection of primary data by use of structured questionnaires after being tested for validity and reliability. Data validation and drawing of conclusiowas done using appropriate statistical methods (described hereunder). This portion of the study was aimed at identifying a strategy to look for the design elements that were responsible for a mascot construction with the help of young generation’s perception taking selection students’ input. 2.1 Participants The participants of the study included 445 volunteers aged between 18 to 24 years from both genders with no previous specific history of any illness that may apparently restrict their experience base responses against questionnaire, psychosomatic/cardiovascular, neurological or socio-behavior abnormalities. The participants were randomly selected during the research done in three phases that included 5 Preliminary studies, 3 pilot studies, and the main experiment. Each preliminary study had 20 respondents with design skills with an academic level of UG and PG. Each pilot study had 15 respondents with an academic level of UG and PG. The main experiment had 300 respondents divided into two groups of 150 each. The respondents were informed of the purpose of the study and they participated with written consent, where they were assured of confidentiality. The age set of 18 to 24 years was selected as the target group because it represents the young generation that has the potential to dictate the market trends in the present and future. Students were taken from Delhi where people are used to various brands of Indian and foreign origin, and of IIT Guwahati where students come from different parts of the country and stay in one of the upcoming cosmopolitan city ambiances. Where brands of various nature are strengthening their footstep in a big way giving a strong impression on residents. "While" the selection of participants’ different subject domains were also considered assuming there might be some influences of particular subject field input to change their while expressing preferences of choice of processed TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 60 food product prevalent in the market. 2.2 Design The study took descriptive, analytical research design, as presented in figure 41. It was conducted in three phases where five preliminary studies were conducted. The first identified if people associated the brand with its mascot, with the second identifying if the figurative mascot is the most preferred design. The third explored the level of popularity of Indian food brands where the Likert’s 5-point scale was used to evaluate the respondent attitude towards Indian food brands that serves traditional Indian food such as Pind balluchi, Nathus, Bikaner, not just paranthas and Haldiram’s. Haldiram’s scored the highest rating making it the brand of the study. The fourth identified the need of having a mascot for Haldiram’s focus respondents, the focus being on brand importance, recognition, customer retention, awareness, and competition. The respondents had a 55% approval rate. The fifth preliminary study was of the design of the proposed mascot design for Haldiram’s which was conducted in design school. The second phase of the study entailed the evaluation of the mascot. The phase had three pilot studies with similar structure but had a different formulation of questions. The respondents were briefed about the purpose of the study and then exposed to 18 proposed mascot design for Haldiram’s. The best and worst designed were selected based on the design features that included physical, design, color, culture, and miscellaneous features. After the three pilot studies, four mascots were discarded after getting the most dislikes. After the analysis of the result from the pilot study, a new mascot design for Haldiram’s was created taking into consideration key brand elements. Shown to the participants who then identified new elements to be incorporated. After the incorporation of the identified element, the final mascot design for Haldiram’s was developed named “Aapno Halwai.” The design was then introduced to the main third phase of the study. The third phase was to entail the main experiment. It was to assess the perception of the consumers. 15 proposed mascot designed were used. The TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 61 respondents were to select the best and the worst design. A structured questionnaire was used to conduct this phase of the study, entailing 20 random questions, for the best five and the worst five, bases on various design features. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context 62 Figure 41: Over all study layout TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 63 2.3 Development of mascot 2.3.1 Preliminary study (1): People associated the brand with its mascot Experiment - This is the first preliminary study, and it entails looking at the mascot’s role on consumer brand perceptions. Amul Girl, considered to be the most successful mascot in the Indian food industry, was considered for investigation. The 20 participants were asked open-ended questions that included what comes into their mind when they heard the name “Amul the taste of India” and what they related to Amul Butter. Observation - The results were varied. For the first question, the responses included, Amul girl, food is incomplete without it, taste and delicacy, trusted the brand, the taste of India, pure, utterly butterly delicious, quality, nothing really, best, the perfect combination of bread. While in the other question, the respondents related Amul with its mascot Girl. They also linked the brand to taste and delicious attributes. Inference - The percentage of respondents who primarily associate the brand of Amul with the Amul Girl image is significant indicating the effectiveness of this mascot. In the figure 42 below, 22% of the respondents associated the brand with its mascot. This is a very significantly high index. From the investigation, it can be concluded that people relate brand with their mascot. It gave the motivation to conduct the second preliminary studies Figure 42: Consumer perception of the Amul Brand 22% TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 64 which were conducted to know the abstract, figurative, symmetric, angular form of mascot design, most preferable mascot design in the mind of young consumers. 2.3.2 Preliminary study (2): Figurative mascot is the most preferred design Experiment -This study was conducted to identify if the figurative mascot is the most preferred design. The study used 20 respondents. The study utilized the HOMALS analysis where the study focused on four design principles namely abstraction, figurative, symmetric, and angular forms. The preliminary study was based on the four characteristics of mascot design as analyzed by A.Corte-Real & P.Lencastare (2009). The respondents were shown two well- known mascots, (a) Colonel Sanders KFC mascot and (b) Mr. Ronald MC Donald mascot, presented in four various designs (figurative, abstract, symmetric and angular) as shown figure 43. This was to know the preference of the respondents. Figure 43: Group (a) Colonel Sanders KFC mascot and Group (b) Mr. Ronald MC Donald mascots TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 65 Observation- The respondent reactions showed preference to figurative mascot design with 43.75% (figure 44), symmetric 23.86%, abstract 17.61%, and last angular 14.77%. This is depicted in the inference table 2 below. The evaluation of these images were basics on the Likert's (1934) 5- point scale. Inference- From the analysis of the observations below, the respondents prefer figurative mascot design to others (symmetric, abstract, and angular). Table 2: Preliminary study- 2 response table Figure 44: Selection of mascot design Result: Figurative 43.75%, Symmetric 23.86%, Abstract 17.61%, Angular 14.77% TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 66 From the analysis, it can be concluded the majority of the respondents preferred figurative mascot design shown in figure 45. Hence it was the choice for the study. This encouraged the next phase of the investigation that was conducted to recognize which Indian food brands was popular with the young generation. 2.3.3 Preliminary study (3): Identify the level of popularity of Indian food brands Experiment-This third study was to identify the level of popularity of Indian food brands. 20 respondents were asked to rate their attitudes towards leading Indian food brands, using the Likert’s 5-point scale. The brands that serve traditional Indian foods and included in the study were Pind balluchi, Nathus, Bikaner, Not just paranthas and Haldiram’s. Observation-The observations from the experiment were as follows in table 3 based on the individual participant views. The respondents gave their views based on the Likert’s 5- point scale which indicated their individual attitude towards the brands as illustrated in table 4. Figure 45: Response Chart of mascot selection TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 67 Table 3: Indian food brand rating Table 4: Customers Attitude towards food brand Figure 46: Graph depicting Indian popular food brands among young customers TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 68 Inference-From the observations in figure 46 it is evident that the Haldiram’s brand had the highest popularity rating in this list. Based on this result, Haldiram’s brand was taken as the subject of investigation for the study. The designing of the mascot for the study was to be based on this brand, and it was therefore used in the design of questionnaires for the pilot and the main study. In this study, Haldiram’s score and high popularity which motivates the conducting of the next stage of the study. 2.3.4 Preliminary study (4): Identify the need of mascot for Haldiram’s Experiment-The study was conducted to identify the need of mascot for Haldiram’s food brand. 20 respondents were used in data collection. The study had two phases. Where in the first, the respondents were shown pictures of Haldiram’s with the visible brand name as illustrated in figure 47. Figure 47: Haldiram’s restaurant pictures Figure 48: Food brand with the mascot TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 69 They were then shown pictures of food brands that had mascot figures as illustrated in figure 48. In the second phase, the respondents were asked an open-ended question; how is the mascot helpful to the food industry? And a particular question; is there a need to make a mascot for Haldiram’s because it helps to sustain the brand image, stimulate and revive the brand, and help in making it stand out from competitors? For the second question, they were either too strongly agree, agree, or disagree. Observation-The respondents had various views on the questions with a majority concluding that mascots will help create brand importance, recognition, customer retention, increased awareness, and help in competition. Table: 5 Participant responded for the need of mascot for Haldiram’s food brand TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 70 Inference-The respondents were of the view that a mascot would help the brand to perfume better. Table 5 shows that a majority strongly agreed (55%) to the design of the Haldiram’s mascot (shown in figure 49) because this will make the brand stand out. This data provides the rationale for the development of a mascot for Haldiram’s brand by offering the importance and benefits that come with it. Because of the importance of the mascot, the next preliminary study was conducted to project the proposed mascot design for Haldiram’s. 2.3.5 Preliminary study (5): Proposed mascot design for Haldiran’s Experiment - This is the last preliminary study, and it focused on the proposed designs for the Haldiram’s brand. The study was conducted in the design school of Delhi. 20 undergraduate level (UG) respondents took part in the study. The respondents were selected based on their understanding of design principles. The respondents were briefed on what the study entailed, and they were told about the key elements for the brand. The keyword like Rajasthani Origin, Bikaner, trust, taste, quality, traditional, Indian flavors, and ethnic, exclusive was given consideration. Observation - 20 designs were developed by the respondents. However, two of them did not follow the brief, and this left a total of 18 mascots. The mascots are illustrated figure 50. The details of the designed mascots were in the table 6 that follows the designs. Figure 49: Participants responded for the need to design a mascot for the Haldiram’s food brand TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context 71 Figure 50: Proposed Haldiram’s Mascot designs TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context 72 S .no Mascot Name Physical Feature Design Feature Color Feature Cultural Feature Misalliances Feature 1 chubby and cute chef Mascot is very chubby and cute Signature Mustache ____ Red turban Mascot is wearing traditional Indian clothes Mustache of that particular region Depicts Pride 2 Traditional &Exclusive Design Facial Expression with his Mustache style and especially their combination of chef and halwai looks gave us a National Plus International Fusion look ` Designed were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and ‘Chef Mascots designed are a perfect blend of exclusivity and quality as well as Traditional and maintaining International Standards Red color of chef cap Rajasthani turban. Highly skilled professional 3 Golden Chef Figurative mascot. _____ Color of costume red and yellow taken from the logo Golden color of hat shows richness of brand _____ The flag shows popularity worldwide. 4 Rajasthani Halwai Expression emphasizes on the authentic The gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food. Mascot wears coat and pant, as it is an international brand and targets almost all age group of audience. Costume Tone of color taken from the logo Rajasthani turban Modified look of the Rajasthani attire It aims to focus on taste and origin of the brand 5 Passion of tradition Figurative style mascot Figure is a blend of tradition and technology Red color of turban taken from the logo Rajasthani looks such as Rajasthani turban Expansion of international boundaries Table 6: Features Comparison table TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context 73 S .no Mascot Name Physical Feature Design Feature Color Feature Cultural Feature Misalliances Feature 6 Best Cuisenaire Moustache The gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food. _____ Red Color of scarf taken from the logo It is dressed in western Which shows expanding their business overseas Chef figure is easily communicable in red and white color dress. 7 European chef style dynamic Figurative mascot Chef figure is easily communicable in red and white color dress The red color of the dress is taken from its logo. And red color depicting hunger Western style _____ 8 Disney style Cartoon Gloves worn by the mascot show the hygienic approach followed by Haldiram’s. Red color is selected for the mascot as it is the color of the original logo and also red is an appetizing color Western style The concept of the mascot is to highlight the standard quality of the products made by Haldiram’s 9 Cartoon Character Smurf Cartoon Taken smurf because since it’s a cartoon character, it will attract kids also The red and yellow color of the dress of mascot is taken from the color of its logo Western style _____ 10 Indian maharaja Figurative style mascot Moustache The mascot has been conceptualized keeping in mind the facial look of the people in Bikaner Mascot wears coat and pant Vibrant color used in turban Its hands folded, showcasing the Indian culture of greeting with a “Namaste” thus connecting emotionally with people. _____ 11 Young Cuisenaire Figurative style mascot Shown a young Indian guy who is wearing a chef coat Red Color of scarf taken from the logo _____ It shows varieties is the key to Haldiram’s success 12 Food lover chubby guy Figurative style mascot Resembles the employees of Haldiram. Blend of tradition and technology Red Color of scarf taken from the log _____ Haldiram is synonymous with taste, hygiene, and innovation TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context 74 S.no Mascot Name Physical Feature Design Feature Color Feature Cultural Feature Misalliances Feature 13 Cartoon style Charechare form Moustache _____ Red color is selected for the mascot Red is an appetizing color _____ _____ 14 Promise of quality Figurative style mascot Mascot is designed in Rajasthani attire such as moustache, turban, dhoti Bright color of turban The man here is shown in the traditional Rajasthani attire _____ 15 Premium Style Figurative style mascot The man is wearing a turban with a kurta that makes it an authentic mascot Design The red color is the same as the in the logo of the brand. Red in mythology denotes bravery, protection, and strength. symbolizes the Indian culture. _____ 16 Fusion Look Figurative style mascot The man is wearing an Indochinese cloth Red Color of coat taken from the logo Its hands folded, showcasing the Indian culture of greeting with a “Namaste” _____ 17 Stylish & ambitious chef Figurative mascot. Moustache Expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating. Mascot design is a combination of mordant & traditional look. Color scheme is very siding and red color scarf is balanced with black check pant Mustache of that particular region _____ 18 Colour of tradition Cartoon _____ The color is the primary element in this mascot. Different color depicts variety in all product. _____ ____ TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 75 Inference - The 18 mascot designs were relevant based on the brief to move to the next stage of the study which is the pilot studies. Common features which came out after analyzing the feature comparison chart in figure 51 describe the features of the desired mascot. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context 76  Figurative mascot.  Expression emphasizes on the authentic.  The gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food.  Expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating. Physical Feature Feature Comparison Chart  Red color is selected for the mascot as it is the color of the original logo and also  Red is an appetizing color  The vibrant color used in a turban.  Color is the primary element in this mascot Color Feature  Mascot is wearing traditional Indian Clothes  Its hands folded, showcasing the Indian culture of greeting with a “Namaste” thus connecting emotionally with people.  Mustache of that particular region  Shown in the traditional Rajasthani attire Cultural Feature Miscellaneous Feature  Depicts Pride  It aims to focus on taste and origin of the brand  Expansion of international boundaries  The concept of the mascot is to highlight the standard quality of the products made by Haldiram’s  Haldiram’s is synonymous with taste, hygiene, and innovation Figure 51: Feature Comparison Chart Design Feature  Mascots designed are a perfect blend of exclusivity and quality as well as Traditional and maintaining International Standards.  Mascot design is the combination of mordant & traditional look.  Mascot is designed in Rajasthani attire such as mustache, turban, dhoti  Designs were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and ‘Chef.' TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 77 2.4 Evaluation of mascots This is the stage that followed the development of the mascot in the preliminary studies. It entails three pilot studies. The three studies were structured in a similar way, but they contained different questionnaires to achieve the desired outcome mascot for the main study. 2.4.1 Pilot study 1 Experiment -The study used structured questionnaires. The study had 15 respondents selected randomly. The respondents were taken through the needs of the study and assured of confidentiality and that the data was for academic purpose only. Written informed consents were obtained before the respondents were engaged. The respondents then were shown the 18 designed mascots for Haldiram’s brand shown in figure 52. They were then given a questionnaire where they had to select the best five designs in a 1 to 5 sequence. Then they had to fill a questionnaire (figure 53) with questions that support the design feature and those that do not support the design features of the mascots. The questions aimed at exploring mascot’s features such as physical, design, color, culture and miscellaneous features. Figure 52: Slides of mascot designs for pilot study 1 (see appendix A-1) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 78 Observations - The 18 mascot designs for Haldiram’s were evaluated by the respondents where they answered the questions which supports the design (table 7) and which do not support the design features (table 8). The questions explored the mascots feature’ such as physical, design, color, culture and miscellaneous features. The pilot study-1 encouraging results as follows Figure 53: Pilot study-1 Questionnaire (see appendix B-1) Table 7: Criteria for best supporting design in pilot study -1 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 79 Inference – In the above figure, 54 shown that the customers preferred hand gesture to convey messages of food quality and taste as a compulsory physical feature. The design features should have a perfect blend of tradition and quality while there should be conformity to international hygiene standards for food. The design needs color and cultural features like the colored turban and the mustache. It should be designed to be able to promote the expansion to international boundaries. Figure 54: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for best- supporting design in pilot study -1 Table 8: Criteria for not supporting design in pilot study -1 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 80 Inference - In the above figure, 55 shown that the respondents did not like mascots that were not figurative (physical feature) and had no Rajasthan (design feature), no color feature, and the forms that did not reflect the Indian culture (cultural feature). Without these four features in the design, the respondents believe that such mascot won’t benefit the brand expansion. Limitation - The questionnaire of pilot-1(figure 53) confined the respondents to choose one option from every category of features. This might have hindered them from choosing more than one option from any of the five categorized. There was a difference in opinions of choosing five best and worst mascot design, hence the need for the second pilot study. Figure 55: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for not supporting design in pilot study -1 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 81 2.4.2 Pilot study 2 Experiment - The study had 15 respondents randomly selected. The number of choices was reduced to best and worst mascot form (table 9). Their respondents had to choose one best and one worst mascot (figure 56), and they then had to fill a questionnaire (figure 57) to support their decision based on the different design features. Figure 56: Slides of mascot designs for pilot study-2 (see appendix A-1) Figure 57: Pilot study- 2 Questionnaire (see appendix B-2) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 82 Observation - The questionnaire answered the questions that best supported the mascot (table 10) and those that did not support the design (table 11). The features research included physical, design, color, culture and miscellaneous features. Inference - In the figure, 58 shown that the prospective customers prefer facial expressions emphasized on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating as a compulsory requirement towards the physical feature of the proposed mascot. From the respondents, there is a need to have the perfect blend of quality and traditions while conforming to the international standards of hygienic food. The design of mascot should have a combination of modern and traditional look. Color and cultural features like a turban with vibrant color tones and mustache should also be incorporated. The mascot should be so designed as to depict pride. Table 9: Best and worst mascot design in pilot study-2 Table 10: Best mascot design feature selection for pilot study -2 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 83 Figure 58: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for best-supporting design in pilot study -2 Table 11: Data for not supporting design in pilot study -2 Figure 59: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for not supporting design in pilot study -2 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 84 Inference - In the figure, 59 shown that the respondents rejected mascot forms that did not meet the criteria of being figurative (physical feature), a combination of modern and traditional look (design feature), have color (color feature), and being representative of the Indian society (Cultural feature). The respondents view such a mascot as one that will not help build the brand across boundaries (miscellaneous feature). Limitations - The questionnaire considered the best and worst mascot design. This confined the respondents to choose one option from every category of features hence they were not able to give an appropriate result because they had to select one option from each category. This prompted the need to have another pilot study. 2.4.3 Pilot study 3 The result of pilot 1&2 Group specific responses may/may not restrict individual’s preferences. So the need of the 3rd pilot arose with some further modification. Experiment - The study had a similar structure as the other pilot studies. However, the questionnaire was designed to identify the most appropriate mascot design. 20 respondents, selected randomly, participated in the study. They had to select two mascot design (figure 60), one best and one worst. The questions (figure 61) did not segregate any category of features (Physical, Design, color, cultural and miscellaneous). The respondent had full freedom to opt for any five best fitting characteristics to support the best (table 12) and worst mascot design (table 13) whether from the same category or not. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 85 Figure 60: Slide of mascot designs for pilot study -3 (see appendix A-1) Figure 61: Pilot study- 3 Questionnaire (see appendix B-3) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 86 Observation-With the new questionnaires, the respondent answered them based on the option of the best and the worst mascot choices illustrated in figure 62 that they had made. Because there was no segregating any category of features (Physical, Design, color, cultural and miscellaneous) the choice were freely taken as follows. Figure 62: Best and worst mascot selection in pilot study -3 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 87 Table 12: Data for not supporting design in pilot study -3 Figure 63: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for best-supporting in pilot study-3 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 88 Inference- In the figure, 63 shown that the respondents preferred facial expressions that emphasized on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating as a requirement towards the physical feature of the proposed mascot. For them, the design features should reflect Rajasthani attire with mustache and turban. These are the cultural and color features of the mascot. The mascot should be so designed to grow the brand over boundaries, and the concept of the character is to denote the standard quality of the Haldiram’s products (Miscellaneous). Inference- In the figure, 64 shown that the respondents rejected mascot forms that did not meet the criteria of the mascot i.e. emphasis on the authenticity, hand gesture, and facial expression, (physical feature) and other features like design, red color, and culture. They rejected the forms that didn’t represent traditional Indian clothes (cultural feature). The respondents view such a mascot as one that will not help build the brand across boundaries (miscellaneous feature). Table 13: Worst mascot design data in pilot study -3 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 89 Outcome - Pilot -3 gave a satisfactory result. By pilot-3 success, the study proceeds to the main experiment. From data gathered after all three pilot studies, four mascots design were discarded based on maximum dislike namely Premium Style, Fusion Look, cartoon character Smurf and Color of tradition as shown in figure 65. Figure 64: Graphical representation of respondent’s preference for worst Supporting study-3 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context 90 Figure 65: Four mascots design discarded from the display sheet TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 91 Figure 66: After Pilot study-3, Once again Feature comparison chart analysis TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 92 After analyzing feature comparison chart (figure 66), one more mascot design for Haldiram was illustrated which was shown in figure 67. While creating the character, following Keywords were kept in mind: Rajasthani Origin, Bikaner, trust, taste, quality, traditional, Indian flavors, ethnic, and exclusive. New mascot The new design was shown to the group of volunteers, and they gave the following feedback on specific elements. 1. The mascot should be Figurative, but this should be more in communicative form. 2. The facial expression emphasizes on the authentic and Gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food. 3. The mascots designed is a perfect blend of exclusivity and quality as well as Traditional and maintaining International Standards means it’s a combination of mordant & traditional look. 4. The mascot design shows some local feature which depicts that particular region like Rajasthani attire such as a mustache, turban, dhoti, and mojree. 5. The brand is a food product, and it’s a Rajasthani origin that way color would be the primary element in the mascot. 6. The mascot should have a red color for it is the color of the original logo, besides red, is an appetizing color 7. Use vibrant color in a turban. 8. It aims to focus on taste and origin of the brand Figure 67: New mascot formed as per the feedback of volunteer TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 93 With the feedback, an improvement was done through a scribbling process and developed a character. Which was presented in figure 68 and named this character Aapno Halwai. Cont. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 94 Cont. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 95 Developed Character Cont. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context 96 Figure 68: Character was designed and named Aapno Halwai TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 97 2.5 Assessment of Consumer Perception The third pilot study was taken as the base study, and the main experiment was then designed shown in figure 70. The study was conducted with two groups; one was from IIT Guwahati and other from Delhi University north campus. Main reason to conduct this study with these two groups was that the IIT Guwahati represents a cosmopolitan population, where choices are limited, compared to a metro city like Delhi. In this study, 300 respondent participated (150 in IITG and 150 Delhi University) within the age group of 18 to 24 year. Participants were selected randomly with 150 participants from 5 different departments of IIT Guwahati (Mathematics, Design, Chemistry, Humanities and Social Science, Engineering) and 150 participants from Delhi University north campus (B. Com (Honors), Economics, Mathematics, Political Science, Chemistry) were considered. The participant from both academic institutions was divided into five groups of 30 participants each and these participants were selected from five different academic backgrounds with the level of UG and PG (figure 69). Figure 69: Respondents participated in main experiment TH-1675_126105009 Chapter-2 Conceptualising mascot to Indian context 98 Figure 70: Diagram of assessment of consumer perception TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 2 Conceptualising Mascot to Indian Context 99 The age group (18-24 year) of the investigation allowed the investigation not only to analyze the current situation on the Indian food market but also to provide recommendations and formulate forecaster for future trends. The group was shown slides of the 15 proposed designs (figure 71) and then they filled a questionnaire Figure 71: Slide of 15 proposed mascot designs for main experiment (see appendix A-2) TH-1675_126105009 100 The respondent’s first selected one best and one worst design. The questionnaire in figure 72, was structured where the questions did not segregate any category or feature of the design (Physical, Design, color, cultural and miscellaneous) thereby the respondents had full freedom to opt for any five best fitting characteristics to support the best and worst mascot design regardless of category. In this way, the main experiment was conducted with both groups (IIT Guwahati and Delhi University). 2.6 Statistical Analysis All the questionnaires of preliminary studies, pilot studies, and the main experiment was constructed using the standard procedure, and their administration reliability was examined by employing Cronbach’s Alpha (α) for reliability and internal consistency scales. Any questionnaire was adopted only when it’s α achieved > 0.8 and the inter – item covariance matched across the corresponding levels. After validation of reliability of the questionnaires they were scored in term of no of responses and the generated data were subjected to Friedman’s Chi-Square (2 F ) test for independence. For every case, statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Figure 72: Main study questionnaire ((see appendix B-4) TH-1675_126105009 101 2.7 Conclusion The design path of this study was composed of three stages including the development of mascot, its evaluation and an assessment of consumer perception. During the first stage, five preliminary studies would be conducted. The second stage implied three pilot studies. Finally, the last phase entails the main experiment aimed at examining the proposed mascot designs for the Haldiram’s brand (as a hypothetical case study) with physical, design, color, cultural and miscellaneous features. TH-1675_126105009 Overview The third chapter is focused on exploring design elements for mascot construction. It studies potential mascot forms and features for the Haldiram’s brand mascot. 300 respondents who took part in the main experiment were representatives taken from student of IIT Guwahati and Delhi University (North Campus). A decision to divide respondents into the two equal groups was motivated by the fact that they represent people from cosmopolitan and metro cities of two different cultural backgrounds. Thus, it is possible to analyze how these two groups of potential customers perceive various design characteristics of mascots. CHAPTER 3: IDENTIFYING DESIGN ELEMENTS FOR MASCOT CONSTRUCTION TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 103 3.0 Introduction The previous chapter described the experiments and observations of preliminary and pilot studies. The pilot study showcased the evaluation of mascots. It consisted of three studies with total forty-five (fifteen in each pilot) participants. The questions explored the best and worst mascot forms and their respective contributing features such as physical, design, color, cultural, and miscellaneous. The success of 3rd pilot study led to the main experiment customer’s preference of forms regarding mascots for Haldiram’s food brand. The main experiment was conducted on 300 respondents, divided into two equal groups – IIT Guwahati, and Delhi University (North Campus). The reason for choosing two different populations was that the limited choices demonstrated by IITG as it shows a cosmopolitan population, compared to DU (NC) at Metro City of different nature being the first are upcoming. Where brands of different nature are just arriving and the second is a well aware of varieties of brands of international and nation repute. The study explored the in preferences among the youth (age 18- 24) of varied background. The results of the main experiment with analysis of the observations are enumerated hereunder. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 104 3.1 Choices of IITG respondents regarding mascot forms and Features for Haldiram’s The study conducted in IIT Guwahati involved the participation of 150 respondents. The participant’s level of UG and PG enhanced their selection, based on different academic background and disciplines. The data collection technique comprised of the administration of two pages’ questionnaire to the respondents to understand their choices for best and worst mascot design; this was after showing respondents the slide of the fifteen proposed mascot designs from ‘Haldiram’s. The Main experiment results are as follows. 3.1.1 Comparative analysis of the cumulative preferences of the best and worst mascot forms by IITG respondents (5 Depts. taken collectively). The questionnaire, before administering to the respondents, was analyzed for validity and test-retest reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha (α) in SPSS v.20.0 for Windows. Evaluation of the questionnaire administrated revealed good internal consistency thereby ensuring reliability of the questions asked through the questionnaire (α = 0.842, α based on standardized items = 0.845 for 20 questions). This was further confirmed by inter-item correlation and covariance matrices, which showed periodicity and regularity among the rows and columns. The variances and covariance of the scores were found to be within normal range with good α. In the best mascot form, ‘Chubby and Cute Chef’ had 1, 0, 2, 0, and 3 selections from Mathematics, Design, Chemistry, HSS, and Engineering departments respectively. The mascot form, ‘tradition and exclusive’ had 9, 9, 3, 6, and 8 preferences from the five departments correspondingly. The mascot, ‘Passion of Tradition’ had 0, 2, 2, 0, and 0 preferences respectively. ‘Rajasthani Halwai’ had 2, 3, 0, 2, and 0 choices respectively. ‘Best Cuisinier’ had 4, 6, 3, 2, and 8 selections. ‘Aapno Halwai’ had 10, 8, 6, 15, and 8 preferences respectively. ‘European Chef Style Dynamic’ had 0, 0, 6, 2, and 3 selections. ‘Promise of Quality’ had 0, 0, 3, 0, and 0, choices respectively, and ‘Stylist and Ambitious chef’ had 0, 0, 4, 0, and 0, selections from the five departments respectively. The mascot TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 105 forms such as Disney Style, Golden Chef, Food Lover Chubby Guy, Young Cuisinier, and Cartoon Style remained unselected in the five departments. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 73. In the worst mascot forms, ‘Rajasthani Halwai’ had one preference from the engineering department, and ‘Passion of Tradition’ had one preference from the Chemistry department. The mascot form ‘Disney Style’ had 7, 11, 10, 15, 5 choices from the five departments listed above respectively. ‘Young Cuisinier’ had 6, 8, 1, 6, 6 choices respectively. ‘Food Lover Chubby Guy’ had 3, 1, 2, 3, 2 selections. ‘Cartoon Style’ had 8, 9, 13, 2, 10 preferences. ‘Promise and Quality’ had 2, 0, 1, 2, 1 choice, and ‘Stylist and the Ambitious chef had 3, 1, 2, 1, 3 preferences from the five departments respectively. ‘European Chef Style and Dynamic’ had 1 preference from the mathematics and the HSS department, and ‘Indian Maharaja had 2 preferences from the engineering department. The mascot forms ‘Traditional and Exclusive, Chubby and Cute Chef, Best Cuisinier, and Golden Chef’ Mascot forms were not chosen in any department. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 106 Figure 73: Comparative representation of Best mascot forms by the five departments of IITG TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 107 3.1.2 Comparative representation of the selection of three best/worst forms by the five departments of IITG respondents. In the IITG, the observations shown in table 14 of the three best mascot types are as follows. B1 ‘Aapno Halwai’ had a total of 47 preferences, whereby, the Mathematics, Design, Chemistry, HSS, and Engineering departments had 10, 8, 6, 15, and 8 preferences respectively. B2 ‘Traditional and Exclusive’ had 9, 9, 3, 6, and 8 selections respectively with a total of 35 selections from the five departments as listed above. B3 ‘Best Cuisinier’ had 4, 6, 3, 2, and 8 preferences respectively with an aggregate of 23 choices. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 74. The observations shown in table 14 of the worst mascot forms in the IITG are as follows. W1 ‘Disney Style’ had 7, 11, 10, 15, and 5 preferences respectively with a total of 48 choices from the five departments. W2 ‘Cartoon Style’ had 8, 9, 13, 2, and 10 choices correspondingly with a total of 42 selections. W3 ‘Young Cuisinier’ had 6, 8, 1, 6, and 6 preferences with an aggregate of 27 choices from the five departments. Friedman’s Chi-Square (2 F ) for independence showed a significant association (2 F = 240.28; P < 0.001) of the questions in the questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers (youngsters) as per their preferences when taken collectively (all group took together). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 108 Choice of 3 Best (B1, B2.B3)/Worst (W1, W2, W3) mascot forms by the respondents of various department of IITG. Category Mascot Name Mathematics Engineering Design Chemistry HSS Total B1 Aapno Halwai 10 8 8 6 15 47 B2 Traditional and Exclusive 9 8 9 3 6 35 B3 Best Cuisiner 4 8 6 3 2 23 W1 Disney Style 7 5 11 10 15 48 W2 Cartoon Style 8 10 9 13 2 42 W3 Young Cuisiner 6 6 8 1 6 27 Table 14: Choice of three best /worst mascot forms by various depts. of IITG TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 109 Figure 74: Selection of three best mascot forms by the five department of IITG respondents together TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 110 3.1.3 Preferences of best and worst mascots forms and identification their contributing of features by IITG respondents (Department wise) 3.1.3.1 Preference of mascot features expressed by Mathematic Department respondents. In the best mascot category data shown in table 15, the physical feature had been the most preferred, with ‘Aapno Halwai’ recording 20 preferences, ‘Traditional and Exclusion’ had 12 preferences, and ‘Best Cuisinier’ recording 10 choices; whereas all the other forms taken together registered 6 preferences. The design feature had 10, 14, and 3 preferences respectively and other got in this category 11 choices for the mascot forms ‘Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive and Best Cuisinier’ correspondingly. The colour feature had 0, 6, and 0 selection respectively whereas other got 6 choices in this category. The cultural feature category had 8, 4, and 1 selection whereas other got 9 selections in this category, and the miscellaneous category had 12, 9, and 6 preferences respectively whereas other got 3 selections in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 75. In the worst mascot category data shown in table 15, the physical features had been the most preferable in that the mascot forms ‘Disney Style, Cartoon Style, and Young Cuisinier’ had 6, 10, and 9 choices respectively where as other got 10 selections in this category. The design features had 6, 8, and 6 preferences of the mascot forms listed correspondingly where as other got 8 selections in this category. The color feature had 7, 9, and 7 preferences where as other got 8 choices. The cultural feature category had 6, 3, and 0 choices where as other got 7 preferences in this category, and the miscellaneous feature category had 10, 10, 8 preferences respectively whereas all other forms taken together registered 12 selections in this category. Choices made by Mathematics Department respondents did not showed any significant association (2 F : 154.68, NS) of the questions in the questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi-Square (2 F ) for between people and between items showed no significant association [2 F between people and between items: 44.749; P < 0.01] TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 111 with non-significant variation within people with residual component of non- additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: 2.974; NS]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represented somewhat agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the question in the questionnaire (W = 0.273). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 112 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of Mathematics Dept. of IITG Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Aapno_ Halwai 8 1 4 7 3 0 5 2 0 0 0 0 6 2 0 0 4 0 4 4 Traditional_and- Exclusive 1 3 2 6 3 6 4 1 0 0 5 1 1 2 1 0 3 1 3 2 Best_Cuisinier 2 1 3 4 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 Other 1 2 2 1 2 2 5 2 0 2 2 2 3 3 2 1 1 0 0 2 Worst Mascot- character Disney_ Style 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 4 0 2 2 3 1 0 4 1 3 2 Cartoon_ Style 1 2 2 5 1 4 0 3 3 3 0 3 1 2 0 0 4 2 3 1 Young_Cuisiner 2 4 1 2 0 3 0 3 0 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 6 1 1 0 Other 2 0 4 4 1 2 2 3 1 2 1 4 2 3 1 1 4 2 4 2 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 15: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Mathematics Dept. of IITG TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 113 Figure 75: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Mathematics dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 114 3.1.3.2 Preferences of mascot feature expressed by Engineering Department respondents. In the best mascot types data shown in table 16, the physical features had 10, 16, and 14 preferences of the mascot forms: ‘Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, and Best Cuisinier’ congruently; whereas all the other forms took together registered 11 choices. The Design feature had 8, 11, 8 preferences and other got in this category 3 choices. The color feature had 10, 6, 5 choices whereas other got 11selections in this category. The cultural feature had 6, 5, and 2, selections whereas other got 2 choices in this, and the miscellaneous feature had 6, 2, 11 choices of the mascot titles correspondingly whereas other got 3 preferences in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 76. In the worst mascot types data shown in table 16, the physical feature had 7, 12, and 3 preferences of the mascot titles ‘Disney Style, Cartoon style, and Young Cuisinier’ respectively whereas other got 14 selections in this category. The Design feature had 6, 11, 9 selections correspondingly whereas in this category other got 11 choices. The color had 5, 11, and 5 preferences whereas in this category other got 7 selections. The cultural features had 3, 10, 8 selections whereas in this category other got 7 preferences, and the miscellaneous feature had 4, 6, 5 selections of the mascot forms respectively whereas in this category other got 6 choices. Choices made by Engineering respondents showed significant association (2 F : 168.03, P < 0.001) of the questions in the questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi- Square (2 F ) for between people and between items showed no significant association [2 F between people and between items: 39.348; P < 0.001] and non- significant variation within people with residual component non-additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: 3.741; NS]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represented somewhat agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the question in the questionnaire (W = 0.243). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 115 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of Engineering Dept. of IITG Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Aapno_ Halwai 2 2 2 4 1 1 5 1 5 0 4 1 4 1 1 0 2 0 3 1 Traditional_and- Exclusive 1 5 3 7 5 3 3 0 0 0 5 1 3 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 Best_Cuisinier 3 0 5 6 1 2 2 3 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 1 4 0 4 3 Other 3 1 5 2 0 0 2 1 3 4 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 Worst Mascot- character Disney_ Style 0 1 3 3 1 2 2 1 0 1 0 4 1 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 Cartoon_ Style 1 4 3 4 4 4 1 2 1 3 3 4 4 3 0 3 4 0 1 1 Young_Cuisiner 0 2 1 0 3 2 1 3 1 0 1 3 2 1 4 1 1 1 3 0 Other 3 4 2 5 0 3 3 5 0 0 3 4 1 4 0 2 2 2 0 2 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 16: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Engineering Dept. of IITG TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 116 Figure 76: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Engineering Dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 117 3.1.3.3 Preferences of mascot feature expressed by Design Department respondents In the best mascot types data shown in table 17, the physical feature had 14, 11, and 13 preferences of the mascot forms ‘Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, and Best Cuisinier’ consistently; whereas all the other forms have taken together registered 6 preferences. The design feature had 7, 13, 10 selections correspondingly and in this category other recorded 7 choices. The color feature had 5, 6, 1 preference where as other got 5 selections in this category. The cultural feature had 7, 6, 1 choice whereas other scored 7 preferences, and the miscellaneous feature had 7, 9, 5 choices of the mascot titles correspondingly whereas other got 8 preferences in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 77. In the worst mascot types data shown in table 17, the physical feature had 7, 15, and 7 choices of the mascot forms ‘Disney Style, Cartoon Style, and Young Cuisinier’ congruently whereas other recorded 4 choices in this category. The design feature had 14, 6, 11 preferences respectively where as other got 3 selections. The color feature had 16, 10, 7 selections whereas other got 1 choice in this category. The cultural feature had 8, 6, 7 choices and other scored in this category 1 preference, and the miscellaneous feature had 10, 8, 8 preferences of the mascot titles correspondingly whereas other got 1 preference in this category. Choices made by Design respondents did not showed any significant association (2 F : 133.06, NS) of the questions in the questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi- Square (2 F ) for between people and between items showed no significant association [2 F between people and between items: 38.000; P < 0.01] with non- significant variation within people with residual component non-additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: .000; NS]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represent a somewhat agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the question in the questionnaire (W = 0.210). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 118 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of Design Dept. of IITG Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Aapno_ Halwai 1 4 3 6 2 0 4 1 0 1 3 1 5 2 0 0 4 1 2 0 Traditional_and- Exclusive 3 3 3 2 4 3 5 1 0 0 5 1 2 4 0 0 1 1 5 2 Best_Cuisinier 1 2 5 5 5 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 Other 0 2 4 2 2 2 2 1 0 1 4 0 3 2 2 0 4 2 2 0 Worst Mascot- character Disney_ Style 3 2 1 1 3 5 3 3 6 6 2 2 5 1 1 1 3 2 3 2 Cartoon_ Style 4 4 4 3 0 2 1 3 2 3 2 3 1 3 1 1 4 1 2 1 Young_Cuisiner 3 2 0 2 2 3 4 2 1 2 0 4 3 3 0 1 4 2 1 1 Other 0 2 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 17: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Design Dept. of IITG TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 119 Figure 77: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Design dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 120 3.1.3.4 Preferences of mascot features expressed by Chemistry Department respondents In the best mascot types data shown in table 18, the physical feature had 12, 6, and 8 preferences of the mascot forms ‘Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, and Best Cuisinier’ respectively; whereas all the other forms were taken to together registered 31 preferences. The design feature had 3, 4, 2 selections congruently whereas other got 17 choices. The color feature had 6, 1, 2 preferences whereas other got 16 selections in this category. The cultural feature had 6, 1, 1 selection whereas other scores 4 preferences and the miscellaneous feature had 3, 3, 2 preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas other recorded 22 choices in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 78. In the worst mascot types data shown in table 18, the physical feature had 11, 16, and 1 selections of the mascot titles ‘Disney Style, Cartoon Style, and Young Cuisinier’ correspondingly whereas other recorded 6 choices in this category. The design feature had 10, 17, 1 preference congruently whereas other got 8 choices. The color feature had 13, 13, 1 choice whereas other scored 6 preferences. The cultural had 5, 10, 0 selections whereas other got 2 choices in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 11, 9, 2 choices of the mascot forms respectively whereas all other forms taken together registered 8 selections in this category. Choices made by Chemistry respondents did not showed any significant association (2 F : 111.75, NS) of the questions in the questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi- Square (2 F ) for between people and between items analysis showed significance association [2 F between people and between Items: 47.878; P < 0.001] with significant variation within people with residual component non-additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: 31.366; P < 0.001]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represent a very little agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the question in the questionnaire (W = 0.177). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 121 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of Chemistry Dept. of IITG Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Aapno_ Halwai 3 2 3 4 0 0 2 1 2 1 1 2 4 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 Traditional_and- Exclusive 2 0 3 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 Best_Cuisinier 2 1 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Other 5 6 10 10 4 4 4 5 4 5 2 5 3 1 0 0 8 4 4 6 Worst Mascot- character Disney_ Style 6 2 2 1 2 2 1 5 1 5 2 5 3 1 0 1 7 2 1 1 Cartoon_ Style 6 2 5 3 2 5 5 5 1 4 4 4 1 8 0 1 2 2 3 2 Young_Cuisiner 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Other 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 3 0 3 1 2 1 0 1 0 2 2 2 2 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 18: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Chemistry Dept. of IITG TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 122 Figure 78: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Chemistry Dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 123 3.1.3.5 Preferences of mascot features expressed by HSS Department respondents In the best mascot types data shown in table 19, the physical feature had 11, 8, and 3 preferences of the mascot forms ‘Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, and Best Cuisinier’ respectively; whereas all the other forms took together registered 12 preferences. The design feature had 21, 7, 0 choices correspondingly and other got in this category 6 preferences. The color feature had 18, 6, and 2 preferences whereas other got 3 selections in this category. The cultural feature had 12, 3, 3 selections whereas other got in this category 9 preferences, and the miscellaneous feature had 13, 6, and 2 choices of the mascot forms respectively whereas other scored 5 selections in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 79. In the worst mascot types data shown in table 19, the physical feature had 21, 1, and 8 preferences of the mascot forms ‘Disney Style, Cartoon Style, and Young Cuisinier’ correspondingly whereas other recorded 7 choices in this category. The design feature had 12, 1, 5 selections respectively whereas other got 5 preferences. The color feature had 18, 4, 4 preferences whereas other registered 9 choices in this. The cultural feature category had 11, 2, 4 preferences whereas other got 1 choice in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 13, 2, 9 selections of the mascot forms correspondingly whereas other got 12 preferences in this category. Choices made by HSS respondents did not showed any significant association (2 F : 142.90, NS) of the questions in the questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi- Square (2 F ) for between people and between items analysis showed significance association [2 F between people and between items: 37.093; P < 0.01] with significant variation within people with residual component non-additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: 33.352; P < 0.001]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represent a very little agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the question in the questionnaire (W = 0.159). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 124 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of HSS Dept. of IITG Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Aapno_ Halwai 3 3 1 4 5 2 6 8 1 4 5 8 9 2 1 0 4 2 2 5 Traditional_and- Exclusive 1 2 1 4 2 2 3 0 0 0 3 3 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 2 Best_Cuisinier 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 Other 3 2 3 4 1 2 3 0 1 0 2 0 3 3 1 2 1 1 2 1 Worst Mascot- character Disney_ Style 9 5 3 4 3 1 4 4 1 4 2 11 5 4 2 0 6 5 2 0 Cartoon_ Style 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 Young_Cuisiner 1 3 1 3 0 0 1 4 2 0 0 2 1 1 2 0 3 0 4 2 Other 1 2 4 0 2 0 2 1 0 3 4 2 1 0 0 1 4 2 2 4 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 19: Choice of best and worst mascot features by HSS Dept. of IITG TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 125 Figure 79: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from HSS Dept. of IIT Guwahati for best mascot forms and features. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 126 3.1.4 Cumulative responses regarding forms of mascots and their contributing feature as per IITG respondents (All 5 Depts. taken together collectively). In the best mascot forms types data shown in table 20, the physical feature had 67, 53, 48 collective selections of the mascot titles ‘Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, and Best Cuisinier’ respectively; whereas all the other forms taken together registered 68 preferences. The design feature had 49, 49, 23 collective preference congruently and in this category other recorded 44 choices. The color feature had 39, 25, 10 collective selections whereas other got 41 choices in this category. The cultural feature had 39, 19, 8 collective preferences whereas other scored 31selections, and the miscellaneous feature had 41, 29, 26 collective choices of the mascot forms respectively whereas other got 41preferences in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 80. In the worst mascot forms types data shown in table 20, the physical feature had 52, 54, and 28 collective preferences of the mascot titles ‘Disney Style, Cartoon Style, and Young Cuisinier’ respectively where as other recorded 41 choices in this category. The design feature had 48, 43, 32 collective preferences respectively whereas other got 35 selections in this category. The color feature had 59, 47, 24 collective selections whereas other got 31 preferences. The cultural feature had 33, 31, 19 collective preferences whereas other forms registered 19 choices in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 48, 35, and 32 collective preferences of the mascot forms congruently whereas all other forms took together registered 39 selections in this category. 2 F independence showed a significant association (2 F : 240.28, P < 0.001) of the questions in the questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference when taken collectively (all groups are taken together). However, when the department were taken individually, as was seen in case of Mathematics (2 F : 154.68, NS), Design (2 F : 133.06, NS), Chemistry (2 F : 111.75, NS), HSS (2 F : 142.90, NS), they did not register any significant association between the mascot forms and the questions characteristics them, which may be due to the fact that, less than 70% of the expected values were less than 5 and response to some question did not count even 1 for a particular mascot form. In the case of Engineering department results, where we found a significant association between the mascot forms and the questions characterizing them (2 F :168.03, P < 0.001). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 127 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of five dept.of IITG Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Aapno_ Halwai 17 12 13 25 11 3 22 13 8 6 13 12 28 9 2 0 14 3 13 11 Traditional_and- Exclusive 8 13 12 20 16 15 16 2 0 0 18 7 9 7 2 1 7 4 11 7 Best_Cuisinier 8 4 18 18 8 5 6 4 2 2 2 4 5 2 0 1 7 2 10 7 Other 12 13 24 19 9 10 16 9 8 12 12 9 13 10 5 3 14 8 9 10 Worst Mascot- character Disney_ Style 21 11 10 10 10 11 11 16 9 20 6 24 16 10 4 3 22 10 10 6 Cartoon_ Style 12 12 15 15 7 15 8 13 7 15 9 16 8 16 2 5 16 5 9 5 Young_Cuisiner 6 11 3 8 5 8 6 13 4 6 1 13 6 5 6 2 15 5 9 3 Other 7 9 13 12 5 8 9 13 1 8 9 13 6 7 2 4 13 8 8 10 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 20: Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of Five Depts. of IITG TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 128 Figure 80: collective preference of the five Dept. of IIT Guwahati respondents to the three best mascot forms and features. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 129 3.2 Preferences of DU (NC) respondents regarding mascot forms and features for Haldiram’s. The study conducted in Delhi University involved the participation respondents from the five groups with 30 participants in each group. The participant’s level of UG and PG enabled their selection as it was from a different academic background and disciplines. The data collection technique entailed administration of two pages’ questionnaire to the respondents to understand their preferences for best and worst mascot designs from Haldiram’s. This was after showing respondents the slide of the fifteen proposed mascot designs. 3.2.1 Comparative analysis of the cumulative preferences of the best and worst mascot forms by DU (NC) respondents (5 Depts. taken collectively). In the best mascot forms data shown in table 21, ‘Chubby and Cute Chef” had 3, 1, 3, 2, and 4 choices from B.com, Economics, B.Sc. Math’s, Political science and Industrial Chemistry Departments respectively. The mascot title ‘tradition and Exclusion’ had 2, 6, 4, 3, 1 and 4 preferences from the five departments correspondingly. ‘Rajasthani Halwi’ had two preferences from political Science. The Mascot title ‘Passion of Tradition’ had 1, 1, 0, 3, 2 preferences respectively. ‘Best Cuisinier’ had 11, 5, 9, 7, and 7 selections respectively. ‘Aanpo Halwai’ had 8, 11, 7, 4, and 3 preferences respectively. ‘Disney Style’ had 1, 1, 1, 1, and 3 choices. ‘Indian Maharaja’ had 3, 2, 0, 2, and 2 preferences. ‘Young Cuisinier’ had one choice from Economics and B.Sc. Math’s departments. ‘Food Lover Chubby Guy’ had one preference from the Economics department. ‘Promise of Quality’ had one selection from the B. Sc. Math’s department. ‘Stylist and Ambitious Chef’ had two preferences from the Political Science department. Besides, the mascot titles ‘Golden Chef and Cartoon Style’ remained unselected. There graphical representation of the data presented in figure 81. In the worst mascot forms data shown in table 21, ‘Chubby and Cute Chef’ had two preferences from B.Sc. Math’s department and one choice from Political Science department. ‘Passion of Tradition’ had one choice from B. Sc. Math’s, Economics and Political Science department. ‘Rajasthani Halwai’ had one selection from the B.Sc. Math’s department. ‘Disney Style’ had 3, 4, 2, 3, and 3 preferences TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 130 from the five departments respectively. ‘Young Cuisinier’ had 2, 2, 2, 3, and 2 preferences. ‘Cartoon Style’ ha 22, 14, 12, 11, and 11 selections respectively. ‘Promise and Quality had’ had 1, 5, 2, 3, and 7 selections, and ‘Stylist and Ambitious’ had 1, 1, 5, 4, and 1 selection from the five departments respectively. ‘European Chef Style’ had 1 selection from B. Com and Economics department and two preferences from the Chemistry department. ‘Indian Maharaja’ had one preference from the political science department and two preferences from Industrial Chemistry department. The mascot forms ‘Golden Chef, Aapno Halwai, Traditional and exclusive, and Best cuisinier’ remained unselected. Chef and Cartoon Style’ remained unselected. The questionnaire, before administering to the respondents, was analyzed for validity and test-retest reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha (α) in SPSS v.20.0 for Windows. Evaluation of the questionnaire administrated revealed good internal consistency was thereby ensuring reliability of the questions to be asked through the questionnaire (α = 0.964, α based on standardized items = 0.967 for 20 questions). This was further confirmed by inter-item correlation and covariance matrices, which showed periodicity and regularity among the rows and columns. The variances and covariance of the scores were found to be within normal range with excellent α. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 131 Figure 81: Comparative representation of Best mascot forms by the five department of DU (NC) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 132 3.2.2 Comparative representation of the selection of three best/worst forms by the five departments of DU (NC) respondents In the three best mascot forms data shown in table 21, B1 ‘Best Cuisinier’ had 11, 5, 9, 7, and 7 preferences with a total of 39 selections from ‘B. Com, Economics, B.Sc. Math’s, Political Science, and Industrial Chemistry Departments’ respectively. B2 ‘Aapno Halwai’ had 8, 11, 7, 4, and 3 choices with an aggregate of 33 choices respectively. B3 ‘Traditional and Exclusive’ had 2, 6, 4, 3, and 5 preferences with a total of 20 preferences from the five departments respectively. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 82. In the three worst mascot forms data shown in table 21, W1 ‘Cartoon Style’ had 22, 14, 12, 11, and 11 selections with an aggregate of 70 selections from the five departments respectively. W2 ‘Promise of Quality’ had 1, 5, 2, 3, and 7 preferences with a total of 18 preferences respectively. W3 ‘Disney Style’ had 3, 4, 2, 3 and 3 preferences with a total of 15 preferences from the five departments respectively. Friedman’s Chi-Square (2 F ) for independence showed a significant association (2 F = 200.65; P < 0.001) of the questions in the questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preferences when taken collectively (all group took together). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 133 Choice of 3 Best (B1, B2.B3)/Worst (W1, W2, W3) mascot forms by the respondents of various department of DU(NC). Category Tittle of Mascot B.com(Hon) Economics (Hon) B.SC Maths Polotical Science (Hon) Industrial Chemistry Total B1 Best Cuisinier 11 5 9 7 7 39 B2 Aapno Halwai 8 11 7 4 3 33 B3 Traditional and Exclusive 2 6 4 3 5 20 W1 Cartoon Style 22 14 12 11 11 70 W2 promise of quality 1 5 2 3 7 18 W3 Disney Style 3 4 2 3 3 15 Table 21: Choice of three best/worst mascot forms by the respondents of various depts. of DU (NU) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 134 Figure 82: Selection of three best mascot forms by the five department of DU (NC) respondents together TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 135 3.2.3 Preferences of best and worst mascots forms and identification their contributing of features by respondents of DU (NC) (Department wise). 3.2.3.1 Preference of mascot features expressed by B.COM Department respondents. In the best mascot form data shown in table 22, the physical feature had 18, 9, and 2 preferences for mascot titles ‘Best Cuisinier, Aapno Halwai, and Traditional and Exclusive’ respectively whereas other got 10 preferences in this category. The design feature had 13, 9, and 3 choices respectively and other got 13 selections in this. The Color feature had 12, 6, 0 preferences whereas all the other forms registered 8 preferences in this category. The cultural feature had 7, 8, 2 preferences whereas other got 6 choices, and the miscellaneous feature had 5, 8, and 3 selections of the mascot forms correspondingly whereas other got 8 selections in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 83. In the worst mascot forms data shown in table 22, the physical feature had 21, 0, and 4 preferences for the mascot titles ‘Cartoon Style, Promise of Quality and Disney Style’ respectively whereas other got 4 selections in this category. The design feature had 23, 2, and 3 preferences of the mascot titles respectively whereas other scored 5 choices. The color feature had 25, 1, and 4 selections respectively whereas other got 5 preferences. The cultural feature had 24, 1, and 2 preferences whereas other remained unselected in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 17, 1, and 2 preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas all other forms took together registered 6 selections in this category. Choices made by B.COM Department respondents did not showed any significant association (2 F : 134.10, NS) of the questions in a questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi-Square (2 F ) for between people and between items showed no significant association [2 F between people and between items: 26.730; NS] with non-significant variation within people with a residual component of non-additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: 30.858; P < 0.001]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represented a very little agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the question in the questionnaire (W = 0.084). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 136 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the B.com respondents of DU(NC) Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Best_ Cuisinier 5 2 6 5 3 7 2 1 6 2 1 3 2 3 2 0 2 1 0 2 Aapno _Halwi 4 2 2 1 2 1 3 3 1 3 2 0 5 3 0 0 2 3 0 3 Trad_Exclusive 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 Other 2 1 4 3 5 4 4 0 2 2 3 1 2 2 2 0 3 0 2 3 Worst Mascot- character Cartoon_ Style 5 3 6 7 1 2 11 9 4 5 11 5 8 10 1 5 7 5 1 4 promise_ of quality 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Disney_ Style 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 Other 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 2 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 22: Choice of best and worst mascot features by B.COM Dept. of DU (NC) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 137 Figure 83: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from B.COM dept. of DU (NC) for best mascot forms and features TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 138 3.2.3.2 Preference of mascot features expressed by Economics Department respondents. In the best mascot forms data shown in table 23, the physical feature had 8, 18, and 4 preferences of the mascot titles ‘Best Cuisinier, Aapno Halwai, and Traditional and Exclusive’ respectively; whereas all the other forms taken together registered 14 choices. The design feature had, 4, 11, and 6 selections respectively, other got in this category 6 preferences. The color feature had 3, 7, and 7 choices whereas other got 7 selections in this. The cultural feature had 4, 5, and 5 preferences whereas other got 5 selections in this category and the miscellaneous feature had 6, 14, and 7 preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas other got 8 in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 84. In the worst mascot forms data shown in table 23, the physical feature had 14, 3, and 3 preferences of the mascot titles ‘Cartoon Style, Promise and Quality, and Disney Style’ respectively whereas other got 6 choices in this category. The design feature had 7, 5, and 4 preferences respectively whereas other got 6 selections in this category. The color feature had 20, 9, and 4 preferences whereas other got 7 choices. The cultural feature had 10, 2, and 3 selections whereas other registered 8 preferences in this category and the miscellaneous feature had 19, 6, 6 preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas all other forms took together registered 8 selections in this category. Choices made by Economics Department respondents did not showed any significant association (2 F : 137.44, NS) of the questions in a questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi-Square (2 F ) for between people and between items showed no significant association [2 F between people and between items: 29.419; NS] with non-significant variation within people with a residual component of non-additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: 6.203; P < 0.05]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represented a very little agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the question in the questionnaire (W = 0.149). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 139 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the Economics respondents of DU(NC) Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Best_ Cuisinier 2 0 3 3 1 0 0 3 1 1 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 4 1 Aapno _Halwi 5 4 3 6 0 1 6 4 2 2 3 0 2 2 1 0 2 2 4 6 Trad_Exclusive 1 0 2 1 3 1 2 1 2 0 2 3 2 2 1 0 1 2 2 2 Other 1 2 6 5 0 2 2 2 1 4 0 2 2 1 2 0 1 4 1 2 Worst Mascot- character Cartoon_ Style 3 2 4 5 2 1 0 4 5 6 2 7 3 3 1 3 5 9 2 3 promise_ of quality 0 0 2 1 0 1 1 3 1 3 3 2 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 3 Disney_ Style 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 2 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 1 3 2 0 Other 3 2 1 0 0 3 1 2 1 1 3 2 1 5 1 1 5 1 2 0 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 23: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Economics Dept. of DU (NC) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 140 Figure 84: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Economics Dept. of DU (NC) for best mascot forms and features TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 141 3.2.3.3 Preference of mascot features expressed by Mathematics Department respondents. In the best mascot form data shown in table 24, the physical feature had 15, 9, and 5 preferences of the mascot titles ‘Best Cuisinier, Aapno Halwai, and Traditional and Exclusive’ respectively; whereas all the other forms taken together registered 18 preferences. The design feature had 9, 8, and 6 preferences of the mascot forms respectively and in this category other recorded 4 choices. The color feature had 11, 7, and 3 preferences respectively whereas other got 14 selections in this category. The cultural feature had 3, 6, and 4 selections and other scored in this category 5 preferences, and the miscellaneous feature had 7, 5, and 2 selections of the mascot forms respectively whereas other got 9 choices in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 85. In the worst mascot form data shown in table 24, the physical feature had 3, 2, and 2 selections of the mascot titles ‘Cartoon Style, Promise of Quality and Disney Style’ correspondingly whereas other recorded 17 choices in this category. The design feature had 13, 2, and 1 preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas other got 16 selections. The color feature had 9, 2, and 4 selections and other scored in this category 15 choices. The cultural feature had 10, 0, and 3 preferences whereas other got 8 selections in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 15, 1, and 3 selections of the mascot forms respectively whereas other got 14 preferences. Choices made by Mathematics Department respondents did not showed any significant association (2 F : 141.57, NS) of the questions in a questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi -Square (2 F ) for between people and between items analysis showed significance association [2 F between people and between Items: 34.445; P < 0.05] with significant variation within people with residual component non- additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: 13.921; P < 0.001]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represent very little agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the question in the questionnaire (W = 0.158). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 142 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of Mathematics Dept. DU(NC) Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Best _Cuisinier 2 2 6 5 2 6 0 1 2 2 2 5 0 1 2 0 3 0 2 2 Aapno _Halwi 2 3 3 1 0 3 2 3 2 2 2 1 4 1 0 1 3 0 1 1 Trad_Exclusive 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 other 3 5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 7 3 0 2 0 2 1 2 4 Worst Mascot- character Cartoon _Style 3 0 0 0 0 1 6 6 2 7 4 6 2 8 0 0 5 5 1 4 promise _of quality 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Disney_ Style 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 Other 7 0 5 5 1 5 4 6 2 4 2 7 2 2 3 1 3 6 3 2 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 24: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Mathematics Dept. of DU (NC) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 143 Figure 85: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Mathematics Dept. of DU (NC) for best mascot forms and features. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 144 3.2.3.4 Preference of mascot features expressed by Political Science Department respondents. In the best mascot form data shown in table 25, the physical feature had 11, 5, and 6 selections of the mascot titles ‘Best Cuisinier, Aapno Halwai, and Traditional and Exclusive’ respectively; whereas all the other forms taken together registered 24 preferences. The design feature had 8, 5, and 3 preferences of the mascot forms and other got in this category 15 choices. The color feature had 6, 4, and 3 selections whereas other got 12 in this category. The cultural feature had 7, 4, and 2 preferences whereas other got 8 selections in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 3, 2, and 1 preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas as other got 21 selections in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 86. In the worst mascot form data shown in table 25, the physical feature had 15, 3, 4 preferences of the mascot titles ‘Cartoon Style, Promise of Quality, and Disney Style’ respectively whereas other got 12 selections in this category. The design feature had 11, 2, 1 preference correspondingly whereas other got 14 selections in this category. The color feature had 7, 3, 3 preferences whereas other got 17 choices. The cultural feature had 11, 3, 4 selections whereas other got 3 preferences in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 11, 4, and 3 preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas all other forms took together registered 19 selections in this category. Choices made by Political Sciences department respondents did not showed any significant association (2 F : 141.57, NS) of the questions in a questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi- Square (2 F ) for between people and between items analysis showed significance association [2 F between people and between items: 30.336; P < 0.05] with significant variation within people with residual component non- additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: 22.078; P < 0.001]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represent a very little agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the questions in the questionnaire (W = 0.120). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 145 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of Political Science Dept. DU(NC) Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Best _Cuisinier 2 0 5 4 2 1 4 1 3 0 1 2 5 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 Aapno _Halwi 2 0 1 2 1 1 2 1 3 0 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 Trad_Exclusive 1 0 2 3 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 other 7 3 7 7 4 1 6 4 7 3 1 1 4 1 3 0 6 5 4 6 Worst Mascot- character Cartoon _Style 4 2 5 4 2 2 3 4 0 4 2 1 5 2 3 1 3 2 4 2 promise _of quality 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 2 Disney_ Style 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 0 Other 5 4 2 1 3 1 4 6 0 5 6 6 0 0 3 0 9 4 3 3 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 25: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Political Science Dept. of DU (NC) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 146 Figure 86: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Political Sciences dept. of DU (NC) for best mascot forms and features. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 147 3.2.3.5 Preference of mascot features expressed by Chemistry Department respondents. In the best mascot form data shown in table 26, the physical feature had 14, 5, and 5 preferences of the mascot titles ‘Best Cuisinier, Aapno Halwai, and Traditional and Exclusive’ respectively whereas all the other forms taken together registered 15 choices. The design feature had 6, 4, and 7 preferences respectively and other got in this category 12 choices. The color feature had 5, 2, and 3 preferences whereas other got 17 choices in this category. The cultural feature had 4, 3, and 3 preferences whereas other got 13 selections in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 6, 1, and 7 preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas other got 18 selections in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 87. In the worst mascot form data shown in table 26, the physical feature had 7, 12 and 2 preferences of the mascot titles ‘Cartoon Style, Promise of Quality, and Disney Style’ respectively whereas other got 8 selections in this category. The design feature had 11, 4, and 1 selection respectively whereas other got 8 selections in this category. The color feature had 14, 9, 4 and 4 preferences whereas other got 10 choices. The cultural feature had 11, 7, and 4 selections whereas other got 7 preferences in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 12, 3, 4 preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas all other form took together registered 12 selections in this category. Choices made by Political Sciences department respondents did not showed any significant association (2 F : 105.85, NS) of the questions in a questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference. ANOVA with Friedman’s Chi- Square (2 F ) for between people and between items analysis showed significance association [2 F between people and between Items: 37.708; P < 0.01] with significant variation within people with residual component non - additivity [2 F within people and residual non-additivity: 7.500; P < 0.01]. However, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance represent a very little agreement between preference of the forms rated by individual respondents based on the questions in the questionnaire (W = 0.158). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 148 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of Chemistry Dept. DU(NC) Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Best _Cuisinier 4 1 5 4 2 0 1 3 1 2 0 2 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 3 Aapno _Halwi 1 0 2 2 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 Trad_Exclusive 0 0 2 3 2 1 2 2 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 2 2 3 other 2 1 6 6 3 4 3 2 5 3 3 6 5 4 4 0 5 5 4 4 Worst Mascot- character Cartoon _Style 2 0 1 4 0 2 5 4 1 2 7 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 3 promise _of quality 3 2 2 5 2 1 1 0 1 2 4 2 1 3 2 1 1 0 1 1 Disney_ Style 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 2 1 1 2 1 1 0 Other 0 1 4 3 0 2 2 4 0 3 3 4 3 2 2 0 3 2 3 4 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 26: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Chemistry Dept. of DU (NC) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 149 Figure 87: Choice and emphasis of preference of respondents from Chemistry dept. of DU (NC) for best mascot forms and features TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 150 3.2.4 Cumulative responses regarding forms of mascots and their contributing features as per DU (NC) respondents (all five depts. taken collectively). In the best mascot forms data shown in table 27, the physical feature had 66, 46, and 22 collective preferences of the mascot titles ‘Best Cuisinier, Aapno Halwai, and Traditional and Exclusive’ respectively whereas all the other forms took together registered 81 preferences. The design feature had 40, 37, and 26 collective preferences and other got in this category 50 choices. The color feature had 37, 26, and 16 collective selections whereas other got 58 choices in this. The cultural feature had 25, 26, and 16 collective choices whereas other got 37selections in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 27, 30, and 20 collective preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas other got 64 selections in this category. There graphical representation of the best mascot data presented in figure 88. In the worst mascot forms form data shown in table 27, the physical feature had 60, 20, and 15 collective preferences of the mascot titles ‘Cartoon Style, Promise of Quality, and Disney Style’ respectively whereas other got 47 selections in this category. The design feature had 65, 15, and 10 collective preferences whereas other got 49 selections in this category. The color feature had 85, 24, and 19 collective selections whereas other got 54 choices. The cultural feature had 66, 16, and 13 collective choices whereas other got 26 preferences in this category, and the miscellaneous feature had 74, 15 and 18 collective preferences of the mascot forms respectively whereas all other forms taken together registered 59 selections in this category. 2 F for independence showed a significant association (2 F : 200.65, P < 0.001) of the questions in the questionnaire with the selection of the forms by consumers as per their preference when taken collectively (all groups taken together).However, when the department were taken individually, as was seen in case of B.Com (2 F : 134.10, NS), Chemistry (2 F : 105.85, NS), Economics (2 F : 137.44, NS), Mathematics (2 F : 141.57, NS),Political Science (2 F : 128.01, NS) they did not register any significant association between the mascot forms and the questions characteristics them, which may be due to the fact that, less than 70% of the expected values were less than 5 and response to some question did not count even 1 for a particular mascot form. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 151 Choice of best and worst mascot features by the respondents of five dept.of DU (NC) Best Mascot- character Series of Question Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 B1_Best_ Cuisinier 15 5 25 21 10 14 7 9 13 7 4 13 10 9 5 1 8 2 8 9 B2_Aapno_Halwi 14 9 11 12 4 6 15 12 9 7 9 1 15 7 1 3 7 5 7 11 B3_Traditional_and_Exclusive 4 2 8 8 7 5 8 6 3 2 5 6 8 5 2 1 2 4 6 8 Other 15 12 28 26 13 12 16 9 16 15 10 17 16 8 13 0 17 15 13 19 Worst Mascot- character W1_Cartoon_Style 17 7 16 20 5 8 25 27 12 24 26 23 21 25 6 14 24 24 10 16 W2 _promise_of_quality 5 4 5 6 2 2 4 7 2 7 8 7 4 7 4 1 5 1 3 6 W3_Disney_Style 3 2 5 5 2 0 3 5 3 6 4 6 4 4 3 2 4 4 7 3 Other 16 8 13 10 6 12 11 20 4 15 14 21 6 9 9 2 22 14 14 9 Q1 to Q4 – Physical Feature, Q5 to Q8 – Design Feature, Q9 to Q12 – Colour Feature, Q13 to Q16 – Cultural Feature, Q17 to Q20 - Miscellaneous Table 27: Choice of best and worst mascot features by Five Dept. of DU (NC) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 152 Figure 88: Collective preferences of the five depts. of DU (NC) respondents to the three best mascot forms and features. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 3 Identifying design elements for mascot construction 153 Conclusion Respondents from the five departments of IITG ranked 1 for “Aapno Halwai” and ranked 2 for Traditional and exclusive for the best mascot design for the Haldiram’s brand while the “Disney Style” was determined as the worst mascot. Respondents from the Delhi University ranked 1 for “Best Cuisinier” and ranked 2 for “Aapno Halwai” as the best mascots design and “Cartoon Style” as the worst mascots design. The results show that dwellers of metro and cosmopolitan cities perceive mascots differently, for which detailed study can be taken up. Physical features followed by design and color application form these character appears to be most preferred identity elements. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter Overview The current chapter summarizes the experiments' results and reflects on their validity and practical applicability. It deduces the critical importance of the physical form of a mascot as compared to design, color, and miscellaneous features. The chapter presents the prototype of a mascot for Haldiram’s (a hypothetical case) which was created by findings from the study. The chapter deduces the critical importance of the physical form of a mascot as opposed to mascots’ design and color. It also confirms the hypothesis of study that design characteristics of mascots have an impact on the way in which the young generation of customers perceives Indian food brand Mascots. CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSSION TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 155 4.1 Discussion: identifying prominent elements for mascot design This study entailed the assessment of the mascots’ influence on consumers, especially with regards to promotion of brand identities. The main objective of the study was to explore the construction philosophy of mascots’ design and attributes, and the impact of such designs and attributes on consumers about the divergent brand; and to see if the construction of mascot follows a spokes and hub model where spoke selection go along with prospective buyers preferences. Additionally, the study sought to determine the difference between international and national mascots by looking into the various features of mascots and identifying the application differences of construction elements by which they may be used as effective marketing tools. To attain the above-stated objectives, a literature review of scholarly sources that dealt with the concept of mascots and their use in the food industry was carried out. A large proportion of the reviewed literature defines not only the mascot but also explained the influence of mascots with regards to marketing activities. Moreover, the literature reviewed also made attempts at comparing and contrasting the use of mascots and celebrity endorsers in marketing. The objective of doing this was to establish the most effective marketing instrument between celebrity endorsers and mascots. Importantly, the study designs and conceptual frameworks ascertained that mascots were better performers as marketing instruments compared to the celebrity endorsers. The issues of material, forms and design characteristics have also been detailed. The review also asserts that mascots in various forms, materials, and concept and design characteristics have different apples and affective influence on customers. However, not many of the existing studies deal with how design characteristics affect consumers’ perceptions either cognitively or affectively. As a result, this study attempts to bridge the research gap that exists between the influence of mascots on consumer perceptions and how the mascot design characteristic increase mascot effectiveness. It deals with various aspects of shape and designs such as angular and round- shaped mascots or symmetrical and TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 156 asymmetrical designs. It has provided a detailed study, which has assessed customers on the designs of mascots that mainly appeal to them. There is also a gap regarding the articulation of the concept of the brand mascot as prospective brand identities as well as the proper grouping, identification or definition of mascots as either national, international or both. The discussion section attempts to outline the outcome about the study objectives, which have been adequately addressed throughout the research process. In addressing the design characteristics, the study has also taken care of how different color choices influence consumer responses. To acquire the pertinent data that would assist in the understanding of the research problem, a descriptive, analytical study design that includes preliminary studies, pilot studies, and the main experiment was adopted. Preliminary studies are mainly used in instances where a researcher is interested in verifying information regarding a given problem. Moreover, preliminary studies entail selection of the research topic, a collection of adequate background information and the development of coherent research question. Preliminary studies help research acquire the necessary knowledge and understanding of the research scope and the potential challenges to be encountered in the research process. Subsequently, a pilot study was adopted by the research, with a total of 15 participants (each study). A pilot study normally involves a small number of study participants recruited with the aim of conducting a small scale study research whose objective is to assist in the evaluation of cost, time, feasibility, effect size as well as adverse events of the main and upcoming study. The study appeared to be extensive from the beginning. As such carrying out the initial pilot study was essential for the effectual estimation of the sample size, as well as costs, time and the research feasibility aspects of the study. The core responsibility of this investigation is, therefore, the main research, and its major undertaking that puts into perspective the understanding of the research problem. In this study, 300 participants from both IIT Guwahati and Delhi University (North Campus) were recruited, with 150 participants being drawn from each institution. The combination of these approaches was an essential contribution to TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 157 this investigation, given the observation that it ensured that all the most important variables that could affect the research outcome were taken care of. Also, the design put in place many appropriate approaches and parameters that ensured a holistic view of the problem or issue in hand. For instance, it first identified the need to ascertain if people associated brand mascots, identified with figurative mascots or viewed mascot with high popularity. Second, the use of Likert’s 5- point scale ensured that there was a correct assessment of the participants’ attitude about Indian traditional food brands. Any research process must be thorough and explicit with regards to the tools and resources that are employed in the collection of data. This is what the study sought to accomplish by outlining a comprehensive design, supplemented by a wide range of data collection resources. The study design was helpful in both the gathering and compilation of the necessary data. The study participants were drawn from two distinct instructions so as to evaluate the perspective of persons from different regions. This was also meant to enable a proper comparison of data the study was finding. The study participants are mainly from IITG and DC(NC). In particular, the discussion presents the analysis of the preferences/choices of IITG respondents regarding forms of mascots and features for Haldiram’s. Just to reiterate, the number of participating departments were five which included Mathematics, Design, Chemistry, HSS, Engineering departments whose result are given in the same order. In the course of selecting the best mascot form, ‘Chubby and Cute Chef’ has 1,0,2,0 and 3 in each of the department mentioned above in that order. Nevertheless, the results obtained show that the total ranking of the mascots according to the results obtained was Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, Best Cuisinier, European Chef style dynamic, Stylist &Ambitious chef, Promise of Quality, Disney Style, Golden Chef, Food lover Cubby Guy, Young Cuisiner, and Cartoon Style in that order. With this data, an observation is seen that Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, and Best Cuisiner are most preferred mascot designs according to the data obtained from the five departments participants illustrated in figure 89. Corte-Real and Lencastare (2009) carried out a study to TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 158 assess an almost similar condition as this study, possibly the only study that exists online regarding this case. Despite the fact that the researchers used a different population sample, their study has immensely contributed to the development of this research. Avery important connection with what has been found out in Corte-Real and Lencastare (2009) and the current study is that considerations of design characteristics of mascots are very effective in influencing consumer perception. The review of this research adequately adds credibility to the current study because the outcome or findings of both studies are almost similar. For instance, asymmetrical mascots produce more cognitive and affective responses from customers as compared to the symmetrical ones Corte-Real and Lencastare (2009) and the current study analyzes both affective and cognitive responses and how they correspond to symmetry. The symmetrical mascots established are more likely to create different approaches than positive cognitive or effective responses essential for striking a strong connection between customers and brands. Just like Corte-Real and Figure 89: An Observation is seen that (1) Aapno Halwai, (2) Traditional and Exclusive and (3) Best Cuisiner are Most preferred mascot designs according to the data obtained from the five department participant TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 159 Lencastare (2009), rounded or angular symmetric or asymmetric mascots also evoke different responses. These have been adequately analyzed in the literature review especially in relation to designs that affect persons. There are also other essential principals that deal with mascots, as explained by Aaker and Joachimster (2000). These include character expression through an outward mascot appearance and creation of unrealistic body proportion. Among the reasons Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, and Best Cuisiner had the leading selections among the chosen mascots is because of the colors and the image being used. All these mascots had the striking red color by which the customers were able to identify them easily and interpret them easily. Furthermore, the various departmental selections also indicate the preference for each young generation. For instance, Disney style had the most selections in the HSS department because of the appearance of the mascot. The red color coupled with the turban the mascot has, made it a relatively appealing taste. In this section also, it was observed that Aapno Halwai had the greatest number of selections made from the five departments selecting it as the best mascot design. However, the selection of the design with the worst appearance according to rankings had Disney Style, Cartoon Style and young cuisine having 48, 42 and 27 choices respectively. Shown in figure 90. Figure 90: Section (A) Aapno Halwai had the greatest number of selections made from the five departments selecting it was the best mascot design and section (B) The section of the design with the worst appearance. according to rankings had Disney style, Cartoon Style, Young Cuisiner. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 160 Concerning these findings, a similar argument can be done based on what the evaluation gives and the outcome of the experiment. The two mascots had the aesthetic and communicated. well with the target audience, meaning that the message they tried to pass across was well reached throughout the young generation. In addition to this, the Traditional and Exclusive mascot was also outstanding in the manner it combined the traditional and modern concepts of marketing shown in figure 91. In particular, it was noted that the mascot was of a traditional nature but also had a style. However, for the Disney Style, and Cartoon Style mascots, they seemed to lack the element of communication to the clients and therefore the kind of products wasn’t well defined. Furthermore, all the color tones didn’t resonate well with the product they were offering. A majority of white space in the mascot diverted the attention of the clients hence a lower ranking shown in figure 92. Figure 91: Aapno Halwai and Traditional & Exclusive Figure 92: Worst mascot Lacking design element. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 161 The physical characteristics of the mascot have also been proven to be crucial in determining the level at which the mascot attracts the crowd (shown in figure 93). This can be proven with the amount of choices of ‘Aapno Halwai,’ ‘Traditional and Exclusive,’ and ‘Best Cusinier.' These mascots recorded 20, 12, and 10 choices at the department level. One of the physical characteristics identified in this case is the posture and angle at which the mascot is leading. In particular, the expression emphasis on the authentic look of the mascot was highly considered. For the three mascots, Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, and Best Cuisiner, the concept of physical appearance of the mascot in the design stood out well. Furthermore, the gesture of the hand in the mascot speaks a lot about the nature of service being offered in the store. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 162 Cont. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 163 Figure 93: Physical characteristics of the mascot scored highest rank at department level TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 164 When considering the collective preferences of the best and worst mascot forms and features, cross- checking was done on the choices that each item got at this level. Particularly, in the mascot form, the physical form gathered 67, 53, and 48 choices followed by the design feature with 49, 49, and 23 choices. The third aspect in mascot presentation is the color feature which had 39, 25, and 10 choices followed by the culture feature that gathered 39, 9, 8 choices. Finally, the last feature was miscellaneous which had 41, 29, and 26 choices for the overall questions distributed. It was noted that the physical form of the mascot affects the performance of the mascot in a great way compared to other factors. The reason for this is that it is the physical form that interacts with the audience at all times. For instance, during the interaction with the mascot for the first time, it’s the shape and posture of the mascot that dictates how the audience will perceive it. After the physical form, the other mascot important aspect is the color aspect. Most of the mascot selected under the color section had a red color. Generally, the red color is striking and tends to attract people to view it regardless of the distance they may be in. Furthermore, the selection of red color is appropriate since, in most of the mascots, it’s the original color. This, therefore, means that the customers have been exposed to it and are used to it hence making it much more familiar to another color. According to “Colors that influence food Food Sale- Jenn David Design” (2016), the red and yellow color are also an appetizing as compared to other colors such as blue and purple. Nearly all brands use the red color to advertise their being in the market and also it is internationally accepted as being delicious. The color of the turban in the mascot is also an important factor to consider in the mascot design. Since the study is among Indians, the appearance of the turban will judge how well the firm can manage the clients and produce and offer high-quality food products to the people without any failure. (Figure 94). TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 165 Figure 94: Collective preference of form and features (Best Mascot) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 166 The research done by the participants of DU (NC) at different department provided information on the preference at each department. Some of the incredible findings were that “Chubby and Cute Chef” had 3, 1, 3, 2 and 4 choices from B. com, Economics, B.Sc. Maths Political Science and Industrial Chemistry and other Department respectively. The mascot title “Traditional and Exclusive” had 2, 6, 4, 3, 1 and 4 preferences from the five departments correspondingly ‘Rajasthani Halwai’ had two preferences from political science. The mascot title ‘Passion of Tradition’ had 1, 1, 0, 3, 2 preferences respectively ‘Best Cuisinier’ had 11, 5, 9, 7 and 7 selections respectively ‘Aapno Halwai’ had 8, 11, 7, 4 and 3 preferences respectively Disney Style’ has 1, 1, 1, 1 and 3 choices. ‘Indian Maharaja’ had 3, 2, 0, 2 and 2 preferences ‘Young Cuisinier ‘had one choice from Economics and B.Sc. Maths. From these observed findings, the young generation is highly attracted to the physical form and the color of the mascot compared to the other factors, shown in figure 95. Figure 95: The young generation is highly attracted to the physical form and the color of the mascot compared to the other factor . TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 167 Furthermore, when compared to the findings from the worst mascot according to the Delhi University students, the findings posted ‘Chubby and Cute Chef,'‘Passion of Tradition’ and Rajasthani Halwai’ illustrated in figure 96. One interesting finding noted here is that these mascots which have been selected as worst mascots are more focused on the cultural form of marketing. However, since the university environment is a very diverse environment where the people around are from very wide walks of life, it leads to the general perception that culture is not an important factor to consider when marketing. Therefore, this tries to provide us with the answer to one of our objective that was to determine the features of a mascot. The three best mascot as chosen by the various department participants of DU (NC) indicate that they are Best Cuisinier, Aapno Halwai, and Traditional and Exclusive (figure 97). A detailed observation of how these mascots were chosen indicates that they were giving more preference to the physical form, the color scheme, design feature, culture feature and finally the miscellaneous feature. Figure 96: Worst mascot according to the Delhi University participant (a) Chubby and Cute Chef, (b) Passion of Tradition, (c) Rajasthani Halwai TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 168 At the DU (NC), different department participants were more concerned about the general appearance and not focused on the cultural details of the mascot. Specifically, the factors of a physical feature (figure 98) of great interest include the figurative mascot, expression emphasis on the authentic appearance, body gestures, and appearances, and expression that indicated the pleasure of eating. Since the university is mostly occupied by young people, the figurative nature of the mascot plays an important role in determining whether it shall be categorized as a good or bad marketing mark. The body gestures implanted in the body of the mascot also play an important role in determining the kind of people who are going to be interested in the mascot. These gestures should be lushly impressive and attractive to lure the young generation into considering them. The gestures often provide the level of perfection the client or customer expects from the mascot in any form and nature. A well –defined gesture assures them of quality and delicious meals such as Aapno Halwai and Traditional and Exclusive. Figure 97: Three best mascots (1) Best Cuisiner, (2) Aapno Halwai, (3) Traditional and Exclusive chosen by various department participant DU(NC) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 169 However, there were also other mascots that were selected as worst mascot forms according to the departments at the DU (NC). These include Cartoon style, which had 22, 14, 12, 11 and 11 selections with an aggregate of 70 selections from the five departments respectively ‘Promise of Quality’ having 1, 5, 2, 3 and 7 preferences with a total of 13 preferences respectively ‘Disney style’ had 3, 4, 2, 3 and 3 preferences with a total of 15 preferences from the five departments respectively shown in figure 99. Figure 98: Emphasizing physical characteristics TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 170 By subjecting these mascot forms to the same test involving the feature of consideration, a hint on why they were selected as the worst mascot forms is observed. In particular, these mascot forms had ignored the physical, color and design features to some extent and as a result, they did not meet the criteria for the real mascot forms. For instance, Cartoon style did not put more emphasis on the physical features as figurative mascot which given the impression that it offers good and delicious meals. Further, it is so plain since it is more of a frame and the colors are not well defined. By just looking at the image, pleasure of eating is reduced, and this made these mascots fail. In companion to the Traditional and exclusive mascot, noting that the cartoon style uses colors such as blue that do not give the pleasure of eating. The hands in traditional and exclusive are also twisted in a way that shows some professionalism in service, unlike the Cartoon Style mascot which looks like a comedy mascot design without any indication that it offers food services illustrated in figure 100. Figure 99: Worst mascots (a) Cartoon Style, (b) Promise of Quality, (c) Disney Style forms according to the department of DU (NC) TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 171 For DU (NC) combined department correspondents, the best mascot form had physical features with the mascots belonging to ‘Best Cuisiner, Aapno Halwai, and Traditional and Exclusive’ respectively starting with the best. Followed by design feature, the color feature, the culture feature and finally the miscellaneous feature. Similarly, for the worst mascot forms according to the B. Com correspondents, ‘Cartoon Style, Promise of Quality and Disney style.' With the emphasis on the physical features, color feature, culture features, and miscellaneous features in that order. Given this finding, recommendations can be made on what the mascots should emphasize when marketing a brand to the people, especially to the young generation. Based on the findings, the best mascots forms have their priority on the physical feature having 66, 46, and 22 collective preferences of the mascot titles ‘Best Cuisinier, Aapno Halwai, and Traditional and Exclusive’ respectively. This was followed by the design feature, the color feature, the culture feature, and finally the miscellaneous feature. However, the worst mascot forms according to DU (NC) respondents indicate that it is ‘Cartoon Style, promise of quality, and Disney Style’ Figure 100: Worst mascot ignored some extent of Physical feature, Design feature, Color feature TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 172 respectively since they failed in the physical features, color features, design feature, culture features and the miscellaneous features in that order. By observing this, a realization that all the mascots’ fails because of neglecting the simple feature of physical and color in the design of their mascots can be observed in figure no 101. Figure 101: Finding of Best and Worst mascot TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 173 Concerning the discussion above, a comparative conclusion on the research question presented can be made. The first question to be answered is the main characteristics of mascots as marketing tools. In this, the physical characteristics of color and shape play a significant role in the attraction of clients to the brand. Furthermore, a deduction can be made on the main features of mascot’s usage in the food brand by the fact that most people were attracted to mascots having elaborate colors and focus on physical, color, design, and culture features. The main difference between using the national and international mascots in the Indian food industry was due to culture identification in the mascot. Results from the DU research indicated that the young people are not highly concerned with the cultural aspects of mascots. This is because they are more concerned about the quality and the ability of the mascots to induce an appetite for them rather than relying on the traditional cultural factors of the mascots. It was also realized that, the physical, color and design characteristics such as the shape and colors of the mascots have the highest impact on young generation’s perception of the brand. Figure 102 clearly illustrates the findings where the young generation chose brands like Traditional and Exclusive which have a proper application of color. Figure 102: shows comparative conclusion TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 174 In addition to this, the objectives of the research were met since it involved trying to find out the main features of mascots as far as marketing is concerned. These features include physical features such as shape etc. Most importantly, the research hypothesis was accepted since it was found to be true. It was proven that the identification and formulation of the design characteristics of mascots for the leading Indian food chain would pose an impact on the perception of young consumers across India. The study results have that mascots are important in promoting brand identity. However, their affective or cognitive influences vary from one mascot to another based on their design characteristics. The design characteristics as already established in this study, involve most aspects of shape and symmetry. Appearances and colors have also been emphasized as an important quality variable of a mascot that can affect how customers perceive it to have be possible influence on their responses. Amongst the important parts of the study was the case study analysis of some of the mascots used by big food companies such as McDonald’s using Ronald as a mascot, which has been used by the company since 1963. The study identifies the use of Mc Donald’s especially in India and how it influences the consumer perception. Their study first identifies the use of Ronald Mc Donald in India as less evident compared to the US particularly due to the demographic difference. However, the most important aspect of the mascot that is considered in this case is how the character design of Ronald Mc Donald affects most consumer perceptions. The research problem of this case regards design characteristics of mascots. In India, the studies concerning Ronald Mc Donald indicate a difference it terms of appearances of the mascot. Aspects of asymmetry, symmetry, angular and figurative can be pointed out in the use of Ronald Mc- Donald in India’s food industry. Although there are slight variations in the Mc Donald’s mascot used in India, it is not much different from the mascots used in other countries where McDonald’s runs its operations. The Ronald McDonald mascot is not symmetrical in its body excepts on the face. The fact that the mascot has symmetric face enables it to represent something real Sands (2012), supposes that the Ronald Mc Donald TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 175 images is an objective abstract that represents something real Mc Donald image is an objective abstract that represents something real Mc Donald’s introduced a sensational ‘Baby Ronald Mc Donald’ The advertisement incorporates certain aspects fantasies that despite the fact that it appears unusual, it positively helps market Mc Donald’s brand. It is important to outline in this case that Mc Donald’s has tried to incorporate different aspects of mascot design characteristics. The fact that it is not seen in India as a success does not exactly boil down to poor designs but simply a matter of demographic differences Mc Donald’s Indian customers are mostly 19 years and above as compared to other countries such as the US where most customers are families who take their children to Mc Donald’s. In other words, design features essential, and Mc Donald’s has tried to ensure that its Ronald Mc Donald mascot bears physical features and design characteristics that readily evoke customer effective and cognitive responses. The study also adopted the Amul girl mascot case study. Amul girl refers to an advertising mascot for the Amul dairy brand. The various analyses confirmed the Amul Girl to be one of the most effective mascots in the country given that it not only increased the organization’s sales but also became Indian’s emblem of social life. Given the effectiveness and success of the Amul Girl, Amul Dairy has used mascots to represent different activities. However, several challenges are encountered in analyzing its characteristics. For instance, despite haveing a symmetrical face, the mascot always develops an asymmetrical face whenever it sticks its tongue out. Amongst the design aspects that stand out in Amul girl is her symmetrical bow image. Still, there are other attributes of Amul girl other than the symmetry that tend to affect consumers’ perceptions in different ways. For instance, trademark features that include her blue hair with a pony tail, rounded eyes and white frock with red polka dots attract customers in varied ways. Similar to the McDonald’s mascot, Amul girl is an international mascot but is more effective in India compared to Ronald Mc Donald. Has this study bridged the research gap it identified in its background? Yes, the study has attained its objective of bridging the research gap in several ways. For instance, apart from outlining some of the studies that have evaluated the designs TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 176 and attributes that impact consumer perception, the study has laid emphasis on the lack of adequate information and literature, which in turn, has resulted in the lack of precise comprehension of the function of the mascot in marketing. Moreover, lack of understanding of the functions of mascots as a result of the availability of limited literature has also affected the use of mascots as brand identities and the lack of clear distinction between national and international mascots. In response to these concerns, this study has utilized useful research tools in developing a clear understanding of consumer perception of mascots. Firstly, the study has defined what a mascot is and its use as a marketing instrument. Secondly, the study has drawn different aspects, forms and types of mascots including national mascots. The study has proven that design characteristics are essential in consideration of a mascot. For instance, asymmetrical mascots appeal to the customer on both cognitive and effective levels. The color and appearances of mascot also affect consumer perception differently, at least according to Isola, et al., (2011). They note that color has a lot in making the image of a mascot memorable (Isola, et al., 2011). The study has provided data including how different departments of the population sample reacted to different shapes and designs of mascots. In a lump sum, the study not only achieved its objectives but also contributed towards filling in the academic gap that was identified during the process of the literature review. Also; the study has demonstrated impeccable potential based on its comprehensiveness regarding formulation of a hypothesis, research objectives, and conceptualization of methodologies and discussion of significant findings and results. 4.2 Salient Features The current study investigates the impact of design characteristics inherent for the Indian food brand mascots on the young generation’s perception of these brands. The topicality of this research problem is reasoned by the growing popularity of mascots in modern marketing. Nowadays, a lot of companies consider mascots as an important component of their advertisement strategies. In this situation, it is critical to understand which features of mascots attract customers. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 177 The study aims to determine whether changes in design characteristics of mascots of the leading food brands can influence the perception of these brands by the young generation of Indian customers. This thesis is focused on mascots’ design characteristics. It explores angular asymmetric, and round symmetric types of mascots, analyze the importance of color spectrum and specific design characteristics which are directly associated with the cultural references. The study operates by a quantitative research methodology. Its empirical section is composed of five preliminary studies, two pilot studies, and the main experiment. It is important to emphasize that all the survey have a sample which exclusively consists of young respondents aged between 18 and 24 years old. Young customers constitute a critical part of a target audience for any food brand which operates in modern India. Thus, the research goal of this study is topical, and its choice is justified. An important salient feature of this research is that it aims to explain and describe the influence of mascots’ design characteristics on both cognitive and affective levels. The questionnaires contain the questions about specific food brands. Therefore, a data analysis part not only deduce some general conclusions and regularities regarding the effect of Mascots’ design characteristics on consumers’ perceptions of these mascots, but also supports this statement with various examples from the Indian food industry. A particular accent is made on a distinction between the food brand mascot of national and international companies. In order to explore the role of design characteristics in mascots’ perception by young customers, it was decided to use Haldiram’s brand as an example. Several variations of mascots for this brand were developed during the preliminary studies. Eventually, it was found that the most efficient mascot for Haldiram was characterized by the Rajasthani origin and was associated with trust, taste, quality and ethnicity. The study deuces six features which should be embodied in mascots’ design: a reference to the place of origin, content, product’s emotion, trust, uniqueness and dynamics in figure 103. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 178 4.3 Conclusion The study focused on the use of mascots for advertisement in the Indian food industry and how various spoke elements to be identified and can construct a design from prospective buyers’ point of view. As such, the study contrasted the various aspects of mascot use in an advertisement with the objective of discovering the most effective and result-oriented means of product advertisement. The study discloses that mascots are a very effective instrument of promoting food brands as they capture customers’ attention and overcome the phenomenon of advertisement immunity. The study confirms that mascots have the ability to generate an identity for the products, and was alleged to create luck as well. The study observed that product clients were more likely to identify with mascots compared to the celebrity endorsers, who were disclosed to be highly prone to suffer poor reputation that, in turn, impacted the products they promoted adversely. Nevertheless, it was also noted that the mascots did not only change the perceptions of the consumers,’ but the mascot’s design and attributes put an enormous impact on its effectiveness in advertisements. In this regard, the study was responsive to the aforementioned Figure 103: Study deuces six features which should be embodied in mascots’ design. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 179 hypothesis that maintains that the use of mascots in adverts affects consumers’ perceptions at the cognitive and affective levels. Thus, the study noticed that angular, asymmetrical mascots affected perspectives at both cognitive and affective levels even as the round symmetrical mascots only affected consumer perceptions at the affective level. For instance, the study outcomes indicated that the Traditional Executive and Aapno Halwai mascots had increased affective and cognitive level responses from clients compared to other mascots including McDonald’s and Disney Style. Thus, Aapno Halwai and Tradition and Executive mascots had a score of 10, 8, 6, 15 and 8, as well as 9, 9, 3, 6 and 8 respectively. On the other hand, mascots such as Rajasthan Halwai that had a unique preference performed poorly at both cognitive and affective levels. Consequently, the ‘Promise and Quality’ mascot had a 2, 0, 1, 2 and 1 score at both levels. The preferences used in the study were based on the Mascots’ ability to affect the clients through their designs and colors, an observation based on early research findings that indicated that mascot design and color had the aptitude for drawing customers and consolidating their loyalty to a brand. The study deduces essential design characteristics which should be inherent for any successful food brand mascots. In particular, a mascot should be represented by a character with its style, background story and strictly defined design features like specific clothing or a unique hairstyle. A connection with the local culture increases the effectiveness of mascots. If a character that promotes the brand can be associated with the Indian culture, Indian customers are more likely to trust his endorsement. The overwhelming majority of successful food brand mascots also have their behavioral modes and demeanor. Further, the study concluded that the use of Mascots for advertisement was more effectual in instances where the Mascots' designs were angular asymmetric than when they were round symmetric, as well as when the Mascot design was put in practice and perspective. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 180 4.4 Limitations The study has some Limitations. • First of all, the focus was made on the Indian context which did not scope for extrapolating the results of this research on other countries. The peculiarity of the Indian population implied that the regularities found in the study were not universal and could not be applied to any other country. • Secondly, the analysis didn’t consider a perspective of foreign buyers who were interested in Indian food brands. It is recommended to include this factor in further research. • Thirdly, present study only target on student (under the age group of 18 to 24 years) of the Indian Universities. General customers not involved in this study may be their perception is different from the student perception. In addition, an exclusive focus on the young generation might have created a biased understanding of the market. Although young customers constitute a substantial part of the target audience in India, it is important to consider other perspectives too. In the future, it can be recommended to conduct an empirical study which would operate with a bigger sample. 4.5 Future Scope It would be significant to undertake in-depth research studies to ascertain the concept of design characteristics of mascots and how they influence consumer perceptions. Detail oriented research methodology is necessary to come up with more comprehensive and supportable information to figure out the influence of mascots on consumer perceptions, especially their advantages over celebrity endorsers (commonly in use) and other conservative forms of marketing. Moreover, more studies should be carried out on the mascot concept so as to increase the extent of knowledge available with respect to the use of mascots in marketing, and how can better efficacy be attained with such tools. Increasing the amount of literature will enable prospective marketers and practitioners to develop precise comprehension of the mascot concept and its numerous benefits. TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 181 4.6 Summary The study sought to assess the importance of Mascot’s design characteristics in influencing consumer perception. It has also analyzed why the use of Mascot especially in Indian food production is more important or effective than the use of celebrity endorsement as a marketing instrument. Celebrity endorsements have been used across industries for decades as far as marketing is concerned. However, the use of mascots across industries has significantly gained popularity in the recent past with many businesses adopting different design characteristics to help in connection with customers. This study acknowledged the fact that the use of mascots is more efficient than the use of celebrity endorsers with regards to marketing but went further to hypothetically state that different design characteristics of mascots affect customers in various ways. As such some mascot design characteristics are more appealing to customers than others (Bonigala, 2016). The study acknowledges that whereas there has been a wide range of interests in exploring how mascots influence consumer perception, there is insufficient research on how different mascot design characteristics appeal to customers in different ways. In simple terms, there are certain design characteristics that influence consumer perceptions more than others. Consequently, this study’s conceptualization was aimed at bridging the gap that exists between the understanding of how mascots influence consumer perception and how different design characteristics influence consumer perception differently. The study also considered various aspects of mascots such as national and international mascots and the effect they both have on the Indian food industry. Firstly, the study defines a mascot as “an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck” (Dictionary.com, 2016). Based on this definition, Mascots are used both as a source of luck and as a business symbol that helps the business connect with customers in a unique way. In the background, the study highlights why the use of mascots has become increasingly popular in the world. Firstly, the process of globalization has seen a TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 182 wide range of businesses adopt almost similar marketing mechanisms and strategies. As a result, customers have become immune to these redundant aspects of marketing. The traditional advertising instruments are, therefore, losing both effectiveness and influence. For instance, banner advertising has been used for many decades, but recent research indicates a significant decline in their power. Marketers and researchers have become aware of the banner blindness and other related conservative advertising as to their lack of required effectiveness. They have been alerted to the fact that there is need to develop new marketing strategies that are not only fresh but also correspond to the demands of the modern markets. The food industries profoundly use mascots more than any other industries, which contribute immensely to their brand recognition globally. Some of the examples include KFC and McDonald’s who have used mascots for the success of their businesses. The significance of mascots, as established in the study is equated to the importance of trademark. Just like product or company trademark, mascots can also provide continuity across brands as far as the product line is concerned. It helps to create cumulative publicity, which helps a brand to sell over an extended period. A mascot creates an important impression on the customers and significantly connects the brand and the impression, which enhances brand recognition. In the literature review, the study offers various aspects of a mascot. It begins by outlining that different scholars or researchers assign different meanings to the concept of a mascot. According to the study, Phillips (1996) reiterates that there are different meanings of mascots to the extent that they do not help to ascertain the difference between mascots, characters, icons and spokes- creatures. The study’s conceptualization outlines that different design characteristics of mascots affect customer perceptions in different ways. Firstly, it is imperative to understand that mascot inventory includes issues such as super-humans, humans, deities, extraterrestrial, dinosaurs, demons, monsters, cyborgs, specters and androids among others. Despite the fact that no adequate studies exist to outline how design characteristics affect consumer perception, it is nevertheless, imperative to investigate the importance of how design affects the whole concept of mascot. This TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 183 research sought to address the most challenging aspect of mascots since it is not easy to distinguish how design characteristics affect consumer perception. Importantly, asymmetric mascots have been found to affect customers more than symmetrical ones. They evoke stronger cognitive and affective responses. The symmetrical mascots create indifferent feelings while the asymmetrical ones create better cognitive and emotional perceptions, especially, when they are angular. Cognitively, asymmetrical mascots usually have created poor perceptions of the customers as compared to the symmetrical ones. In the case of children, symmetrical mascots attract positive responses. They often recognize rounded mascots as symmetrical hence the reason why rounded mascots receive positive responses. However, it is considered a bad marketing decision to use symmetric angular forms of mascots simply because angular forms of mascots only correspond positively with asymmetrical designs. How then do angular asymmetric mascots influence consumer perception? The study found out through a literature review that angular forms of symmetric mascots evoke feelings of harmony. There is the high effective response when it concerns rounded symmetric mascots. However, the cognitive response is low regarding rounded, symmetrical designs. Importantly, rounded, symmetrical mascots often evoke strong or positive feelings from the customers but are not likely to influence sales volume because they are not memorized. On the other hand, there are increased purchases when angular; asymmetrical mascots are used. This finding is because angular, asymmetrical designs not only create effective responses but are also reviewed favorably, cognitively. The research identifies two most important principles of mascot designs. They include character expression through physical appearance and the creation of asymmetrical body proportions. The review also outlines that most of the successful mascots are created either through personification or anthropomorphism methods. However, these aspects cannot be entirely applied to generalize the study. This outcome is simply because different mascot design characteristics are required in different industries, hence any effort to conclude their application yields unrealistic or sometimes erroneous results. Important to remember in this case is the fact that TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 184 design matters when it comes to mascot choice because each design used affect customer perception in different ways. The study also reviews the case of McDonald’s mascot. The case studies adopted in this research are supposed to ascertain the influence of mascots on the food industry especially based on how the designs affect customer responses. McDonald’s case is peculiar in this study because of the presence of McDonald’s in India. The official McDonald’s mascot has been the Ronald McDonald, which was conceptualized in 1963. In India’s food industry, Ronald McDonald has been used since 1996 following the opening of the Basant Lok restaurant. Despite the fact that Ronald McDonald used in India is not different from the others used in other parts of the world, it has had significant contribution in the promotion of McDonald’s fast food in India. The McDonald’s mascot interacts with people across the board mostly including children. While the clown role of Ronald McDonald has been identified as important and significant in India’s food industry, it is also necessary to point out that the influence it has is different compared to other countries where the same mascot has been used for decades. This is simply because India’s McDonald’s is not often frequented by families with children. Children are the leading contributors in the appreciation of mascots. They have been used by researchers in the study of the influence of mascots on consumer perception and customer responses. To fully depict the picture of how mascots influence consumer perception, the study adopted a descriptive, analytical design, which involves the collection of primary information through the use of a structured questionnaire as well as five preliminary studies that covered the development of mascot in the first stage. The study was divided into three stages, preliminary, pilot and main experiment. The sample population was obtained from IITG and DU (NC) since they represent two different demographic characteristics IITG is cosmopolitan and identifies a population that has limited options while DU (NC) represent a metropolitan population, which has s significant amount of choices regarding food brands. 445 volunteers aged 18-24 were selected for the study. 150 volunteers from IITG and another 150 volunteers from DU (NC) participated in the main experiment. 15 TH-1675_126105009 Chapter 4 Discussion and conclusion 185 volunteers from different department participated in three pilot studies while 20 volunteers (in each group) participated in 5 preliminary studies. The sampling method was a simple random method. Five preliminary studies, three pilot studies as well as the main experiment were used to find out the relationship between mascots and consumer perception. The participants were drawn from five different academic backgrounds with the level of PG and UG. The departments identified as participants in the study included Chemistry, Mathematics, Design, Engineering and HSS. The structured questionnaires used in the research were constructed using standard procedure and then subjected to Cronbach’s Alpha for reliability test and internal consistency. The generated data was analyzed using Friedman’s chi-square (2 F ) test for independence. P < 0.05 was set as the statistical significance for every case. According to the result, Aapno Halwai, Traditional and Exclusive, and Best Cuisinier are the most preferred mascot designs according to the data obtained from the five departments. Aapno Halwai had 10, 8, 6, 15 and 8 while Traditional and Exclusive had 9,9,3,6 and 8 preferences from the five departments surveyed. These mascot designs received the most favorable ratings from the departments surveyed. The results show that mascot with highest preferences performs well due to the images and color used. These results efficiently respond to the research objectives, which sought to assess the impact of mascot design characteristics on consumer perception. The red color and turban used in the Disney style mascot made it the most favorable mascot design in the HSS. An effective use of design and color in Aapno Halwai and traditional and Executive mascots has been instrumental in making some of the most favorable mascots. Just to reiterate, the findings proved that design characteristics are essential when it comes to mascots of choice as shown through the study. Angular, asymmetrical mascot design characteristics effectively appeal to most customers and attract them to the associated brands. TH-1675_126105009 186 References  Aaker, D.A. & Joachimsthaler, E. (2000). Brand Leadership. New York: Free Press.Armstrong, B. (2012). The Intersection Between Western Consumerism and Eastern Values: Ronald McDonald and the Thai Wai. Nomosjournal. 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Amul’s Campaign claims place in Guinness Book. The Economic Times. Retrieved from http://articles.economictimes. indiatimes.com/2007-10-13/news/28411197 _1_advertising-campaign-amul-butter-butter-girl.  Van Hoolwerff, D. (2014). Does your mascot match your brand’s personality? (Master Thesis). University of Twente. Retrieved from http://essay.utwente.n/66053/1/Hoolwerff%20van%20Dani%C3%ABl%20- s%201116746%20scriptie.pdf.  Van Nistelrooij, E. (2012). Face it, your brands personality needs a logo (Unpublished thesis). University of Twente.  Venkiteswaran, S. (2015). Food Advertising to children in India: a classic case of setting the cat loose among the Canaries. LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/food-advertising- children-india-classic-case-setting-sripriya.  Wainwright, C. (2012). The Best and the worst brand mascots of all time. HubSpot. Retrieved from http://blog.hubspot.com/blog /tabid/6307/bid /33008/The-Best-and-Worst-Brand-Mascots-of-All- Time.aspx#sm.0000r9x7Time.aspx#sm.0000r9x7 nsiopeovurs2pt2z01i74  Wei-Na Lee (1994), “A Content Analysis of Animationand Animated Spokes- Characters in Television Commercials,”Journal of Advertising, 23 (4), 1–12.  Woensdaq, R. (2013). Waarom eten bij de McDonalds? Biervat. Retrieved from http://biervat.blogspot.com/2013/08/waarom-eten-bij-de- mcdonalds.html.  Zacher, R. V. (1967). Advertising Techniques and Management. Inc. Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin.  Zale ski, D. (2015). The definitive ranking of 25 horrible brand mascots. IMedia. Retrieved from http://www.imediaconnection.com/article/155014/the-definitive-ranking-of-25- horrible-brand-mascots. TH-1675_126105009 Appendices A -1 191 Proposed 18 Mascot design for Haldiram Food Brand of India TH-1675_126105009 Appendices A -1 192 Proposed 15 Mascot design for Haldiram Food Brand of India TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -1 193 Pilot Study 1 PARTICIPANT INFORMED CONSENT Project Titel:______________________________________________________ Researcher’s Name:_________________________________________________ Supervisor’s Name:_________________________________________________ DECLARATION BY THE PARTICIPANT I hereby declare that  I have received information about this research project.  I understand the purpose of the research project and my involvement in it.  I understand that I may withdraw from the research project at any stage.  I understand that whatever information gained during the study may be published, I will not be identified and my personal results will remain confidential. Participants under the age of 18 yrs. require parental consent to be involved in research. The consent form should allow for those under the age of 18 yrs. to agree to their involvement and for a parent to give consent. Name: ___________________ Signed: _________________ Date: ___/__/2015 Education: _______________ Corrected Vision: __(____) Age / Sex: ____ yr. / ___ Address:____________________________________________________________ DECLARATION BY THE RESEARCHER I hereby declare that I have provided requisite information about the research participant; and confirmed that s/he has understood the experimental details and his / her role therein. Researcher’s Name: ____________Signed: _____________ Date: ___/__/2015 MASCOT CHARACTERISTICS QUESTIONNAIRE Select 5 BEST DESIGNS (in your opinion) as per your rating of the prospective design of Haldiram’s Mascot in sequence of 1 to 5 (1 – the Best). Write the sequence number and title of design as per your selection TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -1 194 Tick mark the ONE ANSWER WHICH BEST SUPPORTS the design Q1. If you were describing this Mascot to your friend, which Physical Feature would you like to say the Mascot is (a) Figurative Mascot (b) a) Expression emphasises on the authentic (c) Gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food (d) Expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating Q2. Which one of the following design feature is best describing this Mascot design (a) Mascot designed is a perfect blend of exclusivity and quality as well as traditional and maintaining International standards (b) Mascot design is combination of modern &tradition look (c) Mascot design in Rajasthani attire such as moustache, turban, dhoti etc. (d) Designed were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and Chef Q3. Color is most important element in any design , in this design which color feature you like the most (a) Red color is selected for the Mascot as it is the color of the original logo (b) Red is an appetizing color (c) Vibrant color used in turban (d) Color is the main element in this mascot Q4. Mascot design illustrating the Rajasthani culture .According to you which design feature is strongly illustrating the culture (a) Character wearing traditional Indian cloths (b) Moustache of that particular region (c) Its hands folded, showcasing the Indian culture of greeting with a “Namaste” thus connecting emotionally with people (d) Shown in the traditional Rajasthani attire Q5. According to you which of the other feature is important for this Mascot design (a) Depicts Pride (b) Expansion of international boundaries (c) The concept of the character is to highlight the standard quality of the product made by Haldiram’s (d) Haldiram’s is synonymous with taste, hygiene and innovation TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -1 195 Cross the MOST APPROPRIATE ANSWER WHICH NOT SUPPORT the design Q1. If you were describing this Mascot to your friend, which Physical Feature would you like to say the Mascot is (a) Figurative Mascot (b) b) Expression emphasises on the authentic (c) Gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food (d) Expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating Q2. Which one of the following design feature is best describing this Mascot design (a) Mascot designed is a perfect blend of exclusivity and quality as well as traditional and maintaining International standards (b) Mascot design is combination of modern &tradition look (c) Mascot design in Rajasthani attire such as moustache, turban, dhoti etc (d) Designed were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and Chef Q3. Colour is most important element in any design , in this design which colour feature you like the most (a) Red color is selected for the spoke- character as it is the colour of the original logo (b) Red is an appetizing color (c) Vibrant color used in turban (d) Color is the main element in this mascot Q4. Mascot design illustrating the Rajasthani culture .According to you which design feature is strongly illustrating the culture (a) Character wearing traditional Indian cloths (b) Moustache of that particular region (c) Its hands folded, showcasing the Indian culture of greeting with a “Namaste” thus connecting emotionally with people (d) Shown in the traditional Rajasthani attire Q5. According to you which of the other feature is important for this Mascot design (a) Depicts Pride (b) Expansion of international boundaries (c) The concept of the character is to highlight the standard quality of the product made by Haldiram’s (d) Haldiram’s is synonymous with taste, hygiene and innovation TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -2 196 Pilot Study-2 PARTICIPANT INFORMED CONSENT Project Title: INFLUENCIAL ADVERTISING FOR INDIAN FOOD BRANDS Researcher’s Name: Supervisor’s Name: DECLARATION BY THE PARTICIPANT I hereby declare that  I have received information about this research project.  I understand the purpose of the research project and my involvement in it.  I understand that I may withdraw from the research project at any stage.  I understand that whatever information gained during the study may be published, I will not be identified and my personal results will remain confidential. Participants under the age of 18 yrs. require parental consent to be involved in research. The consent form should allow for those under the age of 18 yrs. to agree to their involvement and for a parent to give consent. Name: ___________________ Signed: _________________ Date: ___/__/2015 Education: _______________ Corrected Vision: __(____) Age / Sex: ____ yr. / ___ Address:____________________________________________________________ DECLARATION BY THE RESEARCHER I hereby declare that I have provided requisite information about the research participant; and confirmed that s/he has understood the experimental details and his / her role therein. Researcher’s Name: Preeti Yadav Signed: _________________ Date: ___/__/2015 MASCOT CHARACTERISTICS QUESTIONNAIRE Select the BEST and the WORST DESIGN (in your opinion) as per your imagination / visualization of the prospective design of Haldiram’s Mascot based on the following characteristics:  FIGURATIVE is related to the capacity that a stimulus has to represent a shape containing a subject, which is recognizable beyond its purely visual lines. In other way, figurative is associated with representative forms.  SYMMETRY is associated to the classical ideal, clearly associated to balanced identity, equilibrium and the very notion of beauty.  ANGULAR shapes have one or more sharp angle(s). TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -2 197 Tick mark the ONE ANSWER WHICH BEST SUPPORTS the design Q1. If you were describing this Mascot to your friend, which Physical Feature would you like to say the Mascot is (a) Figurative Mascot (b) c) Expression emphasises on the authentic (c) Gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food (d) Expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating Q2. Which one of the following design feature is best describing this Mascot design (a) Mascot designed is a perfect blend of exclusivity and quality as well as traditional and maintaining International standards (b) Mascot design is combination of modern &tradition look (c) Mascot design in Rajasthani attire such as moustache, turban, dhoti etc. (d) Designed were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and Chef Q3. Colour is most important element in any design , in this design which colour feature you like the most (a) Red colour is selected for the Mascot as it is the colour of the original logo (b) Red is an appetizing color (c) Vibrant color used in turb (d) Color is the main element in this mascot Q4. Mascot design illustrating the Rajasthani culture .According to you which design feature is strongly illustrating the culture (a) Character wearing traditional Indian cloths (b) Moustache of that particular region (c) Its hands folded, showcasing the Indian culture of greeting with a “Namaste” thus connecting emotionally with people (d) Shown in the traditional Rajasthani attire Q5. According to you which of the other feature is important for this Mascot design (a) Depicts Pride (b) Expansion of international boundaries (c) The concept of the character is to highlight the standard quality of the product made by Haldiram’s (d) Haldiram’s is synonymous with taste, hygiene and innovation TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -2 198 Cross the MOST APPROPRIATE ANSWER WHICH NOT SUPPORT the design Q1. If you were describing this Mascot to your friend, which Physical Feature would you like to say the Mascot is (a) Figurative Mascot (b) d) Expression emphasises on the authentic (c) Gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food (d) Expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating Q2. Which one of the following design feature is best describing this Mascot design (a) Mascot designed is a perfect blend of exclusivity and quality as well as traditional and maintaining International standards (b) Mascot design is combination of modern &tradition look (c) Mascot design in Rajasthani attire such as moustache, turban, dhoti etc (d) Designed were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and Chef Q3. Colour is most important element in any design , in this design which colour feature you like the most (a) Red color is selected for the spoke- character as it is the colour of the original logo (b) Red is an appetizing colour (c) Vibrant color used in turban (d) Color is the main element in this mascot Q4. Mascot design illustrating the Rajasthani culture .According to you which design feature is strongly illustrating the culture (a) Character wearing traditional Indian cloths (b) Moustache of that particular region (c) Its hands folded, showcasing the Indian culture of greeting with a “Namaste” thus connecting emotionally with people (d) Shown in the traditional Rajasthani attire Q5. According to you which of the other feature is important for this Mascot design (a) Depicts Pride (b) Expansion of international boundaries (c) The concept of the character is to highlight the standard quality of the product made by Haldiram’s (d) Haldiram’s is synonymous with taste, hygiene and innovation TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -3 199 Pilot 3 PARTICIPANT INFORMED CONSENT Project Title: INFLUENCIAL ADVERTISING FOR INDIAN FOOD BRANDS Researcher’s Name: Supervisor’s Name: DECLARATION BY THE PARTICIPANT I hereby declare that  I have received information about this research project.  I understand the purpose of the research project and my involvement in it.  I understand that I may withdraw from the research project at any stage.  I understand that whatever information gained during the study may be published, I will not be identified and my personal results will remain confidential. Participants under the age of 18 yrs. require parental consent to be involved in research. The consent form should allow for those under the age of 18 yrs. to agree to their involvement and for a parent to give consent. Name: ___________________ Signed: _________________ Date: ___/__/2015 Education: _______________ Corrected Vision: __(____) Age / Sex: ____ yr. / ___ Address:____________________________________________________________ DECLARATION BY THE RESEARCHER I hereby declare that I have provided requisite information about the research participant; and confirmed that s/he has understood the experimental details and his / her role therein. Researcher’s Name: Preeti Yadav Signed: _________________ Date: ___/__/2015 MASCOT CHARACTERISTICS QUESTIONNAIRE Select the BEST and the WORST DESIGN (in your opinion) as per your imagination / visualization of the prospective design of Haldiram’s Mascot based on the following characteristics:  FIGURATIVE is related to the capacity that a stimulus has to represent a shape containing a subject, which is recognizable beyond its purely visual lines. In other way, figurative is associated with representative forms.  SYMMETRY is associated to the classical ideal, clearly associated to balanced identity, equilibrium and the very notion of beauty.  ANGULAR shapes have one or more sharp angle(s). TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -3 200 Choose FIVE (5) BEST-FITTING CHARACTERISTICS of the design BEST in your opinion 1) This is Figurative Mascot  2) Mascot expression emphasizes on the authenticity  3) Gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food  4) Face expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating  5) Mascot designed is a perfect blend of quality and tradition as well, while conforming to the International standards of hygienic food  6) The design of the Mascot would be a combination of modern and traditional look  7) Mascot has a Rajasthani attire with moustache, turban etc.  8) Most of the designs were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and Chef  9) Red color is selected for the Mascot as it is the color of the ‘Haldiram’s’ logo  10) Red is an appetizing color  11) Vibrant color used in turban signifies the influence of Rajasthan  12) Color is the key factor of attraction for any Mascot  13) Character wearing traditional Indian cloths to relate with the brand and its history  14) Moustache of character depicts particularity of Rajasthan  15) The folded hands, showcase the Indian culture of greeting with a ‘Namaskar’, thus attracting people with an emotional / personal touch  16) Mascot reflects the traditional Rajasthani attire  17) Mascot design depicts pride  18) Expansion of business (brand) crossed several international boundaries  19) The concept of the character is to denotes the standard quality of the Haldiram’s products  20) Haldiram’s is synonymous with taste, hygiene and innovation  TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -3 201 Choose FIVE (5) MOST UNDESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS of the design WORST in your opinion 1) This is Figurative Mascot  2) Mascot expression emphasizes on the authenticity  3) Gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food  4) Face expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating  5) Mascot designed is a perfect blend of quality and tradition as well, while conforming to the International standards of hygienic food  6) The design of the Mascot would be a combination of modern and traditional look  7) Mascot has a Rajasthani attire with moustache, turban etc.  8) Most of the designs were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and Chef  9) Red colour is selected for the spoke-character as it is the colour of the ‘Haldiram’s’ logo  10) Red is an appetizing colour  11) Vibrant color used in turban signifies the influence of Rajasthan  12) Colour is the key factor of attraction for any Mascot  13) Character wearing traditional Indian cloths to relate with the brand and its history  14) Moustache of character depicts particularity of Rajasthan  15) The folded hands, showcase the Indian culture of greeting with a ‘Namaskar’, thus attracting people with an emotional / personal touch  16) Mascot reflects the traditional Rajasthani attire  17) Mascot design depicts pride  18) Expansion of business (brand) crossed several international boundaries  19) The concept of the character is to denotes the standard quality of the Haldiram’s products  20) Haldiram’s is synonymous with taste, hygiene and innovation  TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -4 202 Main STUDY PARTICIPANT INFORMED CONSENT Project Title: INFLUENCIAL ADVERTISING FOR INDIAN FOOD BRANDS Researcher’s Name: Supervisor’s Name: DECLARATION BY THE PARTICIPANT I hereby declare that  I have received information about this research project.  I understand the purpose of the research project and my involvement in it.  I understand that I may withdraw from the research project at any stage.  I understand that whatever information gained during the study may be published, I will not be identified and my personal results will remain confidential. Participants under the age of 18 yrs. require parental consent to be involved in research. The consent form should allow for those under the age of 18 yrs. to agree to their involvement and for a parent to give consent. Name: ___________________ Signed: _________________ Date: ___/__/2015 Education: _______________ Corrected Vision: __(____) Age / Sex: ____ yr. / ___ Address:____________________________________________________________ DECLARATION BY THE RESEARCHER I hereby declare that I have provided requisite information about the research participant; and confirmed that s/he has understood the experimental details and his / her role therein. Researcher’s Name: Preeti Yadav Signed: _________________ Date: ___/__/2015 MASCOT CHARACTERISTICS QUESTIONNAIRE Select the BEST and the WORST DESIGN (in your opinion) as per your imagination / visualization of the prospective design of Haldiram’s Mascot based on the following characteristics:  FIGURATIVE is related to the capacity that a stimulus has to represent a shape containing a subject, which is recognizable beyond its purely visual lines. In other way, figurative is associated with representative forms.  SYMMETRY is associated to the classical ideal, clearly associated to balanced identity, equilibrium and the very notion of beauty.  ANGULAR shapes have one or more sharp angle(s). TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -4 203 Choose FIVE (5) BEST-FITTING CHARACTERISTICS of the design BEST in your opinion 1) This is Figurative Mascot  2) Mascot expression emphasizes on the authenticity  3) Gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food  4) Face expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating  5) Mascot designed is a perfect blend of quality and tradition as well, while conforming to the International standards of hygienic food  6) The design of the Mascot would be a combination of modern and traditional look  7) Mascot has a Rajasthani attire with moustache, turban etc.  8) Most of the designs were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and Chef  9) Red color is selected for the Mascot as it is the color of the ‘Haldiram’s’ logo  10) Red is an appetizing color  11) Vibrant color used in turban signifies the influence of Rajasthan  12) Color is the key factor of attraction for any Mascot  13) Character wearing traditional Indian cloths to relate with the brand and its history  14) Moustache of character depicts particularity of Rajasthan  15) The folded hands, showcase the Indian culture of greeting with a ‘Namaskar’, thus attracting people with an emotional / personal touch  16) Mascot reflects the traditional Rajasthani attire  17) Mascot design depicts pride  18) Expansion of business (brand) crossed several international boundaries  19) The concept of the character is to denotes the standard quality of the Haldiram’s products  TH-1675_126105009 Questionnaire Appendices B -4 204 Choose FIVE (5) MOST UNDESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS of the design WORST in your opinion 1) This is Figurative Mascot  2) Mascot expression emphasizes on the authenticity  3) Gesture of the hand conveys the message of quality and taste of the food  4) Face expression emphasizes on the authentic taste and pleasure of eating  5) Mascot designed is a perfect blend of quality and tradition as well, while conforming to the International standards of hygienic food  6) The design of the Mascot would be a combination of modern and traditional look  7) Mascot has a Rajasthani attire with moustache, turban etc.  8) Most of the designs were inspired by the words ‘Halwai’ and Chef  9) Red colour is selected for the Mascot as it is the colour of the ‘Haldiram’s’ logo  10) Red is an appetizing colour  11) Vibrant color used in turban signifies the influence of Rajasthan  12) Colour is the key factor of attraction for any Mascot  13) Character wearing traditional Indian cloths to relate with the brand and its history  14) Moustache of character depicts particularity of Rajasthan  15) The folded hands, showcase the Indian culture of greeting with a ‘Namaskar’, thus attracting people with an emotional / personal touch  16) Mascot reflects the traditional Rajasthani attire  17) Mascot design depicts pride  18) Expansion of business (brand) crossed several international boundaries  19) The concept of the character is to denotes the standard quality of the Haldiram’s products  20) Haldiram’s is synonymous with taste, hygiene and innovation  TH-1675_126105009 Publications • Yadav preeti, Bisoyi dandeswar, Chakrabati debkumar Spokes characters of Mascot and young consumers' perspective particular understanding Selected in ICORD 17 • Yadav preeti, Bisoyi dandeswar, Chakrabati debkumar(2015) Anthropomorphic Brand Mascot Serve As theVehicle:ToQuickly Remind Customers Who You are and What You Stand for in Indian Cultural Context http://www.waset.org/conference /2015 /04/paris /ICCVAD/program?forceTentative=1. • Yadav Preeti, Chakrabarti Debkumar, Bisoyi Dandeswar Spokes characters and young consumers' context specific understanding at Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai, on 6th to 9th December 2015 in International Ergonomics Conference HWWE 2015 (short listed for Young Research Award) • Yadav preeti, Bisoyi dandeswar, Chakrabati debkumar Typography as a statement of Design at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati,Department of Design on 1st to 5th December 2014 in International Ergonomics Conference HWWE 2014. • Bisoyi dandeswar, Yadav preeti, Barua utpal (2015) Copywriting and the Creative Edgehttp:// www.waset. ICCVAD/program?forceTentat1 TH-1675_126105009 Publication ICORD 17 206 Design Aesthetics, Semiotics, Semantics Spokes characters of Mascot and young consumers' perspective particular understanding Preeti Yadav, Dandeswar Bisoyi and Debkumar Chakrabarti Design Department, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India Email –y.preeti@iitg.ernet.in, dandeswar@iitg.ernet.in, dc@iitg.ernet.in ABSTRACT Mascots are popular way of promoting brands. A study was conducted in India compromising of 150 students to understand the spokes influence the way young consumers perceive products. Abased on the information collected, alternative spoke-mascot relationships have been tried out. Experiments confirm that effective mascots should consider the combinations of physical design elements, color, and cultural preferences of the targeted audience. Key Words: Element identity, Character imitation, Design application 1.0 Introduction A mascot is a person, animal, or object, which is used as fictional representative for consumer products. Mascots are incredible marketing tools. Mascots brand elements helping people to better remember the company and the product. Spokes-characters appear in many promotions campaigns. The spokes-characters of mascots have an impact on the brand and corporate identity (Garretson & Niedrich, 2004). Spokes-characters of mascots are frequently used by food industry. The process food organization basically target young people who enjoy taking the types of foods that they offer. The main aim of the study is to investigate the perception of young consumers on spokes-characters with reference to the Indian processed food. Spokes-characters are elements of branding that help consumers to better remember the company products. Mascots are based on objects, animals and people to help people to identify with a product, remember it and understand the products better (Garretson & Burton, 2005). TH-1675_126105009 Publication Paris /ICCVAD2015 207 Track Name: Ergonomics in Marketing Spokes characters and young consumers' context specific understanding Preeti Yadav, Debkumar Chakrabarti and Dandeswar Bisoyi Design Department, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India Key Words- Element identity, Character imitation, Design application Abstract Spokes- characters have appeared in numerous promotion campaigns in creating context specific and dynamic mood in advertisement. The study investigates young consumers’ perception on spokes- characters for brand identity with specific reference processed food. Spokes-characters are to be tuned to help in sustaining the brand image and to stimulate the brand image; to help making it stand out from others. spokes –characters and their design characteristics have an impact and increase the effectiveness of non-verbal communication with young consumers which enhance more favourable brand attitudes. The study concludes that young buyers are capable of analysing the elements of brand identity and their context specific views may be a crucial decision towards creating a design strategy for brand identity and product recognition with specific reference to Indian brand with elements of Indianans perspective. Introduction The rapidly changing advertising environment and increasingly competitive markets have led practitioners to look for more effective marketing communication strategies to persuade consumers as well as to build their brands. Employing a spokes-character, defined as “a symbolic object that has been created for the promotion of a product, service, or idea with conveying a brand attribute or personality” (Phillips, 1996, p. 155), appears to be one effective advertising strategy to increase the impact of advertising campaigns. TH-1675_126105009 Publication HWWE 2015 208 Abstract— For many years organization have been exercising a creative technique of applying brand mascots, which results in making a visual ‘ambassador’ of a brand. The goal of mascot’s is just not confined to strengthening the brand identity, improving customer perception ,but also acting as a vehicle of anthropomorphic translation towards the consumer. Such that it helps in embracing the power of recognition and processing the experiences happening in our daily lives. The study examines the relationship between the specific mascot features and brand attitude. It eliminates that mascot trust is an important mediator of the mascot features on brand attitude. Anthropomorphic characters turn out to be the key players despite the application of brand mascots in today’s marketing. Keywords—Advertising, Mascot, Branding, Recall I. INTRODUCTION ASCOT have been used in advertisements as the most powerful and versatile marketing tool. Advertising mascot’s art the fictitious characters which stand for a product or a company or both, have immense advertising value. When a product is ‘humanized’ by giving it a face, arms and legs, it come alive and i.e. remembered better. Mascots refer to any imaginative character, person or animal used to represent a brand and communicate about the brand and its offerings to the consumers.. It is a fictional character which is used in advertising to promote the brand. Once the mascot is associated with a product or service, it becomes the symbol of that particular brand. It helps in brand recalling, Making the users recognize the brand name as soon as they see the mascot. Mascot advertising literally turns a two dimensional logo into three dimensional one when the mascot is made to walk in any promotional events. It gives life to the brand, since it is visually appealing and promptly noticed. It also attracts people of all age groups and is the easiest way to register the brand name in the minds of the audience. Mascot advertising gets more attention than the conventional advertising. When people see a mascot, they take time to listen or observe what it has to say. A good mascot increases brand awareness. Mascot advertising is considered to be friendly, since they are fun to be with. They are entertaining to watch and an attractive character can establish an instant connection with the potential customers. It can be a brand ambassador for a product. Anthropomorphic Brand Mascot Serve As The Vehicle: To Quickly Remind Customers Who You Are And What You Stand For In Indian Cultural Context Preeti Yadav, Dandeswar Bisoyi, Dr. Debkumar Chakrabati M TH-1675_126105009 Publication HWWE 2014 209 Typography as a statement of Design Preeti Yadav, Prof. Debkumar Chakrabarti, Dandeswar Bisoyi Dept of Design, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, India y.preeti@iitg.ernet.in, dc@iitg.ernet.in, dandeswar@iitg.ernet.in ABSTRACT While alphabet was created as a way to communicate through written symbols, it now serves another purpose; to create design. There is a science or a scientific purpose behind different functions of typography for example, kerning, leading, columns, point size, line length, etc. It is much more than just letters and words on a page. In much the same way that tone of voice can alter a message, typography has power to communicate a great deal simply through the forms of the letters and their layout on a page. The functions of typography help in to understand and interpret a written message. Typography as a function of design is a very important element in itself. Typography is like fashion, or furniture. With rare functional exceptions, the world doesn’t “need” new clothing or furniture designs, but people want to look different or evoke a particular feeling or fit with a particular “look”, and there are trends and styles. This paper explain the effects of font choices in visual perception and visual communication, and furthermore mentions the letter and font specifications that should be act accordingly in written documents for the message that is the essence of the communication to be understood better. Keywords - Typography, Advertisement, visual perception. 1. INTRODUCTION Typography is a major function to design. Typography is the art or process of setting and arranging typefaces to stylize the appearance. A font is another word for typeface. When it comes to advertising, what’s being said can be a bit less important than how it’s said? In no case is this truer than in the case of typography based advertisements, which are common in print advertising and gaining popularity even in television and other video mediums. Typography can do everything from adding meaning to drawing attention, and using it right can mean the difference between mediocrity and stardom in the world of advertising. TH-1675_126105009 Publication Paris /ICCVAD2015 210 Copywriting and the creative edge Dandeswar Bisoyi, Preeti Yadav, Dr Utpal Barua Abstract— This study address particular way that verbal information can affect the processing of positive and interesting qualities which help in making the brand attractive to the consumer. Also address the development of a Communication Strategy which is a very important part of the marketing plan we have to take into account many factors. Out of all the Product strengths the strategy has to outline one marked differential which will drive our Brand. This is the fundamental base on which the entire creative strategy will be based- the Big Idea. Keywords—Copy writing, Advertisement, Marketing, Branding, Recall. I. INTRODUCTION How does advertising provide information to the consumer? The producer in his advertising is not interested directly in providing information for consumers. He is interested in selling more of his product. Subject to a few constraints, the advertising message says anything the seller of a brand wishes. A mechanism is required to make the selling job of advertising generate information to the consumer. Advertising helps in turning products and services into Brands those consumers buy in the market place. Strong and creative messaging that establishes the personality and image of the product in the minds of consumers is the critical difference that drives the growth of the brand. What is important at any given point is at which stage of the product cycle are we considering the marketing function. Are we launching the product or are we looking at a very competitive phase or then are we looking at a stagnant and a non-growth stage or are we considering revival and regeneration of the product in a stronger, better and different form? In the development of a Communication Strategy which is a very important part of the marketing plan we have to take into account many factors which comprise of TH-1675_126105009