The role of mascots in branding and consumer engagement: Insights from Indian advertising

B. Veda Varsha  Reddy; Y. Hemanth; K. S. Ganesha; K. Jayashree; N. Amruta; R. Saravanan

doi:10.31893/multirev.2025151

Keywords:

cultural significance

brand identity

Abstract

This crucial role of mascots contributes not only to the successful capture of audience attention but also to an enduring development of brand awareness that prevails over time. With deep exploration, this study takes heed of the great influence on the connectivity between the brand and audience and the cultivation of a meaningful brand recognition among its consumers. A qualitative study was conducted in order to effectively demonstrate the ability that mascots possess to signify meaning in a clear-cut and impactful manner, particularly regarding the simplicity of their designing elements. This study makes a deep dive into the influential and significant role of mascots in shaping brand image as well as consumer behavior through a thorough and comprehensive review of the literature. It emphasizes their remarkable efficacy specifically in low-involvement product categories, and also emphasizes their ability to effectively foster brand affinity, especially among children who are often particularly receptive to these characters. The literature strongly underlines the vital importance of mascots in the process of humanizing brands, which helps to forge intimate and personal connections with consumers, as well as facilitating essential brand differentiation in a competitive market. It, drawing upon case studies like Amul Girl-the iconically well-known one as well as the endearing Vodafone pug and Nirma girl, aptly conveys how strategically and deliberately these mascots are applied for the purposes of communication about a brand and significantly towards an audience's participation with that brand. Conclusively, the study makes proposals toward innovative and innovative approaches toward marketing but importantly accords high priority on integrating those mascots in such wholesome, complete, and complete strategies towards a brand that has, in its aim to further and promote the establishment of more significant brand equity while securing enduring brand loyalty through customers.
References
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2. Bisht, S. (2021). Topical Advertisements & Brand Mascot-A Strategic Combination For Brand Positioning: Study Of Amul. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT), 12(7), 732–737.
3. Brown, S., & Ponsonby-McCabe, S. (2014). Brand mascots: And other marketing animals. Routledge.
4. Callcott, M. F., & Alvey, P. A. (1991). Toons sell... and sometimes they don’t: An advertising spokes-character typology and exploratory study. Proceedings of the 1991 Conference of the American Academy of Advertising, 43–52.
5. Callcott, M. F., & Phillips, B. J. (1996). Observations: Elves make good cookies: Creating likable spokes-character advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 36(5), 73.
6. Chauhan, G. S., & Gupta, S. (2021). Advertising for Amul Butter: Can a Classic Campaign Sustain Forever? Indian Scholar: An International Multidisciplinary Research e-Journal, 7.
7. Chiu, Y.-K., & Lin, C.-Y. (2012). The Influence of Spokes-Characters on Consumer Patronage Intention. Asia Pacific Management Review, 17(4).
8. DELİGOZ, K., & Sevtap, Ü. (2021). The effect of anthropomorphic mascot on the purchasing intention of consumers: An experimental study. Sosyoekonomi, 29(50), 229–254.
9. Ditt, C. (2017). An Abstract–Spokescharacters, Advertising Icons, Brand Mascots, and Animal Ambassadors: Distinctions Amongst Brand Characters. Creating Marketing Magic and Innovative Future Marketing Trends: Proceedings of the 2016 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference, 131–132.
10. Escalas, J. E., & Bettman, J. R. (2015). Brand relationships and self-identity: consumer use of celebrity meaning to repair a compromised identity. In Strong brands, strong relationships (pp. 81–94). Routledge.
11. Gaikwad, S. V. (2021). A Study on the Evolution of Indian Mascots in Branding. PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 18(7), 2522–2528.
12. Garg, A. K. (2012). Integrated marketing communications: A case study of Nirma group of companies. International Journal of Management Research and Reviews, 2(12), 2098.
13. Garretson, J. A., & Niedrich, R. W. (2004). Spokes-characters: Creating character trust and positive brand attitudes. Journal of Advertising, 33(2), 25–36.
14. Guido, G., & Peluso, A. M. (2015). Brand anthropomorphism: Conceptualization, measurement, and impact on brand personality and loyalty. Journal of Brand Management, 22, 1–19.
15. Halonen‐Knight, E., & Hurmerinta, L. (2010). Who endorses whom? Meanings transfer in celebrity endorsement. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 19(6), 452–460.
16. Heredia, R. (1997). The AMUL India Story, Tata MaGraw. Hill Publishing Co. Ltd, New Delhi.
17. Hoolwerff, D. (2014). Does your mascot match your brand’s personality? An empirical study on how visual characteristics of a brand mascot can function as a tool for transmitting an archetypical brand personality. University of Twente.
18. Jose, A., & Saraswathiamma, K. (2014). Effectiveness Of Cartoon Character’s In Creating Brand Preferences Among Kids. Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance, and Marketing, 6(1), 61.
19. Kumar, N. N. (2012). Vodafone marketing communications. Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, 2(8), 1–8.
20. Malik, G., & Guptha, A. (2014). Impact of celebrity endorsements and brand mascots on consumer buying behavior. Journal of Global Marketing, 27(2), 128–143.
21. Mohanty, S. S. (2014). Growing importance of mascot & their impact on brand awareness–a study of young adults in Bhubaneswar City. International Journal of Computational Engineering & Management, 17(6), 42–44.
22. Nasr Esfahani, D., Soltanhoseini, M., Rahbari, S., & Shams, H. (2022). Presenting the model of the impact of brand mascot on brand awareness, brand recall, and intention to purchase among sporting goods consumers. Sport Management Journal, 14(1), 285–307.
23. Pairoa, I., & Arunrangsiwed, P. (2016). An overview on the effectiveness of brand mascot and celebrity endorsement. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 10(12), 3536–3542.
24. Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891.
25. Rajan, T. A., Mukund, S. P., & Siddharth, R. (2007). The Pug Goes Red-Vodafone Acquires Hutch in India. Metamorphosis, 6(2), 184–211.
26. RayChaudhuri, B. (2023). Nirma and HLL: A Classic Laundry Detergent Market Share Battle. SAGE Publications: SAGE Business Cases Originals.
27. Reddy B, V. V., & AS, S. (2022). Delineation on Celebrity Endorsement and Brand Mascot Towards Attitudes, Beliefs, Purchase Intention and Behaviour of the Consumers. International Journal of Academic and Practical Research), Delineation on Celebrity Endorsement and Brand Mascot Towards Attitudes, Beliefs, Purchase Intention and Behaviour of the Consumers (January 13, 2023). International Journal of Academic and Practi, 1(2), 77–89.
28. Reddy, B. V. V., & Sathish, A. S. (2023). Creating Connections Through Characters: A Study of Brand Mascots and Their Influence on Consumer Purchase Intentions. Advances in Decision Sciences, 27(4), 1-17.
29. Rubdy, R. (2018). Code Alternation and Entextualization in Bilingual Advertising: The Construction of Glocal Identities in India’s Amul Butter Ads. Language and Literature in a Glocal World, 29–56.
30. Solanki Sandip, P., & Sheth Bhagyashree, H. (2016). Effectiveness of Advertisements: A Study on Comparative Analysis of Celebrity-endorsed Advertisements versus Animated-character-endorsed Advertisements for Children. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies Humanities, 8(1).
31. Yadav, P., Bisoyi, D., & Chakrabati, D. (2015). Anthropomorphic Brand Mascot Serve as the vehicle: To quickly remind customers who you are and what you stand for in Indian Cultural context. International Scientific Research and Experimental Development, 3(10), 1814–1818.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Reddy, B. V. V., Hemanth, Y., Ganesha, K. S., Jayashree, K., Amruta, N., & Saravanan, R. (2024). The role of mascots in branding and consumer engagement: Insights from Indian advertising. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8(5), 2025151. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025151

[1] Arunrangsiwed, P., & Pairoa, I. (n.d.). An Overview on the Effectiveness of Brand Mascot and Celebrity Endorsement.

[2] Bisht, S. (2021). Topical Advertisements & Brand Mascot-A Strategic Combination For Brand Positioning: Study Of Amul. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT), 12(7), 732–737.

[3] Brown, S., & Ponsonby-McCabe, S. (2014). Brand mascots: And other marketing animals. Routledge.

[4] Callcott, M. F., & Alvey, P. A. (1991). Toons sell... and sometimes they don’t: An advertising spokes-character typology and exploratory study. Proceedings of the 1991 Conference of the American Academy of Advertising, 43–52.

[5] Callcott, M. F., & Phillips, B. J. (1996). Observations: Elves make good cookies: Creating likable spokes-character advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 36(5), 73.

[6] Chauhan, G. S., & Gupta, S. (2021). Advertising for Amul Butter: Can a Classic Campaign Sustain Forever? Indian Scholar: An International Multidisciplinary Research e-Journal, 7.

[7] Chiu, Y.-K., & Lin, C.-Y. (2012). The Influence of Spokes-Characters on Consumer Patronage Intention. Asia Pacific Management Review, 17(4).

[8] DELİGOZ, K., & Sevtap, Ü. (2021). The effect of anthropomorphic mascot on the purchasing intention of consumers: An experimental study. Sosyoekonomi, 29(50), 229–254.

[9] Ditt, C. (2017). An Abstract–Spokescharacters, Advertising Icons, Brand Mascots, and Animal Ambassadors: Distinctions Amongst Brand Characters. Creating Marketing Magic and Innovative Future Marketing Trends: Proceedings of the 2016 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference, 131–132.

[10] Escalas, J. E., & Bettman, J. R. (2015). Brand relationships and self-identity: consumer use of celebrity meaning to repair a compromised identity. In Strong brands, strong relationships (pp. 81–94). Routledge.

[11] Gaikwad, S. V. (2021). A Study on the Evolution of Indian Mascots in Branding. PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 18(7), 2522–2528.

[12] Garg, A. K. (2012). Integrated marketing communications: A case study of Nirma group of companies. International Journal of Management Research and Reviews, 2(12), 2098.

[13] Garretson, J. A., & Niedrich, R. W. (2004). Spokes-characters: Creating character trust and positive brand attitudes. Journal of Advertising, 33(2), 25–36.

[14] Guido, G., & Peluso, A. M. (2015). Brand anthropomorphism: Conceptualization, measurement, and impact on brand personality and loyalty. Journal of Brand Management, 22, 1–19.

[15] Halonen‐Knight, E., & Hurmerinta, L. (2010). Who endorses whom? Meanings transfer in celebrity endorsement. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 19(6), 452–460.

[16] Heredia, R. (1997). The AMUL India Story, Tata MaGraw. Hill Publishing Co. Ltd, New Delhi.

[17] Hoolwerff, D. (2014). Does your mascot match your brand’s personality? An empirical study on how visual characteristics of a brand mascot can function as a tool for transmitting an archetypical brand personality. University of Twente.

[18] Jose, A., & Saraswathiamma, K. (2014). Effectiveness Of Cartoon Character’s In Creating Brand Preferences Among Kids. Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance, and Marketing, 6(1), 61.

[19] Kumar, N. N. (2012). Vodafone marketing communications. Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, 2(8), 1–8.

[20] Malik, G., & Guptha, A. (2014). Impact of celebrity endorsements and brand mascots on consumer buying behavior. Journal of Global Marketing, 27(2), 128–143.

[21] Mohanty, S. S. (2014). Growing importance of mascot & their impact on brand awareness–a study of young adults in Bhubaneswar City. International Journal of Computational Engineering & Management, 17(6), 42–44.

[22] Nasr Esfahani, D., Soltanhoseini, M., Rahbari, S., & Shams, H. (2022). Presenting the model of the impact of brand mascot on brand awareness, brand recall, and intention to purchase among sporting goods consumers. Sport Management Journal, 14(1), 285–307.

[23] Pairoa, I., & Arunrangsiwed, P. (2016). An overview on the effectiveness of brand mascot and celebrity endorsement. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 10(12), 3536–3542.

[24] Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891.

[25] Rajan, T. A., Mukund, S. P., & Siddharth, R. (2007). The Pug Goes Red-Vodafone Acquires Hutch in India. Metamorphosis, 6(2), 184–211.

[26] RayChaudhuri, B. (2023). Nirma and HLL: A Classic Laundry Detergent Market Share Battle. SAGE Publications: SAGE Business Cases Originals.

[27] Reddy B, V. V., & AS, S. (2022). Delineation on Celebrity Endorsement and Brand Mascot Towards Attitudes, Beliefs, Purchase Intention and Behaviour of the Consumers. International Journal of Academic and Practical Research), Delineation on Celebrity Endorsement and Brand Mascot Towards Attitudes, Beliefs, Purchase Intention and Behaviour of the Consumers (January 13, 2023). International Journal of Academic and Practi, 1(2), 77–89.

[28] Reddy, B. V. V., & Sathish, A. S. (2023). Creating Connections Through Characters: A Study of Brand Mascots and Their Influence on Consumer Purchase Intentions. Advances in Decision Sciences, 27(4), 1-17.

[29] Rubdy, R. (2018). Code Alternation and Entextualization in Bilingual Advertising: The Construction of Glocal Identities in India’s Amul Butter Ads. Language and Literature in a Glocal World, 29–56.

[30] Solanki Sandip, P., & Sheth Bhagyashree, H. (2016). Effectiveness of Advertisements: A Study on Comparative Analysis of Celebrity-endorsed Advertisements versus Animated-character-endorsed Advertisements for Children. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies Humanities, 8(1).

[31] Yadav, P., Bisoyi, D., & Chakrabati, D. (2015). Anthropomorphic Brand Mascot Serve as the vehicle: To quickly remind customers who you are and what you stand for in Indian Cultural context. International Scientific Research and Experimental Development, 3(10), 1814–1818.

Abstract

References

How to cite