Does the new industry have what it takes to build a memorable mascot?
From the Asian Paint’s Gattu to the Amul Girl, the Indian advertising arena has witnessed mascots that have been a roaring rage. We ask industry experts whether it has been the case of alive, animated or something else, that we haven’t been able to witness brand mascots of that stature today
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Back in 1966, a little girl in a polka dotted dress was conceptualized by Sylvester DaCunha when India was just taking baby steps in creative advertising. Soon, the utterly-butterly delicious girl won over not only the ad-world but an entire nation who now considers her their very own. In the world of in-the-face, celebrity advertising, she still stands due to her witty punch-lines and old-world charm. Apart from this, other brand mascots which have been a roaring rage are Air India’s Maharaja, Asian Paint’s Gattu and the Vodafone Zoozoo, among others.
The master mascots
However, hitting mascot gold is no cakewalk as mascots turn to become not just the face but the force behind the brand’s success. N Chandramouli, CEO, TRA believes that to give an animated or make-believe character, a full manifestation of a brand, is very tough. “They are almost several decades of continuous and good amount of advertising and exposure. It is heavily dependent on how much exposure it ends up getting the brand and the brand recall. But once you have recall, the advantages are plentiful,” he says. Chandramouli reminisces how Gattu, Chintamani and the Air India Maharaja became so synonymous to the brands that it almost became their market identity. “Air India’s Maharaja is a completely different derived character and the Amul girl is another tongue-in-cheek, able to be current with the times,” he explains.
‘’The Amul girl has several comic characters come out of it and even memorabilia. It is not possible with a non-animated, non-human-like character,” he continues. Jagdeep Kapoor, Chairman and Managing Director, Samsika also cites the example of the utterly-butterly delicious girl. “The best mascot that India has ever had is the Amul girl. She comes out with a witty message every 10 days and she is still as relevant as she was 30 years ago,” he says.
According to both, the advantages of creating a master-mascot are massive. “You tend to be able to narrate a whole story by the virtue of just one character. The biggest advantage is that the mascot has an interminable life as opposed to human ambassadors. Over time, it becomes a character you own and dividend starts paying out to you,” opines Chandramouli. Kapoor asserts that they are a good way to build up the brand as they can enhance the brand value.
Alive winning over animated?
For brand guru Harish Bijoor, brand mascots died a natural death. “In many ways, brand mascots got replaced by brand endorsers as Bollywood celebs and cricket celebs alike took to brand endorsements,” he contends. Kapoor opines that for a mascot to survive the catch lies in the mascots being contemporary. “Because if it’s not contemporary then it’s temporary,” he explains. Bijoor says that as brand mascots got painted to be “so yesteryear’s,” brands ran behind endorsers.
Marketing through mascots
While a few mascots ascended to popularity, industry experts reveal that it is the need to get instant results, investments and lack of risk-taking ability on the part of advertisers and marketers that we don’t see mascots of the stature of the Amul Girl or the Air India Maharaja. Siddharth Hegde, CEO, Ethinos reveals that many a times marketers don’t have the patience. “These days, marketers want to make an impact in 12 months. Also, because the markets are fairly cluttered, you need a lot of media spends to create awareness,” says Hegde.
Manveer Singh Malhi, Head - Digital, iGenero, confesses that it requires immense investment in terms of creative capabilities as well as media spends to make the mascot famous first. “The brand mascot won’t get registered if it’s not shown. To promote it, you need to spend money and you have to build brand value over time which is long-term investment in terms of creative capabilities too,” he says.
For Chandramouli, it all boils down to the risk-taking ability of the advertisers and agency which he believes is low. “In my ability, the risk-taking ability in advertising is gone to an abysmal low. Now they follow the same norms. They are following uniformity and none is able to take risks which is an important factor to walk this path and conceptualize something of this repute,” he concludes.
Bijoor, however, has a different take. “I see this movement come a full circle in the future. As laws against brand endorsers who do not do their due diligence on brands gain credence and strength, the brand mascots controlled by the marketing company will make a comeback. This time possibly as a bot or in an avatar that is ‘with it’,” he says.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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