Branded food spokescharacters: consumers' contributions to the narrative of commerce

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the nature of consumers' relationships with branded spokescharacters by drawing upon brand personality theory and reader‐response theory, focusing specifically on food trade characters. We aim to show that the persuasive power of these characters resides not only in their appearance, but also in the complex narratives consumers project (sometimes unwittingly) onto the spokescharacter.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports the results of a survey – blending quantitative and qualitative methodologies – designed to document consumer perceptions, affective responses and spontaneous associations to different characters (i.e. Aunt Jemima, Robin Hood, Betty Crocker, Uncle Ben, Poppin' Fresh the Pillsbury's Doughboy, and M. Felix and Mr Norton, characters created by a Montreal‐based cookie company).FindingsThe results revealed that consumers associate spokescharacters with distinct personality profiles. Also, a connection was found between spokescharacters and narrative: a relationship where the characters become part of a larger narrative paradigm and more importantly, a relationship where the consumer is cast in a specific role vis‐à‐vis the spokescharacter.Practical implicationsThese results should invite brand managers to stay current with the variety of associations that consumers form and how these associations influence the perception of their brand's personality. The results further underscore the need to understand the role into which consumers are cast vis‐à‐vis a branded character. Future research should examine cross cultural differences in the perception and narratives of branded characters, especially since many multinational companies use branded characters across cultural divides.Originality/valueThe paper shows how consumers play an active role in rendering a spokescharacter likeable, credible, and even memorable and documents the narratives that engage consumers and are both constructed collaboratively with them and propagated by them.

Leveraging the human side of the brand using a sense of place: Case studies of craft breweries

“…He highlights the way in which animal brand mascots, as stylised icons of brands, are anthromorphised because physical characteristics are overlaid onto them. LeBel and Cooke (2008) highlight that firms often use spokespersons, whether they be real or manufactured, as part of a strategy to engage consumers with the brand in an emotional manner. In the case of Red Bull, for example, the logo anthromorphises the brand as human attributes and abilities are bestowed onto the brand using the bull's iconic abilities of power, endurance and strength.…”

How Spoke Character Influences Brand Equity

“…The literature of the spokes-character is generally only derived from research in the United States and Europe, whereas today's spokes-character has also become an important marketing tool in Asia [13]. Information on how to measure consumer perceptions of spokes and how effective spokes are also limited [14,15]. Most research on spokes-character focuses only on the classification of spokes-characters [11,16] and spoken-character relationships with consumer attitudes [17,12].…”

“…Spokescharacter is considered to be more cost-effective and reliable compared to real endorsers. However, little information has been known about consumer perceptions of spokes-character and the effectiveness of spokes-characters [14,15]. Spokes, as one type of endorsers, can be a second source in building and sustaining consumer-based brand equity [2].…”

From Betty Crocker to the Geikko gekko : an information processing analysis of the role of the spokes-character in visual advertising

“…Indeed, as rhetorical figures, there is some consensus in the advertising literature, that spokes-characters play a significant role in transferring meaning to a brand (Callcott & Philips, 1996;LeBel & Cooke, 2008;Phillips, 1996). According to the literature, spokes-characters typically embody the attributes of a product through their physical characteristics, personality or some combination of both (Callcott & Phillips, 1996;Kyung, Kwon, & Sung, 2011;LeBel & Cooke, 2008). The effectiveness of symbolically meaningful characters, however, rests on the consumer's ability to correctly decode a character's symbolic meaning, which entails a vocabulary of readily understood signs with shared meaning.…”

“…Traditionally their aim has been to distinguish one product from another, by associating a recognizable and positive brand image that symbolizes the sometimes abstract attributes of a product. In this way, a personal connection with would be consumers is typically established (LeBel & Cooke, 2008). What is not yet well understood, however, is the importance of 'meaning creation', that is, if spokes-characters are instead perceived solely as a 'visual stimulus' (irrespective of whether they enable a personal connection to be established with a would-be consumer) might the function of spokes-characters be to off-set the effects o f habituation in visual ads?…”