The use of spokescharacters or uniquely created characters for specific brands has been a popular practice in the western markets since the late 1800s. Even in India the earliest spokescharacters could be found in the pre-independence era. Spokescharacters such as Ronald McDonald and Pillsbury Doughboy have become well-known faces all over the world and in the Indian context who can forget the Amul Girl or Asian Paints' Gattu? This article discusses the definition and origin of spokescharacters in the west the pros and cons of using spokescharacters as trademarks in marketing communications. It even focuses on the popular Indian spokescharacters.

The basic idea behind associating a spokescharacter with a brand is the mileage the marketer can avail from the spokescharacter. Relating striking symbols or mnemonic devices to products as their distinctive trademarks to distinguish from other products is an age-old practice. Thus projecting a brand and capturing the psyche of the customer base through creative characters has been a popular business strategy since the end 1800s. A spokescharacter has been defined as: "A fictional animate being or animated object that has been created for the promotion of a product service or idea." (Phillips 1996) or simply: "A fictional persona employed to sell a product or service" (Callcott and Phillips 1996).

Thus a spokescharacter has the following characteristics. It is fictional i.e. it does not have any real existence. Secondly it may be a real or an animate being (the latter being more popular). Thirdly it is created exclusively for the promotion or selling of a product service or an idea. The last characteristic has become somewhat flexible in the recent past since many companies purchase the rights to use characters developed by others (other than the promoting organization) as their spokescharacter. Spokescharacters can become extremely popular and may sometimes define the brand rather than being defined by it. Notable examples of spokescharacters are Mr Peanut (Kraft Foods) The Doughboy (Pillsbury) Ronald McDonald (McDonald's) and in the Indian context Maharaja (Air India) Amul Girl (Amul) and Gattu (Asian Paints).

Advertising Express Magazine, Marketing Communication, Business Strategy, Indian Spokescharacters, Mnemonic Devices, Mr Peanut, Kraft Foods, Doughboy, Pillsbury, Chronological Order, Celebrity Endorsers, Advertising Agencies, Brand Images.