The Effects of Different Kinds of Brand Mascots Used in Advertisements on Visual Attention: An Experımental Study

Abstract

Mascots, which are frequently featured in advertising campaigns, can be said to be an important visual tool that enables the brand to attract attention and differentiate itself from its competitors. In a competitive market environment, brands addressing consumers through mascots can strengthen the positive image of the brand by gaining a place in their minds and hearts. For this reason, it is an important research topic to examine the visual attraction levels of brand mascots that can represent the identity and personality of the brand. In this study, the visual attention level of consumers for different types of brand mascots used in Instagram advertisements was determined by an experimental method. In the scope of the research, Mascot samples representing four different mascot types: animal, robot, object, and fantastic hero were selected. Through these mascot samples, the visual attention levels of 30 participants were measured with the eye tracking device, which is one of the biometric measurement methods. In this context, the participants' heat map, initial focus time, total focus time, and number of looks were recorded. Accordingly, the brand mascots, Compared to the product image, product information, and campaign information images, it has been observed that low visual attractiveness levels are low. On the other hand, it was concluded that the attraction level of object and animal type mascots is higher than robot and fantastic type mascots.