Um Bongo and sport: how can a brand communicate through its mascots

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze if young children (5 to 9 years old) are more aware and have more knowledge of brands that use mascots to communicate their products compared with brands that do not use mascots. Trade characters are useful to create awareness, and consumers that are able to establish empathy with a mascot will also have preference for the product with which the mascot is associated. The brand in which this study will be focused is Um Bongo. Also, this study will try to ensure that Um Bongo contains the essential components that every children need to practice Sport or any Physical Activity and that Um Bongo can create an incentive within its target to practice sport. Brand mascots also have the capability to be a symbol of the main attributes of a product and to communicate key product benefits of the product, like for example an association with sport. A specific type of Qualitative Research, Focus Group Analysis was performed with a sample of 30 children, with the objective of gathering information about the brand image of Um Bongo, awareness of brands and also the importance of sports in creating value for Um Bongo. The results suggest that the use of mascots provide more awareness for a brand, within young children. Moreover, the association with any sport or physical activity may also ensure an increase in the affective values for a given brand, although ethical concerns have to be used in the evaluation of using such claims, namely by checking if the product is nutritionally suitable to be consumed in sports occasions.