As PepsiCo brings us Ms.Kurkure...

... We ponder the apparent comeback of mascots - and the dos and don'ts of mascotisation.

With marketers grappling to make the most out of modern-day brand touch-points, a mascot seems like a blast from the past. But that's not really the case as snacks and beverage giant PepsiCo point out. The brand just unveiled Ms Kurkure, a mascot for the namkeen brand. She was seen in the brand's animated ad film and is set in a position previously held by Bollywood faces like Juhi Chawla, Parineeti Chopra and more recently, Taapsee Pannu.

Designed by Wunderman Thompson, Ms Kurkure will be a part of series of advertising and marketing campaigns

PepsiCo has successfully pulled off the mascot trick in the past and is pumping new life into 7UP's avatar, Fido Dido, who has been making an appearance of late.

Launched by Pink actor Taapsee Pannu, Kurkure's brand ambassador, the Ms Kurkure mascot shows up to parade the brand's positioning - Khayaal Toh Chatpata Hai - that supposedly goes on to celebrate progressive thinking that homemakers bring into their household.

Vineet Trakroo

"Mascotisation is tactical and has been used by many brands, but it can't be a strategy as a brand is more than a mascot and has to evolve with the product life cycle," says Vineet Trakroo, CEO, chief evolution officer, Evolution Strategy Advisors LLP.

Trakroo also states that mascots help target the customer and build a connect with the brand, but only if executed well. Otherwise, it fails to deliver on image and brand scores may fall.

Further, he also says that if a brand moves from a standard ad to a mascot for a short duration, it may not help. In this case, older Kurkure ads have never featured mascots, so this seems like a tactical move, according to Trakroo. He also thinks it seems to conflict with the older brand image developed.

Referring to a few past successes, i.e. the Devil in Onida TV ads and the Amul butter girl, Trakroo adds that the context of the mascot is important and so is the customer segment it addresses. "If it's kids, it may work for the much younger age group, i.e. 7-8 years and below. We have biscuit and confectionary brand mascots and those that also use licensed characters like 'Chota Bheem'. Licensed characters build better connect with kids," he points out.

Interestingly, the main difference digital media has over conventional TV is customer feedback, whether positive or negative. A closer look at Tapsee's Instagram post for the recent Kurkure ad which is flooded with negative feedback so far, is enough to tell us that. Isn't that enough of a message for the brand to take home

Introducing a very special friend. Thodi crazy hai, khayaal iske bade CHATPATE hain, aur iske ye CHATPATE KHAYAAL rishte banyenge khaas aur family ko layenge aur bhi paas. Milna chahenge inse? @kurkuresnacks

A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee) on Apr 21, 2019 at 8:31am PDT

"As the celebrity, Tapsee is better known for her action and mature acting as well as standing for issues. The post doesn't gel with her persona," Trakroo explains, raising another strong point. He adds that 'woke' millennials, as realistic as they are today, are not likely to buy into endorsements of junk food.

Virat Kohli moving out of endorsing unhealthy snacks to a healthy option is still fresh in our memory. It helped his image and translated well into the launch of a new healthy snack.

According to Trakroo, in the digital era, brands should be ready for any kind of feedback and will need to address it immediately before it snowballs into bad publicity.

"If both are being targeted to different customer segments on different mediums, it may work and not conflict," he says.

At a time when stars are endorsing products from travel and banking to fashion, real estate, skin care etc., Alpana Parida, managing director, DY Works, feels that an animated version of the protagonist appeals to a younger cohort. It rides on the emerging popularity of graphic novels and gaming characters.

Alpana Parida

"Juhi Chawla for Kurkure did 'Tedha hai per mere hai'; Salman Khan and now Ranveer Singh, endorse Thums Up - they all embody brand values and also get involved in the plot at the same time," she says.

In today's digital times, attention spans are short and we are consuming information in a non-linear fashion. The days of making just one big film per season are gone as visual fatigue sets in after just 2-3 viewings. And therefore, Parida feels the old-fashioned narratives of a 30-seconder, that has a linear story-line, does not work today.

"Once you have seen the ad 2-3 times, you hate seeing the same thing again. Newer formats must evolve," she says.

Samar Singh Sheikhawat

Samar Singh Sheikhawat, former CMO of United Breweries, the country's largest beer maker, is clearly not impressed with the ad. He says, "It has a very dated and old feel to it and the joke also falls flat." He is convinced that this is a one-off and does not necessarily mean a come-back for mascots. He elaborates, "Maybe the brand ambassador herself could have been used instead of the animated character."

Drawing a comparison with the over eight-year-old Juhi Chawla's "Teda hai, par mera hai" line, which he thinks still manages to resonate, the marketing veteran opines, "That communication was compelling because you had a madcap family with relatable, human faces in it. There was a personality to the brand. Also, today you are competing for attention with whatever is available on the internet including manga, anime and superheroes. And this certainly does not fare well against that set."

Shekhar Badve, founder-director - strategy and marketing, Lokus Design, believes that mascots were always around and never really went away.

Shekhar Badve

"It's just that not all made sense, in terms of brand or product connect and, at times, were force-fitted. Brand purpose, product and communication alignment is very critical," he quips.

Echoing Trakroo, he seems to agree that if the alignment is strong, then the mascot does wonders. "They are relatable, fun and don't fall out or lose popularity. They are far more extendable and mouldable," Badve shares.

Mascots are powerful social media tools allowing brands to entertain their audiences and engage followers in a way that's harder through traditional formats. However, Badve maintains that they need to be used cleverly with the understanding of attention spans, digital bandwidth, scalability, colours, movement etc.

To Badve, showcasing Pannu as the brand ambassador and the mascot Ms. Kurkure, is just a roll out idea and eventually, the brand ambassador might be discontinued while the mascot remains. "It will be a good transition and will build the character nicely," he says, signing off.

Some of the mascots that have stood the test of time and are deeply entrenched in our social fabric include - the Amul girl, Asian Paints' Gattu, the Nirma Girl, Air India's Maharaja, Vodafone Zoo zoo's and 7Up's Fido Dido among a host of others.