Abstract

One night, my friend and I went to a night market in Taiwan and we were amazed by the great variety of adorable and interesting merchandise items, such as: puppets, stationery, t-shirts, and gadgets that were imprinted with Mashimaro, a Korean fictional character. Mashimaro has becaome incredibly popular in Asian countries, with it coming to force mainly through the Internet. In Japan, most popular cartoon characters, including Doraemon, Pokemon, and Hello Kitty, are introduced and established rapport with the people because of a bombardment of cartoons and advertisements on television. As these cartoon characters become more popular, merchandising begins. They have experienced outstanding business achievement by using television as a platform for cartoon character brand development. Cartoon characters such as A-Kuei in Taiwan and Mashimaro in Korea, however, are being promoted on the Internet using a series of brief, animated comedy clips. Merchandising is implemented from the get-go and is seen as an important tool in establishing the brand rather than waiting for the character to develop popularity before merchandising begins. The marketing method of these new cartoon characters has subverted the original approach. Marketing with multimedia using multimedia techniques such as animation, e-cards, and electronic direct marketing to promote brand identity and advertise these new products. User interactivity is the biggest advantage this approach has over a strictly television-based marketing strategy. As more and more people are using the Internet to send e-mail, view media, and ultimately shop, this approach is an efficient and economical way to expand your brand and reach new customers. Foufou is an established brand growing in popularity in the Asian market. I created this site to promote this brand and to expand its customer base. All images were created in Adobe Illustrator so files can be easily converted for use with a variety of software applications. In addition to being printed on the physical products, the Foufou character images can easily be made into MSN pictures, desktop icons, screensavers, and wallpapers. Characters and drawings can also be manipulated to design short animations or commercial films for creating extra value and go beyond simple static images While the websites main purpose is to promote the brand and sell merchandise, it also provides a number of interactive features; specifically, two Flash games, a feedback form for customers, and a shopping cart feature. Harnessing the strength of the Internet, I hope to expand the brand and help bring Foufou to the masses.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Electronic commerce; Web sites--Design; Computer graphics--Design; Branding (Marketing); Cartoon characters--Marketing

Publication Date

3-30-2009

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

School of Design (CIAS)

Advisor

Jackson, Chris

Advisor/Committee Member

Deluna, Dan

Advisor/Committee Member

Foster, Shaun

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works. Physical copy available through RIT's The Wallace Library at: HF5548.32 .H83 2009

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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