Mascot and Anthropomorphism in Branding

Today, customers are constantly bombarded with masses of goods and services. So, the process by which customers decide which product, amongst others, to purchase is vital to all trades and businesses. If customers can locate their values and expectations, successfully encoded within the products or services, they are likely to purchase the commodity matched with their own desires. Anthropomorphism effects product/service design by easing customers’ decision-making process through which their understanding is going to be directed towards more product attachment. Mascot is a manifestation of anthropomorphism, which can be embodied in the form of either humans, animals or objects and thanks to the anthropomorphic manifestation, mascot will somehow guarantee its presence in customers’ mind for a longer period of time. In this review paper, the importance of anthropomorphism is discussed within the context of competition and branding in general and then, the role of mascot in anthropomorphic branding is also noticed. To that end, a full battery of articles, related to branding, mascot & anthropomorphism were reviewed, so that a nexus can be established between the three important yet seemingly separate concepts, proving that anthropomorphic mascots can be beneficial for trades and also for educational institutions like universities and colleges.