Backing key to growth of character marketing

Character marketing has room for growth, as nonhuman characters can convey messages and are loved by the public, says Vithita Group, a Thai media company.

- KUAKUL MORNKUM

Government support is crucial for promoting characters to global audiences, said Pimpicha Utsahajit, executive director of Vithita Group, adding that character marketing has grown significantly since last year, with new characters and mascots for brands or organisations being launched in many different forms.

Character marketing in Thailand is increasingly being used by brands to promote products and services, or even to spread information to audiences, she said.

A “character” in this context means any nonhuman figure, whether fictional or based on a real-life animal or object, such as mascots, animated creatures, or symbolic animals.

Characters can be used to represent a brand, convey a message, or engage an audience. For example, the pygmy hippo Moo Deng that became an internet sensation is considered a character.