Intro to Marketing
Character symbols are often used in television commercials, newspaper ads, magazine ads, special promotions, and various other promotional techniques. For example, Dairy Queen uses a live ice cream cone or McDonald’s, Ronald the Clown. Selecting the appropriate character symbol is important as it has a direct impact on the image of a business.
As an excutive someday, it will be your job to create a character symbol for your business, or you might just need to give some input on a work in progress. Using the steps in the assignment you’ll see how a character symbols is used and perhaps get some ideas for your senior project.
Step 1: Select one of the below restaurants or another you can think of and utilize a character symbol to help position its marketing message. Be sure to select a character that reflects the image of the restaurant. For example, you would not use Daffy Duck for Panera Bread. Due: Jan. 24
Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar Olive Garden
Boston Market Panera Bread
Abercrombie and Fitch Pizza Hut
ChiChi’s Mexican Restaurant Rocky Rococo Pizza
Chili’s TGI Fridays
Mama Mia’s IHOP
Step 2: Use one of the character symbols from your own Happy Meal or from any other business. Use the real name of the character or make up a new one. Assume you have been given rights to use the symbol. Using that new symbol create a mock-up board to present to the class on your new character symbol. It could be one slide on a PowerPoint, or a piece of poster board, or some other program you’ve used. All of the information in the outline must be visible at one time. Due Jan. 31
Name of Restaurant:
Character Symbol & Name:
Image(s) of Restaurant (price, quality, fun, elegant dining, etc.):
Advertising Campaign Theme/Slogan (using your character symbol):
Target Market:
Demographics
Age Range:
Gender:
Income:
Ethnic Background:
Family Life-Cycle: Young Single; Young Married w/o children; Young Married with children;
Middle-aged with children; Middle-aged Married w/o dependent children; Older Married;
Older
Geographically:
Advertising Applications:

Internet
Magazine (sketch an ad)
Newspaper (sketch an ad)
Outdoor Media (what and where would you place the symbol)
Radio (write down a rough script)
Television (describe the commercial)
Sales Promotion Applications:
Contests and Sweepstakes
Coupons
Point-of-Purchase Promotion
Premiums
Sampling
Public Relations Applications:
Consumer Education
Event Sponsorship
Issue Sponsorship
Product Placement