| dc.description.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. | en_US |
