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by Christian Clemmensen, November 1999 - May 2000 | |
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Abstract: As a result of their growing popularity, the use of online brand mascots has become an identifiable trend on web sites of all subjects and sizes. This report evaluates issues concerning the ethos, or credibility, of these mascots, beginning with an overview of the history of ethos and a survey of the mascot phenomenon on the web. Then, an examination of graphical, layout, and textual aspects of web sites which employ a mascot will be used to construct a method of evaluating the perceptions of the mascots' intelligence, character, and goodwill. Based on this examination, a new checklist guide is provided for webmasters and web surfers, or rhetoricians and scholars, to assist in determining the ethos of an online brand mascot. The entire, in-depth report is available here. Included below for convenience, however, are the sections of the report which feature analyses of four well-known online mascots and a helpful checklist for determining the ethos of such mascots. Detailing the graphical, layout, and textual aspects of these mascots, the analyses and checklist evaluate the perceptions of the mascots' intelligence, character, and goodwill:
As an Appendix to the report, a preliminary study of general trends involving brand mascots on the web (as of 1999) is also available online. Site created 11/27/99, last updated 5/14/00. All textual content published under the supervision of the Department of Speech Communication at The University of Washington, Seattle, and hosted by Filmtracks Publications of Missoula, Montana. All artwork is protected by the Copyright © 2000, of the site(s) it represents. Its appearance on this report is for informational, non-profit use, and may not be redistributed without their expressed written consent. Direct all questions or comments about these pages to Christian Clemmensen. |