It is important to note that marketing is a field that is constantly evolving due to the heavy integration of technology as a primary tool and instrument. The article on avatar marketing aims to provide a well-constructed definition of the concept with its core characteristics. The authors develop avatar typology, which is comprised of behavioral pattern realism and form realism elements. In addition, the paper attempts to identify core theoretical and practical insights into how avatars can be integrated to ensure enhanced performance.
One of the very first steps in understanding the performance of avatars is the definition. The researchers define the notion based on its fundamental elements, which include anthropomorphic appearance, interactivity, and controlling entity (Miao et al., 2022). The typological features of avatar design are comprised of behavioral realism, such as communication modality, response type, social content, and controlling entity (Miao et al., 2022). Another important characteristic is form realism, defined by human elements, movement, and spatial dimension.
The analysis of the findings in the paper reveals that the performance of an avatar is reliant on a two by two taxonomy, which includes behavioral realism and form realism. The paper states that “the visual characteristics of an avatar may influence consumers’ judgments of its behavioral competence, even before an interaction takes place” (Miao et al., 2022, p. 79). In other words, as forms of realism improve due to constant technological advancements, so do the customers’ expectations of behavioral sophistication. The authors make a series of propositions about the practical implementation based on the given relationship between form and behavior. Customers are likely to buy a product or service if the behavior exceeds the form due to social and cognitive responses but unlikely to buy due to affective responses. However, the authors’ assumption that form directs behavioral expectations might not be valid since the form itself can be impacted by the brand or company image. For example, Apple might announce a new avatar, and people will immediately expect a realistic form, but if the latter does not match the expected level of realism, the result might already be negative without even testing the behavior.
McDonald’s brand can utilize avatar marketing to promote its business by integrating it into the ordering process as well as general marketing practices. Since avatars need to have anthropomorphic features, many companies might struggle to select an appropriate avatar appearance due to matters of diversity, inclusion, and representation. Therefore, McDonald’s is already in an advantageous state since it can use its Ronald McDonald clown as an avatar. Such an avatar is gender-neutral and race-neutral, which eliminates a wide range of complications for the company. In addition, the clown is already well-known and well-established in the minds of the consumers, which makes people familiar with the brand.
In the case of the food ordering process, the Ronald McDonald avatar can be used. The company is not associated with an image of luxuriousness or technological superiority because it is a mere fast-food restaurant. Therefore, consumers will not have heightened expectations of its form, which can be easily exceeded by the company due to its extensive resources. The behavioral expectation is also not high because it simply needs to conduct the ordering process, which is already present in the company’s many apps and on-site machines.
In conclusion, McDonald’s can effectively and efficiently implement the Ronald McDonald avatar without many obstacles. Both the form and behavior expectations are not high, but the company has the capabilities to exceed such expectations. In addition, the company already has a system of food ordering, which can be integrated into the avatar’s behavior, which makes the proposition effective and efficient.
Reference
Miao, F., Kozlenkova, I. V., Wang, H., Xie, T., & Palmatier, R. W. (2022). An emerging theory of avatar marketing. Journal of Marketing, 86(1), 67-90. Web.