Abstract From Mr. Peanut to the GEICO gecko, spokes-characters have been a consistently used promotional tool across time; previous research demonstrates that between the 1950s and 1990s, spokes-character use remained stable at 7% of all print ads targeted at adults. Our study investigates whether spokes-characters are still a prevalent strategy used by advertisers to engage modern consumers. In total, 922 ads collected from men’s and women’s magazines indicate that the use of spokes-characters significantly increased over the past 20 years; the types of characters featured also have undergone changes. Interpretations of these findings discuss historical changes as potential facilitators of this increasingly used advertising tool.

中文翻译：

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平面广告中的辐条字符：更新和扩展

摘要从Peanut先生到GEICO壁虎，代言字符一直是跨时间使用的促销工具。先前的研究表明，在1950年代至1990年代之间，使用辐条字符的比例保持稳定，占所有针对成年人的平面广告的7％。我们的研究调查了代言字符是否仍然是广告商用来吸引现代消费者的普遍策略。从男女杂志上收集的总共922条广告表明，在过去20年中，辐条字符的使用显着增加；特色字符的类型也发生了变化。这些发现的解释讨论了历史的变化，作为这种日益使用的广告工具的潜在推动者。