| abstract |
| Background Emotional bonds can be formed through the persona of city characters as a way of experiencing the service of a city. Recently, the surging popularity of Pengsoo, a character created by EBS, has prompted character parodies. Accordingly, this study aims to empirically verify the effect of original and parody characters as tools of public communication, as well as the factors affecting the attachment and attitude towards the characters.
Methods This study has chosen to analyze the effects of two specific characters of Goyang city: an original city character called Goyang-Goyang-Eeee, and a parody character, Gwangsoo. A survey was conducted among 162 adults living in the Seoul metropolitan area. Research questions were verified based on a t-test and regression analysis.
Result Attractiveness and novelty was higher for the original character, while familiarity was higher for the parody character. There was no difference in interestingness between the two characters. Furthermore, factors influencing attachment were revealed to be attractiveness and interestingness, whereas factors influencing attitude towards the characters appeared to be attractiveness, followed by novelty and interestingness. Among the four factors, attractiveness was found to be a common factor affecting both attachment and attitude towards the characters.
Conclusion Findings of this research demonstrate that attractiveness and novelty are greater for the original character, hence the greater attachment and attitude towards the character. Thus, the effect of original characters is greater than that of parody characters, in the case of city characters. This study provides theoretical and practical implications by analyzing the effect of parodies of characters important for public communication. |
|
|
| Key Words |
| 공공 커뮤니케이션, 캐릭터, 패러디, Public communication, Character, Parody |
|
|
|
 |
|
Full Text