DUBAI // Few things in Dubai have spurred the divided reaction he has: from his inescapable presence and hundreds of merchandising items, to a Facebook campaign calling for his cuddly demise.
Not many people, however, could have predicted that Modhesh (pronounced Mud-Hish), the worm-like shopping festival mascot whose name means “excited”, would become the subject of academic study.
For the past 11 years, the overly chirpy yellow figure has popped up on street corners and in shops across the emirate to promote the Dubai Summer Surprises festival.
Last month he appeared alongside Mickey Mouse as a topic of sober analysis on the pages of the Marketing Review journal.
“I was analysing various successful brands in the GCC and then I came across Modhesh,” explained author Dr K Prakash Vel, an associate professor in business at the University of Wollongong in Dubai.
“We prepared a case study on how Modhesh was nurtured as a brand to demonstrate theories of brand development.”
Dr Vel said Modhesh was selected because he was “iconic” within the region and had followed similar brand development to that of Mickey Mouse.
The character was created 11 years ago and has evolved to include more than 1,000 merchandise items, from novelty pens to cuddly toys.
He is also the focal point of the annual summer Modhesh World attraction, which has attracted up to half a million visitors in previous years.
Dr Vel’s study compared Modhesh’s evolution as a sub-brand of Dubai Summer Surprises to several theories of marketing development.
In the paper, he said Modhesh followed a fairly typical development path, which he described as ‘conception, nurturing and sustenance’.
“Modhesh has been promoted efficiently from the beginning right up until the nurturing stage,” he said.
However, he suggested that the current mode of understanding brands did not take fully into account the potential profitability of sub-brands, like Modhesh.
“Modhesh has helped us expose a gaping hole in the literature,” he said, adding that he would continue to do further research, although not necessarily orientated around Modhesh.
The character is owned by Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (Depe) but was originally created as a simple sketch by the freelance artist Romulo Miclat.
Mr Miclat said he had been mildly surprised by the success of the character, and often wished he had brokered a royalties contract.
But he is not entirely happy with how the character has changed over time.
“They make these big mascots which are displayed all over Dubai,” Mr Miclat said.
“Sometimes, the way they have done it, it looks a bit scary. It’s not the same as what I’ve drawn originally. In the original illustration it was very friendly. The way I see it in the malls, or around the city, it’s not the exact same design.”
The mascot’s rise does have its critics. A Facebook group called “Death to Modhesh” was set up three years ago and attracted more than 1,000 members, playing on similar groups and websites attacking other mascots around the world. Some posts present tongue-in-cheek solutions to eliminating the wormy character, such as guillotining a Modhesh toy, or taking a blowtorch to billboards displaying his image.
Sherif Abaza, the group’s founder says some of the reactions were slightly “extreme”, and admits he was in mixed minds about restarting the campaign to ban the “yellow abomination”.
“The last few years I haven’t felt as strongly about him as when I launched the group. Maybe I’ve just got used to it, although I wouldn’t want to say that it’s grown on me.”
Mr Miclat said acknowledged Modhesh has fans and detractors.“You can’t please everyone,” he said. “Most of the kids like Modhesh but some of them, they really hate him.”
Perhaps the brand owners of Modhesh, had taken note of the group’s message, Mr Abaza said.
mcroucher@thenational.ae
Day 3, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, has had to play a lot of cricket to earn a shot at the top level. The 29-year-old debutant first played a first-class game 11 years ago. His first Test wicket was one to savour, bowling Pakistan opener Shan Masood through the gate. It set the rot in motion for Pakistan’s batting.
Stat of the day – 73 Haris Sohail took 73 balls to hit a boundary. Which is a peculiar quirk, given the aggressive intent he showed from the off. Pakistan’s batsmen were implored to attack Rangana Herath after their implosion against his left-arm spin in Abu Dhabi. Haris did his best to oblige, smacking the second ball he faced for a huge straight six.
The verdict One year ago, when Pakistan played their first day-night Test at this ground, they held a 222-run lead over West Indies on first innings. The away side still pushed their hosts relatively close on the final night. With the opposite almost exactly the case this time around, Pakistan still have to hope they can salvage a win from somewhere.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
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Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
Company%20Profile
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5