Modhesh: 'Mickey Mouse of the Middle East'

Dubai: Motorists and pedestrians who spot a bright yellow figure with a wide grin at the side of Dubai's roads should not be alarmed.

The beaming character is Modhesh, the mascot of the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) and an integral part of the retail event's marketing campaign.

According to analysts, the figure is spot on in creating the right image for a campaign aiming to draw families and shoppers into malls during the traditionally lean summer months.

Laila Suhail, DSS executive project director, admitted she didn't expect Modhesh to be such a success.

"The fact that Modhesh has become an independent brand itself and has better recognition than the DSS logo itself was a big surprise," she said.

She said last year's total sales of Modhesh merchandise covered production costs, but said plans are in the pipeline to sell the gifts throughout the year to generate profit for future DSS events.

"We are also thinking of creating Modhesh friends and family - the demand is there," she added.

But Modhesh is not merely a marketing tool. Earlier this week he became a goodwill ambassador, visiting charities, orphanages and local hospitals on a two-week tour of the Gulf.

Hubert Lobo of analysts ACNielsen, said Modhesh is achieving its objective from a marketing perspective by painting an imagery of the good life children who have stayed in Dubai during their holiday can enjoy.

"Modhesh endorses the fact that children all over the world are key influences in most buying decisions," he said.

"The saliency of Modhesh is the inspirational aura it projects around itself and also invites children to join in the fun.

"Mascots are vital since at some stage of their life, they get transformed into brands and get etched into consumers' minds."

He added: "While driving back home from work I see the mascot at a traffic intersection, which immediately acts as a top-of-mind recall to take my kids to join in the fun of DSS."

History: Modhesh's amazing DSS story

So what exactly is the enormous accordion-bodied fellow who has been dubbed the Mickey Mouse of the Middle East, and what was the thinking behind his creation?

Modhesh, which is Arabic for amazing, is a jack-in-the box with tufts of yellow and blue hair above his face to symbolise rays of sunshine.

After realising DSS 1999 lacked cohesiveness, organisers decided they needed a unifying theme and considered genies, fantasy characters and animals before choosing a mascot which symbolised the surprise aspect of the event and the colours of Dubai's sand and sea.

Modhesh proved an instant hit. Last year saw sales of Modhesh merchandise reach Dh10,000 a day as consumers snapped up everything from sun visors to maths equipment.