Mascots as a Positioning Tool in St. Petersburg's Catering Market

In today's hospitality industry, effective brand positioning and creating an emotional connection with consumers are becoming increasingly important. One tool that helps to achieve these goals is mascots – branded characters that play a key role in restaurants' communication strategies. The problem lies in the lack of theoretical and practical research on the influence of mascots on brand perception and restaurant reputation in the Russian context, especially in competitive markets such as St. Petersburg. The novelty of this study is its critical, comprehensive approach to the analysis of mascots, including content analysis, factographic analysis and semiotic analysis. The research covers not only the visual and symbolic elements of mascots, but also their role in audience engagement strategies through various digital and offline platforms. The paper presents examples of successful restaurants that use mascots to enhance their reputation and strengthen emotional connections with customers. The results of the study show that mascots play an important role in building brand trust and customer loyalty, especially in family-oriented establishments. However, the effectiveness of mascots depends directly on their proper integration into the restaurant's communication strategy. The introduction of mascots must be accompanied by carefully designed scenarios for their interaction with the audience and a continuous effort to keep them relevant.