Then we noticed another surprise on the homepage:
Look, up in the corner! It's a lady! A cute lady! And she's talking to us, telling us about all the cool features on the website!
(Note to tech staff: Actually, Mrs. Madville Times noticed it and screen-capped it for me; the widget just produced a flickering icon on my screen.)
We listened this comely new face and voice of Madison, then started wondering: who is she? Does she work for the City of Madison? Is she a DSU student or prof? She looked a little familiar, but we couldn't quite place her.
Ever curious, we looked up the producer of this nifty little widget, iSpeakVideo.com. We clicked on Actors, then clicked on Women ("clicked on Women" -- sounds vaguely anti-feminist somehow, objectifying women as hyperlinks). And there we found...
Alas! This fine woman is not a Madisonite at all, but Sonia Sousa [spelling?], one of 40 attractive women eager to be "your virtual spokesperson."Tonight's marketing advice: we live in a postmodern culture. Postmoderns (generally younger people, like the folks this spokesperson is aimed at) look for authenticity in media. They are very sensitive to inauthenticity, especially in advertising. They can sense authenticity or the lack thereof quickly. When a message sets off their inauthenticity alarm, they tune out that message immediately.
Sonia the virtual spokesmodel definitely gets the casual Web surfer's attention (she caught mine enough to warrant a blog post!). However, imagine how much more impact might be made by an authentic talking head -- authentic here meaning, very simply, someone from Madison. What if we greeted visitors to virtual Madison with a smiling DSU student, or Commissioner Nordberg, or Hope Studios entrepreneurs Michael and Reina Hope, or even (dare I suggest it?) Lake Herman's most intelligent blogger, Mrs. Madville Times?
Just like Governor Rounds, we are interested in making everything about Madison even better. Our marketing is no exception. Video spokesperson -- cool. Authentic local video spokesperson -- even cooler!
I would have to agree. A familiar face as a spokesperson for Madison would be much better. I've had the same thought when I see the TV ads for DSU promoting their "Dare to Do" concept. The ad is catchy, but what gets me is the guy in the ad has no apparent connection to DSU.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's oddly out of place.
Well, it could be worse. You could have ME on the web, then people would be moving away in SCORES! LOL
ReplyDeleteNo, jackrabit1, you'd be so good! You're young, you're hip, you're involved in the community -- you'd be the perfect authentic spokesperson! Elisa, you too! You guys would be great at selling Madison to the young demographic we need to target. I'm dead serious! You should call the Chamber now!
ReplyDeleteWell, Cory, there's a reason I'm in radio. The term "A face for Radio" comes to mind! LOL
ReplyDeleteBut thanks for the compliment!
I'll take real over pretty any day. That's why having you or Elisa or Michael Hope talk to visitors from our website would be so great. Visitors would see real Madisonites, the young professionals making things happen in this community, making a living here and loving it. That message -- your message, our message -- would speak much more effectively to media-savvy virtual visitors than any slick marketing campaign. We put your face on the marketing website, Matt, we double the site's traffic and quadruple the actual inquiries, guaranteed! Someone call the Chamber!
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. In fact, Mr. Dischordia is the "tech" behind this website. He has always said that it should be someone local. However, the powers that be believe it should be done more efficiently or whatever reason they say. So, yes, us young 'ens know better, but the holders of the paychecks sometimes know "more".
ReplyDeleteI don't care if the spokesperson is local or not, they should ditch the talking head all together. It's just annoying.
ReplyDeleteMrs. D! Thanks for the tip. What will it take to get folks to listen to good ideas?
ReplyDeleteMatt -- in general, I agree. I don't like websites that start making noise without my permission. Even flash ads are too distracting -- I want a nice stable page that lets my eyes and thoughts move about as I wish them to.
Adding a spokesperson on your site will definitely be an advantage in terms of interaction. This is a great tactic to be apply on your site
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha ha....
ReplyDeleteO.K., spam-boy. you bet.
I am my own spokesperson.