Avatars: Create your customer representative & brand spokesperson
July 25th, 2006 Zeid Nasser (Admin)
Here’s something interesting. To communicate with customers on your website, how about a digital version of the company’s CEO or any celebrity, or maybe even allow the customer to create a digital image of his or herself!
These ‘digital people’ are called Avatars, and are popping up on a number of websites, providing help to users, interacting with your requests and even your mouse pointers moves.
Some people are calling it the next frontier in marketing communications on the Internet.
The sample Avatar is of Washington Post writer Frank Ahrens who wrote a story about this new technology.
Apparently, advertisers are now evaluating the potential of avatars, with some ideas on how an Avatar can preach the value of certain products, just like a friend. It’s like word-of-mouth. Only it’s not a real person!
Already, websites of companies like Accuweather, L’Oreal and Global Gillette are avatar-equipped.
Even DaimlerChrysler has created a low-tech avatar of its chief executive, Dieter Zetsche, to answer online questions as “Dr. Z.”
Interesting. It makes you shudder to think that, soon, we may not even need real people in commercials!
Find out more at The Washington Post.
Entry Filed under: International, Online
1 Comment Add your own
1. Dez | July 27th, 2006 at 3:45 am
Avtars…although a seemingly new concept really isnt that new at all. Company Mascots , Logos of most direct consumer goods or FMCG / white goods did have these already incorporated into their marketing systems. Eg. Modesh for DSS or the Mr Smith logos on your everyday pack of Potato Crisps perhaps. Again the concept was development or rather projection of the companies image that is more akin to relate to the layman or targeted audience. The concept of Avtars in my opnion although wont appeal or be relevant to all genre’s of companies; as I see it -would be more appropriate to those whose mindset are more akin to translate avtars of the reel life into the real life persona and where such would be commercially viable. Eg Beauty Industry/ IT industries. It would be great to have a zit free complexion day after day witout the maintenance and also perhaps a small dash of that face lift without the Botox content
Again, the fad was once of the world being taken over by Robots!As far as that goes real people are still required & looks like would always be behind the scenes to develop these/ also provide the content. After all, the Presidents speeches maybe written by his speech writing team but that doesnt eliminate the need of a President…. even if speeches are considered by some as pure political PR ..even so ..the President is still the Master Mind
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