Creating “Evergreen” Video Spokespeople

Adding a video spokesperson to your website requires an investment of time and money. However, once the video has been shot and edited and the video overlay has been set up on your website, your video spokesperson can last for years. If your message doesn’t change drastically, you may not need to update the video spokesperson for years. But, if you don’t think in terms of the future when you shoot, you could end up with a spokes model that looks dated prematurely.

For example, remember when Fedora hats were all the rage back in 2008? A video spokesperson wearing a Fedora would’ve been fashionable back then, but would stick out now as being dated. Currently, “jeggings,” a cross between jeans and leggings, are popular, but will they be a distraction a year or two from now? In addition to clothing and accessories, the video spokesperson’s hairstyle could be problematic in the future if it is trendy now.

Because you want your video spokesperson to last for more than the current season, you’ll need to create an “evergreen” look. The term “evergreen” is commonly used to indicate Web content that is built to withstand the test of time. For instance, an article about the latest football game will be relevant for about a week until the next games are played while an article about the differences between American and European football will be relevant for years to come. Of the two articles, the latter is considered “evergreen.”

Creating an evergreen look for your video spokesperson involves choosing a spokesperson with a timeless overall look or a look that can be transformed to pass the test of time. Work with a video production company that has a wide selection of classic wardrobe options. Choose wardrobes that will look as good tomorrow as they do today and avoid those that are trendy, flashy, or bold. Just as navy blue suits are safe choices for job interviews, solid classics are generally safe for video spokes models.

Another consideration when creating an evergreen video spokesperson for your website involves the script. Avoid catchphrases and buzzwords that are popular today but will likely be short-lived. These will date your video spokesperson as soon as they become clichés or fall out of favor. Soon, these phrases may even be forgotten and their context lost on future visitors. Avoid references that will date your spokesperson as well.

For example, if your script mentions President Obama, it will be obsolete as soon as President Obama is no longer the president. References to future dates are especially problematic as once that date passes, the script is no longer relevant. For example, if your video spokesperson says, “This offer is good until December 2010,” the video will be hopelessly out of date from January 2011 forward. A better choice would be to say, “This offer expires soon” and use other easy-to-change elements on the webpage to indicate the actual expiration date.

Selecting an evergreen wardrobe, hairstyle, and script for the video spokesperson allows you to extend the final video overlay’s life on your website.