One thing that many companies do in order to increase sales of their product is hire a celebrity spokesperson. That person gets paid to endorse a product. Sometimes, it can be simple and overt, while others are much more subtle. However, normally, the endorser will say something definitive about the product.
I've been intrigued by Rosetta Stone software - I have heard it referred to as the best language training software available. But I was less than impressed with their celebrity endorsement by Michael Phelps.
Let me be clear. I have no issue with Rosetta Stone. Nor do I have any issue with Michael Phelps, or his decision to endorse Rosetta Stone. I have nothing negative to say about the product or the endorser. The message though, is what concerns me. I've heard the commercial a few times, Michael Phelps, discussing his trip to the Olympics, decides he wants to take up Chinese. He selects Rosetta Stone. "They say it's the fastest way to learn a new language."
Well, yeah, that's what the makers say. But, who does Michael refer to when he says "they?" It seems to me that he could be referring to anyone, but quite likely could just be the makers of Rosetta Stone. It does not sell the product as the best choice out there; rather it echoes what Rosetta Stone has been saying the whole time.
I think the message would have been more clear if Phelps gave it a stronger endorsement - "It's the best program available," or "I could not have been more pleased with my results." Instead, it comes across as him echoing the company tag line, which seems superfluous, to me.
Again, I am not criticizing either the company or the spokesman, rather, I'm criticizing this particular message. I intend to take up a third language someday, and when I do, I likely will choose Rosetta Stone; it just won't be because of this ad.
3 comments:
I smell a legal issue. Phelps probably hasn't used it. And Rosetta probably wanted to rush this ad on the air before the Olympics but also maybe seeking to avoid liability. If while in Beijing Phelps gets a question in Chinese and he's like, "ugh..." he can kiss his endorsement goodbye and Rosetta's got a false advertising claim against them.
Heads up for when you do learn a third language. I've heard that Rosetta is great, but I have been trying edufire.com and had great results. I completely agree with you about the Michael Phelps endorsement sounds fake.
Au contraire, nelson m. I think Phelps "they say..." statment is carefully couched (likely by Rosetta's legal counsel) to prevent anyone from alleging that he made an endorsement for a product he hasn't actually used. He can use his celebrity to promote a program and get paid without he or the company taking any personal liability for the statement.
Steve, I went to their website to check it out because I have been wanting to learn Spanish for some time now. The program may be good, but at ~$500, it's certainly not cheap.
Post a Comment