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This is such a weird angle for the story. The only "spokesperson scandal" I can think of is the Subway guy, and I don't really think even that enormous scandal
by burkaman 3y ago
This is such a weird angle for the story. The only "spokesperson scandal" I can think of is the Subway guy, and I don't really think even that enormous scandal hurt Subway very much. I have to believe the reduced effectiveness of a fake spokesperson outweighs the benefit of avoiding a minuscule chance of scandal.
Also, fictional spokes"people" like Mr. Peanut or whatever already exist. I don't think I understand why making them more photorealistic would make a difference.
- tfigueroa 3y agoNot to get all “orientalism” but celebrity scandal is a pretty big deal in Japan and South Korea. It can kill a career quite easy, for (by US standards) innocuous things. Smoking pot, spicy selfies, having a significant other - it’s not uncommon. Japan at least is also fairly receptive to artificial spokespeople, like mascots and avatars. Maybe there’s simply higher demand for this, and turning to AI is a good strategy. (I’m personally bothered by it.)
- Rietty 3y agoI understand the first two, but I could never wrap my head around the "having an SO" is a scandal. Why is that?
- oh_sigh 3y agoMostly for boy/girl - band types, where a major draw for people is "he/she is my future husband/wife, if only we could meet once". So having a SO destroys that connection.
- TerrifiedMouse 3y ago> major draw for people is "he/she is my future husband/wife, if only we could meet once" Even if they are OK with their celebrity getting an SO, they might take issue with who the SO is. Either way, it’s a loss.
- CuriousCosmic 3y agoBecause they are sold as an innocent sexual icon that is unclaimed and "maybe you the consumer can claim them if you spend enough money on products they support". It's this weird toxic aspect of idol culture that sees the "idol" this way whether they are a man or a woman, and whether they are an actual idol, musician, actor, voice actor, etc. If they are young and are a public face (other than politician but even then...) then odds are they are affected by this culture.
- wendyshu 3y agohttps://youtube.com/watch?v=z7QG9owYEUY https://youtube.com/watch?v=z7QG9owYEUY
- GauntletWizard 3y agoThere's a class of entertainers in Japan and Korea (and to some extent other asian countries) called "Idols", for whom the appeal is being a simulated SO. The breaking of the illusion when they are revealed to have been "cheating" on you is a cardinal sin in this industry.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- anigbrowl 3y agoBecause brand celebrities' commercial value is in the parasocial relationship that viewers have with them, allowing people to imagine romantic pairings with a person they see on TV or the internet every day while still being at a psychologically safe distance. If the celebrity has a real life boy/girlfriend, then the romantic fantasy is over and so, probably, the consumer brand attachment.
- ChatGTP 3y agoSo doesn't having an AI spokesperson completely kill the chance for romance thus making it a fairly useless mascot ?
- Yeul 3y agoInteresting is that why Americans freaked out over that transsexual influencer from the Budweiser commercial? They were having confusing feelings?
- anigbrowl 3y agoTo a large extent. Americans have a lot of opinions about what opinions others should have.
- wccrawford 3y agoYeah, "person I've never seen before" doesn't give any clout to the product. Why would I care if that person drinks it? Other than the appearance that it took like 30 years off her hair and skin, that is.
- Johnny555 3y agoDoes a celebrity provide any real clout to a product? Just because you see Joe Celebrity using a product in a commercial, all that really means is that they paid her enough money to say that she uses the product. There have certainly been celebrities outed for not using their endorsed product - for example, when Samsung paid a number of celebrities to endorse their phone, then the celebrities were caught tweeting or going out with an iPhone.
- jazzyjackson 3y agoI don't think its anything as serious as believing someone's endorsement If my default is to not pay attention to an ad, but then someone I like looking at appears in the ad, now I'm paying attention Or music videos where a certain cellphone appears - do I think that singer really uses the samsung fold? no, but because I was watching her video I got an eyefull of the new folding phone. simple eyeball gathering tactics, "impressions" tbh tho I did test drive the car I own because it was mentioned in one of my jams
- spaceman_2020 3y agoThis is pretty much the real reason advertisers use celebs. Celebs are recognizable faces and people stop and pay attention to them - and the ad.
- nwsm 3y agoI don't have any industry knowledge, but brands would not be shelling out for these celebrities if they didn't have an impact. Of course it doesn't make sense on paper, but that doesn't matter when your favorite actor/musician is shilling a product you're in the market for.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- jl6 3y ago> The only "spokesperson scandal" I can think of There have been a few over the last few decades… https://www.linkdex.com/en-gb/inked/worst-celebrity-spokesperson/ https://www.linkdex.com/en-gb/inked/worst-celebrity-spokespe... And then the Bud Light thing more recently.
- kwere 3y agoAi spokepersons cant save a company from catastrophic marketing decisions
- Delfwood 3y agoBy Japanese standards, having a boyfriend can be considered a scandal for a spokeswoman* if your fan base is infatuated with her and the realization she has a life alienates them. In this case, a fictional photorealistic woman is a good alternative: she can maintain a "perfect" physical appearance, never change and never have a life. * Or idol, or weather woman (look for Hiyama Saya).
- wolverine876 3y agoTo the degree that's true, an AI creation may be more appropriate than a real person. At least it won't teach people to objectify real human beings.
- kelipso 3y agoOr it's training people to objectify real human beings.
- daft_pink 3y agoAgree. Weird angle. The point is you don’t have to pay or have a video shoot for an ai spokesperson.
- LAC-Tech 3y agoThe only "spokesperson scandal" I can think of is the Subway guy, and I don't really think even that enormous scandal hurt Subway very much. It actually hugely increased sales among reddit and discord moderators.
- TerrifiedMouse 3y ago> The only "spokesperson scandal" I can think of is the Subway guy, and I don't really think even that enormous scandal hurt Subway very much. It’s different in countries like Japan. A spokesperson must generally be squeaky clean. The biggest fall of a celebrity in Japan is probably Noriko Sakai. Got caught doing drugs with her then husband. All ads featuring her instantly disappeared. Almost all media works with her were pulled from the shelf or had parts her removed and redone with another actress.
- spaceman_2020 3y agoOn the contrary, I believe the scandal killed Subway’s brand More than scandals, though, stuff like this will save money for smaller brands.