Dotster issued a press release today revealing that it has completed the long process of assembling its crack team of nice-looking gals, the “Dotster Dots.”
Here at theWHIR, we have dutifully covered the process, in part because of the amusing deviation from the more common day-to-day Web hosting hustle. But don’t discount our genuine interest in the fairly bold message of a technology company ascribing to the fairly outdated concept of the “spokesmodel.”
Yet, as interested as I was in the project, my overall response to the announcements could generally be summed up as “really? Really?“
Granted, Go Daddy did once famously parlay its work with a bona fide bimbo into some serious mass-media attention. But that seemed from the start like a “lightning doesn’t strike twice” kind of circumstance that even Go Daddy has been unsuccessful in recreating (see slide number 6). And Dotster’s announcements seemed to indicate that it was going more in the “classy lady” direction.
For whatever reason, I developed the impression that when I actually was able to see these women, I’d be able to “connect the dots,” so to speak, and come up with a better understanding of exactly what Dotster aspires to in all of this.
Fortunately, the company’s most recent announcement was accompanied by the posting of plenty of fun talent-search stuff, including an apparent collage of the Dots themselves.
Unfortunately, I am left with more questions than before. For instance: do they have actual super powers, or are they just regular action heroes?
I get the feeling Dotster has a sense of humor about the whole thing. At least a little bit. They posted some pretty silly clips from the talent search.
But for me, the question is whether there really is a need on Dotster’s staff for six fairly attractive women who don’t appear to have any real training or experience relevant to Web hosting, regardless of their ability to drop science.
Dotster is obviously going after a very mass-market Web hosting audience with its MyInternet service – a domain name and Web site package pitched in the strictest layman’s terms – which brings me back to the question of how you market Web hosting effectively to people who don’t know they want Web hosting.
The problem with Dotster’s approach, I think, is that the company isn’t giving its customers much credit. Pretty girls and tricky “less than a dollar a day” math may get a consumer’s attention, but I doubt it will build a solid foundation for any long-term loyalty.
Consider me skeptical.
About Liam Eagle
Liam Eagle has worked as a contributor to the Web Host Industry Review since its inception in 2000, and as editor since 2003. He has been editor of the WHIR's print magazine since its launch. His daily involvement in the gathering and reporting of Web hosting news and his regular interaction with Web hosting leaders gives him an uncommonly broad appreciation of the issues and tends facing the business. Through his WHIR blog, Liam spots Web hosting trends and offers opinions on the industry-wide impacts of major developments and the motivation behind big announcements. Follow him on Twitter @liameagle
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