What Michael Can Learn From Martha
Disclaimer: The comparison this post makes between Michael Jackson and Martha Stewart is confined strictly to the Web sites created to deal with their individual legal issues. The similarities stop there.
Jackson's
indictment prompted me to revisit his spokesperson
Web site.It has evolved from being a brief and simplistic site, lacking any contact information. Unfortunately, its redesign might be even more harmful than his first site.The site's objective is "to provide the public and media official reports and exclusive interviews pertaining to the Michael Jackson case." Its design resembles a cross between a news site and an official fan club site. It offers a variety of content and, finally, contact information. Unfortunately, not all of this content is related to his case. For example, he congratulates his sister Janet on her new album. The other major error the site makes is that it displays advertising from sponsors.The end result makes for a confusing site, not a credible one. It also connotes that Micheal does not realize the severity of the charges brought against him. For example, in the first paragraph of his welcome note to visitors, Jackson writes: "Thank you to the creators of this site for your hard work and efforts in helping to make this website a reality. For revolutionary video quality, the site will feature a brand new CoDec technology. "Martha Stewart's site was designed to help tell her side of the story, generate support and present her as a normal person—not the perfect home heroine her shows made her out to be. This helped support her legal strategy. But the site was humble, subtle and was presented in a way that communicated, while Martha maintained her innocence, she realized the serious nature of her legal issues.Jackson's site presents him as more concerned about addressing rumors and giving his fans access to his life than his legal crisis.Jackson's first site may have been damaging in what it did not say. But with no legal focus, his new site is damaging in what it does say.
