We have all seen those 30-minute late-night programs hawking everything from new hair to lawn care equipment and beyond. With a rapidly growing sophistication, these proven moneymakers are increasingly migrating from their television-based roots to the digital realm, with its compelling interactive possibilities — and finding a home on the Internet.
One stunning example is found in the new Scoreland.com "guided tour" featuring model Maggie Green, as she introduces the site and its benefits, weaving her way through green-screen heaven to become part of the website.
While "welcome" videos are nothing new and have long been included on amateur/solo and other personality-driven websites, few if any have approached the sophistication and overall production value of the eight-minute long Scoreland.com intro, which offers what some will know as the "VirtuaGirl" desktop stripper effect, made popular by TotemCash.
Scoreland.com, however, takes the effect to a completely new level.
"We wanted a Scoreland.com tour that was different and memorable and didn't require the person at home to 'work,'" Scoreland Editor Elliot James told XBIZ. "For this tour, the guy at home just sits back and relaxes. He doesn't need to mouse his way through the usual maze of pages that historically has been the way it's done on the Internet."
"The tour was scripted by Dave Rosenbaum, the editor of SCORE magazine, and then turned over to our Internet, Studio and Video departments to bring to fruition," James added.
Asked about the extensive marketing possibilities enabled by this particular teaser and perhaps others like it, James explained that the ad's flexibility leaves many options open.
"It is basically an infomercial, and a very non-traditional marketing device for the web since it also serves as both entertainment and commercial," James offered. "The current plan is to add it to our DVDs and as far as I know, our GetSCORECash.com affiliates can use the video as well to drive traffic and sign-ups."
"I don't know if there are adult cable or satellite uses planned but it seems like the next logical step," he continued.
Given the typically low page-view times of attention-deficited porn surfers, it's unclear what percentage of viewers remain viewing to the end, but the production is compelling enough that many viewers may watch it repeatedly.
"We know how many people hit the page but not how many watch the video to completion," James said. "We have gotten complimentary emails from people about it, even from longtime members of Scoreland."
The quality of the production and sophistication of the effects may now induce a small "arms race" among top-tier producers who will like what they see with the Scoreland ad — and want to step it up for themselves — something which won't be easy.
"When I first saw the completed video in our screening room on a big screen, I thought it was the most impressive piece of SCORE video I'd ever seen in more than 15 years," James said. "The amount of planning, high-tech video work and detail that went into producing the video was positively overwhelming."
"The original storyboards hang on the walls in one of our hallways as a sort of dedication and the SCORE model, Maggie Green, was superb," James concluded. "She accomplished an incredible achievement as the host and spokesmodel of this program."