MEET TED – THE FAMILIAR FACE OF STOXKARTS
MEET TED – THE FAMILIAR FACE OF STOXKARTS
Over the past few months, you may have noticed the same face appearing regularly in our Stoxkarts promotional material. Quite a few people have been asking who he is, so we thought it was about time we explained.
Meet Ted, our AI-generated Stoxkarts spokesperson.
There's actually a bit more to the story than simply deciding to use an AI character in our advertising.
WHY WE STARTED USING TED
Those who have followed Stoxkarts for a number of years may remember our original Mr Stoxkarts Facebook profile.
For a long time, this was how we communicated with drivers, teams and followers. However, as Meta continued to change its rules regarding business accounts and personal profiles, we had to change the way we operated.
The original Mr Stoxkarts profile could no longer be used in the same way, so we moved towards using an official Stoxkarts business Page, alongside changes to our own personal Facebook profiles and various other arrangements.
Over time, this created a situation where it wasn't always clear which profile or account people were dealing with, or which one they should contact.
There was also another consideration. We have never had any particular desire to put our own faces all over social media. We would much rather people recognise Stoxkarts as a racing formula than associate everything with the individuals running it.
At the same time, the way businesses and organisations promote themselves online is changing rapidly, particularly with the development of artificial intelligence.
We started looking at whether AI could help us produce more consistent promotional material without constantly needing to feature ourselves or different people in photographs and videos.
That's when we decided to create Ted.
We've been using him in various posters, images and videos for several months now, and since then we've had quite a few questions about who he is, whether he's a real person and what his connection is to Stoxkarts.
We felt it was only right to explain why we've introduced him and what we hope to do with him in the future.
BUILDING A RECOGNISABLE STOXKARTS IDENTITY
Branding is something we've been working on for some time.
It isn't simply about having a logo or putting our name on a poster. It's about making Stoxkarts instantly recognisable wherever people come across us.
Whether that's on Facebook, Instagram, our website or in a promotional video, we want people to recognise the Stoxkarts name and the way we present ourselves.
Having one central character is another part of that.
Rather than continually using different faces, different styles and different approaches to our advertising, Ted gives us someone familiar who can appear across all our promotional material.
It also makes producing that material much simpler. We can use the same character in different situations, explain different aspects of the formula and create videos without having to find someone willing to stand in front of a camera every time.
As AI technology continues to develop, the possibilities for doing this are increasing all the time.
Our hope is that by using Ted consistently, people will gradually recognise him as part of Stoxkarts, just as they recognise our logo and colours. There's also a longer-term reason for doing this.
Stoxkarts has been established for many years, and like any organisation, the people responsible for running it may change in the future.
By creating a central character that belongs to Stoxkarts rather than being associated with any particular individual, we're building something that can continue regardless of who owns or operates the formula.
Whoever is running Stoxkarts in the years ahead, Ted can remain the same familiar face, helping maintain a consistent identity and a recognisable connection with drivers, teams and supporters.
We think that's an important part of building a brand that can stand on its own, rather than one that depends entirely on the people behind it.
Of course, the drivers, teams and racing will always be the most important part of Stoxkarts. Ted isn't intended to replace any of that. He's simply another way of helping us promote what we do.
MEET TED – OUR AI SPOKESPERSON
Ted isn't a real person. He's an AI-generated character created specifically for Stoxkarts.
We wanted him to look and sound like an ordinary bloke rather than a polished television presenter or someone trying to sell you something.
He's straightforward and speaks in plain English.
The idea isn't to make him into some larger-than-life character. We just want someone familiar who can explain things, introduce videos and help people understand a little more about Stoxkarts.
You'll see him in different situations, but we'll be keeping his appearance and general character consistent.
That's particularly important to us. If we're going to use one recognisable face, there's little point in having him look like a different person every time he appears.
THERE'S MORE TO TED THAN JUST PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL
We're also developing Ask Ted, an AI-powered assistant for our Stoxkarts website.
This is where we hope Ted will become particularly useful.
Once the system is working as intended, visitors will be able to ask questions about Stoxkarts and receive straightforward answers based on our official information.
That could include racing rules, technical regulations, licence requirements, prices, hire karts, fixtures and how to get started.
For someone completely new to the sport, it should make finding information much easier. Instead of searching through several pages or documents, they'll be able to ask Ted a question in ordinary language.
Existing drivers should also find it useful when looking for information about the regulations or race meetings.
The system is still being developed, and we're currently working with Wix to resolve some issues with how it uses the information we've supplied.
We're not going to promote it as a finished service until we're satisfied that it's providing accurate answers.
The official Stoxkarts rulebook and published information will always remain the authority, but we hope Ask Ted will become a useful way of making that information easier to find.
LOOKING AHEAD
Artificial intelligence is developing at a remarkable pace, and the way we create and share information is likely to keep changing.
We don't know exactly what will be possible in another year or two, but we do know that having an established character gives us something consistent to work with as those developments continue.
Our plans include using Ted in more promotional videos, introducing different aspects of Stoxkarts, explaining how people can get involved and helping newcomers understand the formula.
Eventually, we hope the same familiar face people see in our advertising will also be able to help them when they visit our website.
For us, this isn't about replacing people with AI. It's about finding a practical way of promoting Stoxkarts, making information more accessible and maintaining a recognisable identity without having to put our own personal lives and faces across social media.
We're still learning what works and what doesn't, and there will undoubtedly be changes along the way.
But the intention is to keep Ted as a familiar and consistent part of our promotional work for the foreseeable future.
Hopefully, that explains who he is, why we've been using him and what we're planning for the future.
So, for those of you who've been wondering who the bloke in the brown overalls is, now you know.
Comments