Popular Culture Review Vol. 12, No. 1, February 2001 | Page 61

Martha Stewart and e-commerce

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“with recipes, projects, gardening ideas, our television program guide, Martha by
Mail, and more” (M artha Stew art Livings 1998, February, 40).
The parasocial communication tone and patter are also evident in a letter from
Martha Stewart, featured in one of the early advertisements promoting
www.marthastewart.com.
Dear f riend:
I am so happy to welcome you to our home and to our very first
Web site. We want to make your stay as interesting as possible,
and we want you to move easily from our front door (this splash
page as it is normally called) to all the “rooms” in our house.
You can reach them by clicking the tabs at the top of the next
page. We appreciate your visit and encourage you to return as
often as you desire. And if you have requests or suggestions,
please e-mail us...Cordially, Martha Stewart (M artha S tew art
Living, 1998. February 40).
According to the letter, Martha Stewart would serve as the wizard guiding
visits through the www.marthastewart.com house.
Through the parasocial relationship, consumers know that Martha Stewart,
the figurehead for MSLO, is the Expert Homekeeper. Her expertise as a homekeeper
is enhanced by her accomplishments as a cook and caterer, an author, and in
particular, as a businesswoman. Her Web site provides the biographical information,
part of the general propaganda generated on behalf of Martha Stewart. “With her
simple, elegant style and practical, hands-on approach, Martha Stewart has become
America’s leading lifestyle authority. Her artistic eye and enormous creativity, as
seen in her magazine and Emmy-award winning television series, M artha Stew art
Living, her numerous books, her syndicated newspaper column, her product line
and her frequent lectures, have made Martha Stewart a household name throughout
America” (www.marthastewart.com, accessed May 1, 1998).
Further evidence of the parasocial relationship is found in design elements of
the initial MSLO Web site. Just beyond the Web site’s splash page, the front door
to the www.marthastewart.com house, was the guest book. Site users, taking on
the persona of visitors to the house, were asked to “Please register and Join us at
marthastewart.com.” Registering allowed you