You should invest some serious time and thought into choosing the right spokesperson for your company, because this spokesperson will become the face of the company and the face of many of your products or services. Generally speaking, there are three main strategies that you can consider, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

First, you could use a real employee from your company as the spokesperson. Most commonly, this person should be a high-ranking executive of some kind. For example, the face of Apple is Steve Jobs. If you catch any of the Sprint commercials on television, you may also notice that the wireless carrier selected CEO Dan Hesse as its spokesman. This can help to make your ads seem more legitimate and authentic, but it can pose a problem if this person ever chooses to leave your company.

Second, you could use a professional actor or actress as a spokesperson. Verizon Wireless has that guy with the glasses who asks if you can hear him now. T-Mobile uses Catherine Zeta-Jones. The advantage is that professional actors are well-trained and practiced in reading lines. They’ll also know how to conduct themselves in front of the camera and, depending on your chosen spokesperson, they can also bring a great deal of celebrity star power to your company as well. However, these individuals don’t have the same kind of vested interest as a CEO or President.

Third, you can invent a fictional mascot of some kind, just like how Geico Insurance has a gekko. Using cute animals and other cartoon characters can bring some much needed appeal to your company and, if the mascot is digitally animated, you can get the mascot to do things that are not humanly possible. There is a great deal of flexibility and creativity to be enjoyed. On the other hand, these mascots can seem very artificial and superficial.

What kind of spokesperson do you think is most effective?