Did you know that William Shatner, whom we all loved as Capt. James T. Kirk, is now a spokesperson for an online travel agency? I am not sure that everyone is familiar with Priceline, but I am sure that you have at least heard of it.
Anyhow, we have read so much – and perhaps have had personal experience – regarding travel spending and how it has been cut due to the economic woes that most people are experiencing. If William Shatner is to be believed, though, this should not really stop us from traveling. Reuters had an interview with him recently and published this story:
But the 77-year-old actor best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movies and television series is hopeful that spending begets spending, and that if enough people loosen their purse strings and venture out for leisure travel the economy could rebound.
“We’re in danger of retracting so much that everything will fail,” Shatner told Reuters. “We’re being fed by fear, and fear feeds on itself. And if we can break that cycle, we might come out of this sooner and better than we expect.”
These days, though, do not expect William Shatner to speak for the agency as the “real” Shatnet. Instead, he has morphed into the Negotiator, which he describes as follows:
“He’s a commercial character, born of necessity and nurtured on fear,” Shatner said.
In the TV ads, the Negotiator barges into homes and offices where he intimidates, berates and bullies customers into negotiating cheap bookings on Priceline.
If the Negotiator would barge into my home and office and get me really cheap bookings, I wouldn’t say no!