I think the project does need a public “face” (more on that in a moment), but, that’s not the crux of what I was trying to say. My overall point was that unless/until we have actual data from potential users – that is, data on their actual needs – it’s impossible to market to anyone because every attempt would be a shot in the dark. It would leave us moving in circles, redefining the parameters/terms/wording to fit a market that we haven’t actually figured out.
This is more germane to the point I was making. We don’t know how to get the message in front of the right people because we don’t know who those people are; I was positing that that was the result of our not having any market research to point out the actual, stated needs of potential new users.
Regarding a “face” for the project… I agree, the project needs an ambassador, but, just having a willing person isn’t enough. The person would need to be pretty involved in CP, have a large social following composed of followers that are all about WP, and who are not controlled by the WP-or-die mentality. That’s going to be a tough find, but, I think it’s not as important as having market research to steer the effort forward.