Will Marketers ‘Get’ SL in 2008?
Lots of good reading over the last few weeks if you have even a passing interest in the mission (or plight) of RL companies trying to gain a foothold in Second Life. Here are five worth reading:
1. Virtual Worlds Agency Electric Sheep Lays Off 22
A good story about the digital agency that designed many of the corporate sims and launched several projects. Basically, they need to concentrate on the areas where they can make money, and SL apparently isn’t one of them. “Marketing by outside brands in Second Life is something that is not seeing as much excitement [as there] was nine months ago, and that’s appropriate because the active usage base is not growing rapidly right now in that virtual world,” he said. “We’re seeing a natural shake out of what projects and applications make sense using virtual worlds as a whole and Second Life in particular.” The announcement comes some weeks after interactive agency crayon also released staff into the wild.
2. Virtual Worlds Get a Reality Check in 2007
Article from ClickZ, the marketing-news publisher, quotes Greg Verdino (Jiggy Stardust et al in SL) about marketers’ ups and down in the virtual. The always-quotable Greg says in part: “A lot of the problems with marketing in virtual worlds stem from brands and their agencies thinking you can just parade into a virtual world and take it over as if you belonged there all along. The ‘a-ha’ moment happened in 2007 when some of the big early brands that entered the virtual space pulled out … People did a lot of stupid stuff in virtual worlds that they shouldn’t have been doing.”
3. Don’t Give Up on Second Life, Eric Reuters Tells NY Social Media Breakfast
Entry in PR maven BL Ochman’s What’s Next blog reports on Reuters Second Life in-world reporter Eric Reuters‘ talk at a social-media breakfast. “‘Don’t ignore Second Life,’ he said. ‘Don’t write it off. There is a tremendous untapped market, he said, that can be reached with savvy marketing.’” Reuters cited Pontiac’s car-themed sims like Motorati as a SL success in the face of many failures. That must have been before Pontiac said it was pulling out of SL.
4. Coke Launches Virtual Marketing Campaign.
This MediaPost story outlines Coke’s new effort in there.com, a move that some interpreted as the soft-drink giant’s exit from SL, where it maintains a presence in the Virtual Thirst campaign. As far as I can tell, Coke is still in SL, although it’s not promoting the sim with contests and events anymore.
5. Who’s Responsible for SL’s Lack of Reach? and 10 Reasons Why Marketers Hate Second Life (but really just hate themselves)
These two posts by SL ad pioneer Joe Jaffe of the crayon interactive agency mentioned above also list good reasons why companies need to revise their thinking about what SL and other virtual worlds can do for them.
“If [insert Fortune 500 brand here] really wanted to, they could create a 30-second spot inviting people to their otherwise desolate island, with or without tour guides or Sherpas to help navigate there.Is it possible that we are to blame for the lack of imagination, creativity, expression, reach, and critical mass in nascent worlds like Second Life or platforms like podcasting? At what point should we take responsibility or accountability for flogging the worn out and tired cash cow, and neglecting or discarding the next potential one(s)? …and by we, of course I mean, ‘you’,” he writes.
December 31st, 2007 • 
Evansmom Goodspeed • 
comment | January 1, 2008 at 10:09 | individual comment-link
I’ve often said that the problem so many of these outside companies face is the “if we build it, they will [automatically] come” mentality. Building and advertising in SL is no different from deciding to build or advertise in say, Hong Kong or Berlin. One must understand the culture before stepping in and investing money. Far too many places just plopped down an island and waited for Mrs. Horde and Mr. Masses to show up. It ain’t that simple.
All that said, I DO think SL is a viable advertising opportunity…or I wouldn’t still be there, opening shops, giving workshops and readings, and, above all, connecting with readers. Sooner or later (sounds like later), the Big Companies are going to understand what we little folk have known all along…that SL is a great place to live (and work…and play)!
comment | January 2, 2008 at 09:16 | individual comment-link
Probably because the sim would crash…
comment | January 2, 2008 at 15:00 | individual comment-link
Put up a glitzy billboard in the middle of Siberia and wonder why no one cares. SL and other virtual worlds are first and foremost communications media, like the telephone. Primarily a tool to bring people closer together for purposes of community building. Marketing must follow from that premise. Once a “sim” or whatever is built, the owner must spend time and effort building a place where people want to spend time and build a community. Otherwise, you get a ghost town with teleporters. I say “BYOC” (Bring Your Own Community) is easiest — as when a company asks employees to use a virtual workspace in SL. That’s why I believe that widespread public engagement in virtual worlds will actually more likely follow some sort of enterprise engagement than vice versa.
comment | January 7, 2008 at 15:00 | individual comment-link
In 8 short weeks, my live concert performances and cross marketing between SL and RL have generated over 2,000 downloads of my original music in over 18 different countries resulting in over 100,000 hits on my website. http://www.jaxstreeter.com The cost of marketing to sales? Put it this way, I spent more going to see Alvin and the Chipmonks, popcorn and a drink in one night compared to the last 8 weeks…….Jax Streeter
comment | January 9, 2008 at 10:28 | individual comment-link
Hey great links, I always enjoy playing this game esp, when it has certain realism in it - I hope that my real life is what my second life is
Anyway great post!
comment | February 5, 2008 at 07:34 | individual comment-link
I agree with what Greg Verdino says - that “you [can't] just parade into a virtual world and take it over as if you belonged there all along”, and that “people did a lot of stupid stuff in virtual worlds that they shouldn’t have been doing.” That said, I would point to Greg’s company - Crayon - as being one of those companies! They launched in ‘06 with a build on their own sim, p-ssed all the SL residents who were paying attention off and then left! If you go to Crayonville (Traffic: 1) all you will find is a big empty sim! Pathetic.