Really?

When I read the chapter on virtual worlds my first thought was, "This is crazy. I can't keep track of my real life and now they want me to have a virtual one?" And after reading the Gaming the System chapter, I thought, "Aha! So THIS is the time-suck that my kids are involved in." I'm going to blog about these chapters together because of their similar nature.

I checked out Second Life to see what it was about and mostly did a lot of eye-rolling during the "virtual tours". Really? Who does this? Who has TIME to do this? I couldn't quite force myself to try the video games. I'll leave that to my sons.

But I did find some articles about marketing and virtual worlds that were interesting and made some good points.

The news is mixed for Second Life and other virtual worlds when it comes to whether there's a good ROI for marketing. At times, marketing efforts struggle and flounder in the virtual world. An analysis of Second Life marketing on Gigaom gives three reasons why marketing in a virtual world doesn't succeed. ("Marketing in Second Life Doesn't Work: Here's Why!" http://gigaom.com/2007/04/04/3-reasons-why-marketing-in-second-life-doesnt-work/) One of the reasons the article cites is that avatars in Second Life sometimes move around by flying or teleporting, so they bypass billboards and other advertisements without seeing them. The article also says that successful entrepreneurs operating in Second Life attract business by having constant events and giveaways. And finally, the article says real businesses can't compete with the amazing businesses created in a virtual world by college kids and housewives who have time and the creativity.

"Faced with such talented competition," reports the article, "smart marketers should concede defeat, and hire these college kids and housewives to create concept designs and prototypes that re-imagine their brands merged to existing SL-based brands which have already proved themselves in a world of infinite possibility."

One Second Life success story is Coldwell Banker. The real estate company worked with a software company to develop a tracking technology that monitors when avatars visit the Coldwell Banking "metaverse", how long they stay and what they do there. The technology also helps streamline the process of purchasing a home in Second Life. (Second Life Success, A Case Study, https://kinesismomentum.wordpress.com/2007/06/05/second-life/) When avatars have a good experience buying a house in a virtual world, they're more likely to visit Coldwell Banker when the time comes in real life.

Another successful campaign in Second Life was an IMAX promotion of a Harry Potter movie. The agency behind the promotion had "buzz agent" avatars at the Welcome Center who's job was to greet newcomers to Second Life, pass out flyers and memorabilia and direct them to the IMAX retail site. The promotion was credited with increasing online ticket sales. (Virtual World Marketing That Works: My Top Three, http://gigaom.com/2008/09/19/virtual-world-marketing-that-works-my-top-3-tips/)

Online gaming has a better and more proven track record for advertising. And the trends suggest the market is growing. MediaPost Online News predicts consumer spending for hardware, software and videogaming will increase from $11.9 billion this year to $20.3 billion in 2015. Mobile devices are expected to boost the dollar amount even higher. ("In-Game Advertising On Rise", http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=153692)

One successful trend involves setting goals in games that are sponsored. Players could win an incentive after playing for an hour or achieving a certain level. In return, they get rewards that can be redeemed in either the virtual world or the real world. For example, 50% off coupons for Nike shoes could be offered in return for reaching a certain level of a game. If a player also tweets about the deal to friends, and they retweet the message, the friends would receive the same prize.

A new development in Microsoft's Xbox Kinect will also allow users to interact with an advertisement while playing a game or watching a movie. ("With Xbox's New In-Game Advertising, Engagement is the Key", http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/business/media/21xbox.html) The "NUads" allow gamers to use voice and movement to interact with ads. They can send tweets or other messages about an ad, wave their hands and vote on a new pizza topping or ask for help in finding the closest retailer. The article says the NUads provide a new way to interact with the TV. '“When you have highly interactive people and a passive medium, they are interacting with their phone or their laptop while watching TV,” said Mark Kroese, the general manager of the advertising business group at Microsoft. The new ads, Mr. Kroese said, “create a natural way for the user to engage with the TV.” '

Yes, there are some marketing possibilities in virtual worlds and online gaming that we should take seriously. The key is to be creative and provide possibilities for interaction.

And hire people to be part of the campaign who don't roll their eyes.