Second Media: Part 3
So, I have finally worked up enough energy and courage to click my way through my previous Second Life dilemma. Over the past few days I spent some time catching up with the basics. I’ve learned that in order to go to new places, you have to teleport - no wonder I couldn’t figure it out on my own. Once I learned this, I began to explore all of the different venues within the Second Life realm. It is packed full of clubs, discos, shopping centers and housing developments (all of which produce real American dollars). Clubs and discos sell various items that can be purchased, shopping centers are filled with brand name clothing and accessories, and real estate is even sold - all for REAL money!
I was very excited when I found my first piece of advertising within Second Life. I was at some sort of club when I saw a huge plasma HDTV on a wall. I clicked on it and it actually began to play video like a real TV would. It also had a pop-up window that gave me the option of buying the TV - it was a name brand, but I don’t recall what it was exactly. Of all of the places that I expected to find my first advertiser, this was definitely not that way I thought I would find them.
As I traveled around more and more I found many shops and specialty stores. You can buy all sorts of clothing and accessories. Company logos and promotional material is flooding the Second Life world. What is amazing to me is the amount of users who are actually purchasing these items. In fact, in the last 24 hours over 1.6 million US dollars have been spent in the Second Life world. While the concept of Second Life may not be for everyone, with numbers like this, it is definitely not something that can be ignored.
So, does this form of advertising really work? I can’t see how it doesn’t. First of all, these companies are driving sales without actually selling anything. No materials are being used, yet they are making money selling…pictures and computer graphics. Also, if someone is likely to buy and use your branded product in a virtual world, I would expect that same person - more often than not - would do the same in the real world. Another great advantage to this medium is the fact that retailers can track trends. Clothing companies and other retailers and track what items are becoming more and less popular and compare these virtual trends with those in the real marketplace. Depending on how similar they are, the virtual marketplace can be a great way for these companies to influence trends and manage strategies. It seems that at this point the possibilities are endless. It is up to the programmers to keep the buzz flowing, and to the users to continue growing.
