The Japanese agency paid US$870,000 for 85 hectares of ‘real’ estate in Second Life, the web-based virtual world. The plan is to create Virtual Tokyo (VT), a cyber version of the Japanese capital where visitors can experience the city’s pop culture through their computers.
Dentsu hopes to attract visitors to special events held in the city, such as the VT Stadium, where it has invited Second Lifers to compete in the World Athletics Championships this month (anyone for virtual shot-putt?).
Companies, too, have been invited, and the big idea is to turn VT into a marketing platform. Branded stores will be designed and built and for future sporting events, space will be sold on the jerseys of virtual athletes.
Great, in theory. But for all the hype, Second Life has yet to find its footing in the real world. Yes, there are nearly nine million registrations globally, and rising. But how many of those are active users, wonders Christer Eriksson, business director at Starcom IP Singapore. Users can instant message, chat or even shout at each other. But most Second Lifers, experts suspect, wander around aimlessly looking for avatars with whom to engage in cyber coitus.
Meanwhile, in Asia, Second Life competes with wildly popular fantasy online games, such as World of Warcraft, in which hundreds of thousands of users are locked in one continuous epic battle.
Of course, Second Life is improving. In the last six months, says Shalabh Pandey, director of Media Contacts Singapore, download speeds have increased and there’s more to do and see. But broadband penetration is still too low in Asia for Second Life to match the infectiousness of its rivals.
PlayStation Home is a more exciting example of gaming meets-virtual world-meets-social-networking, Eriksson suggests. But it still isn’t what marketers really want. “If only there was an option that would work not only cross-genre but cross-platform too, then it would become a mass medium.”
Fact Box
August 2007: Dentsu unveils Virtual Tokyo, a cyber version of the Japanese capital — and a platform for Second Life marketers.
September 2006: Leo Burnett and Arc become the first networks to open an office in Second Life.
September 2003: Second Life is launched by San Francisco-based Linden Research.
Jon McKenzie, creative director, digital, M&C Saatchi Singapore
Let’s open with the facts. Currently, Second Life claims to have seven million ‘residents’. Impressive, given its short life so far. The truth is, however, that users tend to develop multiple avatars, which, according to Linden Labs brings the real figure closer to four million. Of those, only around one million have logged on in the last few days.
This, together with the fact that the physics engine that generates the virtual world can only support 70 viewable avatars at a time, gives the impression that it’s virtually empty. The Aloft Hotel, a popular meeting place, was recently described by Michael Donnelly, worldwide head of interactive marketing for Coke, as being akin to the hotel in The Shining. So the reality doesn’t support the hype.
But why then are brands flocking there in droves? Simple. Hype and the fact that, in this evolving market, brands are terrified they will miss out on the next big thing. Second Life is a significant step forward in creating the virtual web we all thrive for, with targeted in-world advertising, and more believable human interactions.
For now, push the hype aside and focus on the ‘experiment’ that it really is and don’t expect to sell anything for the time being.
Wendy France, regional director, MediaCom Interaction Asia-Pacific
Second Life offers marketers a chance to immerse their brands and create a truly interactive experience.
But, to date, marketers have not enjoyed the same success as Second Life residents in making the platform interesting in the long term. Brands launch, creating a buzz, but interest fizzles out quickly and traffic drops.
There is a genuine opportunity for marketers in the virtual world, but we are still at the learning phase, finding out what drives success. That said, the opportunity is still small-scale. Virtual worlds do not touch everyone - they’re not for mass audiences like TV, but another touchpoint to reach a vested consumer.
As with marketing in social networking sites, marketers need to involve the audience to create a quality experience. Marketers often forget this when they enter Second Life.
A plan beyond the launch phase is needed; imaginative ways to drive traffic, increase interaction and provide fresh, regularly updated content and experiences. As these environments develop, the real and virtual worlds will become seamlessly integrated, and marketers will have to work out ways to ensure their brands engage consumers in both.
