During the lab this week, discussion turned to evolving trends surrounding virtual worlds. More specifically, we were asked if there were any merits for companies looking to market in virtual worlds such as, Second Life.
It would seem that the potential for marketers in virtual worlds is limitless, as it gives companies a perfect forum to build a sense of community and brand loyalty for their product. Marketers are consistently told to think outside the box, in terms of finding alternative ways to reach potential and current consumers. Virtual worlds definitely satisfy this requirement as well. However, after doing a bit of research, it seems that the jury is still out on whether or not marketing in virtual worlds actually converts into a return on investment for companies, or if it simply a waste of dollars better spent marketing in the real world.
One inherent problem is that virtual worlds are a fairly new phenomenon, therefore, it is tough to say whether or not they will catch on with the same sort of success witnessed by social networking sites. Further, within these sites, a user could potentially develop as many avatars for themselves as they want, which could skew the number of users that actually use the sites themselves. Althgough it seems that sites like Second Life are experiencing widespread growth, it could actually be that current users have become bored with their avatar, and have created themselves a new character. Another issue is that virtual worlds do not have a mass appeal for consumers. While early adopters of technology, and the youth market may have been exposed to this phenomenon, it is unlikely that many others have even visited virtual worlds in the past.
It seems that companies who have developed their own interactive worlds for their products have had a bit more success, than those who have simply joined an online community, such as Second Life. For example, many toy companies have interactive sites, such as Barbie, or Webkins. This could be due to the fact that consumers who visit these sites already have a relationship with these brands and are heavy users. In a forum such as Second Life, users still have to weed through all of the clutter to get to the places or companies that they want to visit.
Perhaps the most important thing for companies to remember, is that marketing in a virtual world really needs to be similar to that of the real world. Companies can not expect that by simply adding content to a site that users will follow. If they are hoping to drum up business or buzz in virtual worlds, it must be done in an exciting way. There are companies who have experienced success generating buzz in Second Life, however, they were well thought out campaigns with a lot of interaction involved. For example, ticket sales for the latest Harry Potter movie were thought to have been boosted by their marekting in virtual worlds.
I suppose that we will have to wait and see just how much of an opportunity marketing in virtual worlds really provides. The only thing that is certain, is that if companies expect to jump onboard, they need to have someone to monitor this area, or they are sure to have limited success in the future.
