Re-evalutating Second Life Marketing
The buzz around Second Life is nothing new. In the marketing world alone it's created a lot of hype. In fact, AIMS Canada has been following the trend rather closely and recently posted a list of reading sources on the topic. And on a more personal level, Kate Trgovac has a blog within her blog just to keep readers abreast of Second Life going-ons.
Marketers obviously see Linden Land as a kind of Promised Land, but is it possibly that their enthusiasm has been a bit off the mark or at least premature. A recent survey announced in a press release from Komjuniti seems to think so. As the press release reads:
In a survey of 200 participants conducted by the agency Komjuniti, Second Life users (“avatars”) were questioned about their perceptions, their satisfaction with the products on offer and the brand content in the online community.
The first thing to stand out is that 72% of respondents expressed themselves as being disappointed with the activities of the companies in Second Life. Over a third of them were unaware of the branded presence and 42% said they thought it constituted nothing more than a short-term trend, lacking durable commitment from the companies. Just 7% consider that it has a positive influence on brand image and their future buying behaviour.
These, of course, seem like discouraging findings for companies that have sunk online marketing efforts into a Second Life presence. However, there might still be something that companies can do to enhance and, therefore, salvage their branding efforts as far as Second LIfe users are concerned. The press release reads on:
Indeed, serious deficiencies were uncovered in the way Second Life users are dealt with. Participants told how they would like to be able to interact more with the brands represented on the site.
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The most positively judged were brands from industries such as hotels and retail.
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Manufacturers of brands therefore need to develop holistic concepts that take in the active involvement and management of Second Life users, [...]
It seems, then, that Second Life branding strategies are only going to work if users can really interact with that brand. In other words, they'll need to be able to exchange Linden dollars for something that can actually enhance their user experience. An example of this kind of marketing in Second Life comes from American Apparel. Being one of the retail brands that are already being positively judged by users, AA allows users to purchase items of clothing for their avatars that resemble what those users might actually find in a physical AA location.
