A key objective for any marketer embedding their brand into a virtual world is to create a community. Being able to create, foster and grow a group of individuals interested in a brand can provide many opportunities.
This is the premise that MTV has used with Virtual Laguna Beach – a metaverse accompaniment to the ‘real world’ show. We’re seeing a rise in these types of convergence projects (mixing TV/Film product with virtual worlds) mainly as this point from the States, with other examples including CSI: New York, I Am Legend and Beowolf.
As a starting point (strategically speaking), various buildings and areas of the show have been recreated to give the virtual world a sense of context and familiarity such as the Arts Centre (showing previous episodes), the main beach and pier, Pomodoro Restaurant and Thalia Overlook.
Here’s a map of the location.
But what’s the point of creating a virtual Laguna Beach?
Well, as MTV say, ‘Don’t just watch Laguna Beach, live it!’
The point here is that being able to shift viewers from passive viewing into an interactive environment means they spend more time ‘engaged’ with a brand. And time is the key factor here. Spending time with a brand means you create a sense of association with it – a relationship between two entities.
And, by this relationship being ‘fed’ by virtual context and interaction, one has to assume that the individual then becomes more likely to watch the program the next time it’s on.
So, think of virtual worlds as a technique of driving return viewing audiences and extending the program relationship, if done correctly of course. And there’s a sense of inclusion related to being able to walk around a location you would normally only experience by watching the program – it brings you closer to the content.
Another upside is the opportunity to introduce third-party brands into an already branded space. Laguna Beach integrates Pepsi promotions and AT&T advertising, both with calls to actions linked to website.
The concept of brand tie-ins in virtual worlds is a very new field and MTV are leading the way here. In Second Life, we’ve only see a few instances of this taking place, the first one being the tie-in between Reuters and Acura. Over 73% of brands in Second Life have decided to place their brands on dedicated standalone islands. A trend we’re now slowly seeing movement away from. And don’t forget, No Brand is an Island.
This leads nicely onto Virtual Laguna Beach in Second Life and the title of this post. Very similar to the setting using the There platform, MTV also created an island in Second Life mirroring the initial strategy – taking a real world ‘product’ (Laguna Beach) and placing it into a virtual environment.
So, taking a real world ‘product’ into the virtual space is the ‘cross-over’ and using more than one metaverse means it’s ‘cross-world’. Related information about the SL venue on the Electric Sheep blog, here.
This is one of the first examples of a creative concept being deployed in more than one world – an initiative that can’t be used for every brand due to target markets. The average age of a typical There resident (used as a comparison for virtual MTV) is 22, compared to Second Life which is 32. What MTV (and ESC) has done here is cater to a wider range of viewers to create a wider footprint.
Next up, Virtual Pimp My Ride.