Second Life
Second Life, the online role playing game in which users can create their own virtual self, life and world has experienced phenomenal popularity, with two million users currently signed up. In fact, the only thing growing faster than Second Life’s population is the speed at which brands are trying to get into this new world, with Adidas, American Apparel, Pontiac, Reebok and Toyota already owning their own islands in the virtual world. Last year, Toyota also teamed up with Microsoft to advertise on in-game billboards which players can interact to reveal additional content.
2007 will see other big brands getting involved with gaming. Already, Cadillac and Burger King are working alongside developers to release bespoke gaming titles: if you’re going to race round a track for hours, why not do it in a Cadillac?
This marks a departure from brands having complete control over the presentation of their product.
One of the more interesting online content stories of 2006 was Lonelygirl15, a YouTube phenomenon which has more than a million people following the life of an American teenager called Bree whose postings on the site appear as two minute vlogs (video blogs). In September 2006, Lonelygirl15 was unmasked by fans as a work of fiction: the part of Bree being played by an actress called Jessica Rose, with Lonelygirl’s co-creators – Mesh Flinders and Miles Beckett – having shot the footage in Flinder’s bedroom.
Right from the start, Lonelygirl was suspected to be fake as the editing was so sophisticated. Several people posted that everything in Bree’s room came from a shop called Target and one fan even pondered that it was an elaborate marketing campaign for the retailer. 2007 may well throw up more stories along these lines.
Whatever happens in the future, one thing seems for sure; marketers will increasingly have to think outside of the box… The TV that is.
2007 will see other big brands getting involved with gaming. Already, Cadillac and Burger King are working alongside developers to release bespoke gaming titles: if you’re going to race round a track for hours, why not do it in a Cadillac?
This marks a departure from brands having complete control over the presentation of their product.
One of the more interesting online content stories of 2006 was Lonelygirl15, a YouTube phenomenon which has more than a million people following the life of an American teenager called Bree whose postings on the site appear as two minute vlogs (video blogs). In September 2006, Lonelygirl15 was unmasked by fans as a work of fiction: the part of Bree being played by an actress called Jessica Rose, with Lonelygirl’s co-creators – Mesh Flinders and Miles Beckett – having shot the footage in Flinder’s bedroom.
Right from the start, Lonelygirl was suspected to be fake as the editing was so sophisticated. Several people posted that everything in Bree’s room came from a shop called Target and one fan even pondered that it was an elaborate marketing campaign for the retailer. 2007 may well throw up more stories along these lines.
Whatever happens in the future, one thing seems for sure; marketers will increasingly have to think outside of the box… The TV that is.