Yes Virginia, There is Business Value in Second Life

This is one of those posts where you’ll inevitably learn more about the person behind the keyboard. But hey, they say authenticity is critical for us social media geeks so I suppose it’s all good. I’ll start with a confession: I “play” Second Life. Yes, my name is Kelly and I am a Second Life (SL) addict. Whew, there. I said it. I admit this because it should hopefully give you some background on my perspective. And perhaps it gives me a bit of street cred, which I think is important for what I’m about to tell you.

I’ve been personally involved in SL for over a year and a half. I also write a blog on Second Life–well, actually, my avatar Cindy does. I first arrived to Second Life upon the request of my corporate boss who asked that I venture into the virtual world and help determine if there was any value in using Second Life in a business or marketing capacity. Needless to say once I arrived I was hooked.

I admit it has taken me this long to form an opinion on whether SL was just Barbies for adults or if businesses or brands could, in fact, utilize the social networking or virtual submersion aspects of it for marketing or business benefit. Wait no longer, my verdict is in. And yes, I do think there are important uses and applications for Second Life as a business tool.

Perhaps some background on Second Life and virtual worlds is in order for those not familiar with it. In its most simple terms, Second Life is a computer-generated 3-D virtual world where you inhabit an avatar and interact with other people within the construct. There is an entire economy within Second Life where you can buy and sell real estate, homes, clothing, objects–just about anything to make your Second Life more pleasurable. It’s primarily considered a social networking tool, but because of the 3-D nature of environment, the applications and opportunities are far greater than simply building communities. There are, of course, myriad other aspects to Second Life including photography, art, music, and breathtaking design. But my focus for this post is the marketing or business use of SL.

There are a variety of examples of companies using Second Life as a tool for business and branding, the least of which is IBM. Back in November 2007, IBM announced a $10million investment in Second Life and other virtual technologies. Other brands like Dell, Intel, Coca-cola, Saturn, and Coffee Mate–to name a few–are experimenting with marketing in SL. Dell Island includes a life-sized computer your avatar can submerge into and walk around; Intel owns a training island and has sponsored several other music and art events within the world; Coca-cola has had brand placements; Saturn built virtual cars to distribute to SL residents; and Coffee Mate hosts a coffee house music venue where musicians perform live in world.

Despite all this activity, I remained unconvinced corporations could realize significant ROI by adding the social networking tool to their marketing mix.  That is until recently. The other day a friend of mine walked me around Vassar College’s virtual campus within SL where I visited a miniature but exact replica of the Sistine Chapel. I also met someone who had pulled Google Earth into Second Life and combined it with 360 degree photography of certain locations and news stories from those locations. I realized we could soon immerse ourselves into news stories–like Darfur and Myanmar–and feel what it would be like to be there experiencing those events in person. These particular incidents ignited my passion for the various innovation happening in Second Life and inspired me to rethink how businesses or brands might benefit.

I think the barrier I had in seeing the corporate opportunity was that I was applying 1.0 branding and marketing methodologies to a 3-D, 2.0 environment, and wondering why they seemed stale and invasive. But as I saw the innovative ways companies and developers were mashing up content and creating compelling experiences within SL, I realized there was great potential in reaching audiences with content that would enhance their experience, rather than invade it.

So if you’ve been skeptical yourself of the possibilities of Second Life, I suggest you take another look. According to Business Week, Gartner predicts that by the year 2011, over 250 million people will be involved in virtual worlds like Second Life. And, like all social media, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about using the medium as an effective marketing tool. You may want to contact a consultant–someone well steeped in Second Life culture–to help you navigate this complex domain. Millions of Us is one of the preeminent providers of consulting and design services for brands interested in building a presence within Second Life.

Or you could just log on, pick an avatar, and explore on your own. That’s what I did. And it changed my life–both of them!

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