Avatar-based Marketing in Synthetic Worlds

Companies are just now starting to get their feet wet in the virtual world webspace, in places like Second Life or There, and it’s obvious because a discussion about how to market to people in synthetic worlds feels more like a discussion of philosophy or anthropology than it does business.

I found this panel to be quite fascinating largely because it posed more questions than answers. But while “fascinating” is an admirable trait, that doesn’t necessarily translate into an effective business model for marketing.

That’s the main problem. Marketers don’t really understand the culture of the virtual world, and since there are no web banners or web hits, the traditional ways of tracking a successful online campaign don’t work.

There’s also demographics. This is where the philosophy comes into play. When you exist and interact in a synthetic world, you are represented by your avatar. Your avatar can be a realistic digital version of you, or it can be completely fanciful. There’s debate about what exactly the relationship is between the real-world person and their web-based avatar. Is an avatar a truer expression of the individual? The anonymity of the web, the lack of real face to real face, can make people feel more comfortable and allows easier, genuine self expression. Or does an avatar transcend the real person and become its own unique entity, in some ways separate from its creator? According to Jack Hemp, a panelist and Senior Editor of the Harvard Business Review, “there’s still a person behind it [the avatar].”

Hemp also stated that even before the internet, advertisers have marketed to avatars. In this case, the avatar is the consumer’s alter ego, the idealized self that is brought out due to whatever product is being sold.

When it comes to companies currently marketing in synthetic worlds, some are doing better than others. Media companies, like MTV, is a good example. The reason the failure rate can be so high is, again, the traditional rules of advertising do not work. You can’t erect a synthetic billboard on top of a synthetic building in a synthetic world. You can’t get Nielson ratings, or click-throughs, or (obviously) real products being moved.

Linda Zimmer from MarCom:Interactive, another panelist, stated that the synthetic world is not a “mass market.” You have to really know your target audience and go after them specifically, on the specific platform that the audience uses. The attraction to synthetic worlds is that you can forge deeper connections with people. That’s the secret, according to Zimmer: A brand must develop content that connects people to each other, rather than connecting a person back to the brand.

posted by Bryan Keplesky

Emerging Social & Technology Trends

Where is the intersection of social trends and technology trends?

This was the question posed by the first Interactive panel of the morning. The consensus was that, right now, users of technology are driving social trends. The internet is the key force, and more specifically e-mail, instant messaging, blogging and personal networking sites.

An important thing to keep in mind is that this is a generational trend, specifically post-boomer generations, but particularly those under 25 years old. Slowly but surely the boomer generation, which prided itself on shaping American culture, is seeing its influence diminish.

The post-boomers are part of a larger macrotrend dealing with the perception of privacy. Through blogging and other online technology, the younger generations are much less private, and instead are very comfortable broadcasting even the most mundane aspects of their lives over the internet. This is an example of how social trends and technology feed off each other. Tools such as e-mail and social networking sites offer a “pulse check” on one’s social identity.

The internet also has provided a strong sense of community. Niche interests, through the internet, become huge online communities, with their own voices and leaders. With all of the political, social and environmental anxiety in the world today, younger generations are turning away from established authoritarian figures.

An interesting theory posed by one of the panelists is that at some point there will be a subcultural backlash against the technologically driven, very-public, personal identity prevalent in today’s younger generations. This would probably involve people who are right now not even born, or just barely, and more than likely will not be a mass rejection (much like there has never been a mass rejection of television). But it’s logical to think that given how mainstream the public persona is for the post-boomer generations, some within a future generation will want nothing to do with it.

posted by Bryan Keplesky

Initial Thoughts on SXSW ’07

In a little more than a week Austin becomes a completely different city. Actually I’d go further and say that Austin becomes sort of its own parallel universe, where watching hundreds of bands or movies, drinking beer at 11 in the morning or seeing Dan Rather hanging out with Leslie on 6th Street will be considered normal activities.

Austin will also host thousands upon thousands of advertising messages. The first half of the festival, the Interactive and Film, did a great job this year by providing a lot of panels dealing with different forms of advertising, particularly with new and experimental media. And when the Music starts on March 14 the real advertising blitz begins, right on 6th Street. Every year I’ve seen some pretty unique and successful marketing campaigns, but I’ve seen just as many bad ones. I’m not going to pre-judge or slam the industry. I just want to be surprised. Austin has a great cross-section of demographics, and all the major media outlets and publications will be in town. In a way Austin becomes a great testing ground to see what trends will stick and which ones will fall flat for the next year.

posted by Bryan Keplesky