Does advertising actually WORK?

I'm not talking about griefer land or bunches of 16m plots with the same "for sale" sign on them; but rather, those small irregular plots you see along the roads that seem to have actual advertisements on them.

Usually I'm ignored, but, on occasion owners of such plots have told me that they make LOTS of money on them.

If that's the case, I wonder, why do the ads tend to be divided between the advertisers own products, things no one would want, Casinos and escort services that don't even exist any more (Visited for research purposes.) and "Your ad here" spaces?

Anyone care to explain how they're doing so well that my reasonable and downright generous offers are so casually dismissed?

Anyone?

Maybe they don't get your instant messages or understand English or haven't been online in a while but keep paying Linden Labs.
I have no clue if it actually works the advertising but it does seem like a lot do it so maybe it does or they get paid for it advance.
I think most cases they do it because they can and its form of griefing.
I have few in my sim that are 16m that going for 6000L I assume they make money for renting advertising space.

Well, the ones who HAVE answered me claim to be making big money.

/me scratches head and wanders off yawning, thinking about popcorn for breakfast.

From the title I assumed that this was "Does advertising for our stuff actually draw in the customers?" To which I'd have replied, yes.

But the actual question? If you can figure that out, then I figure we'll have the answer to why there's still camping too! Neither of them make sense to me and I'm pretty sure that somewhere, the imaginary numbers work out...

Well how many people actually travel down the roads anymore?

I suppose that would be pretty central to the question.

no - as 70% of the people who want to can't get online these days .. and if they do they crash within a few seconds

Yeah they charge tons of money of for 16m price tag and those who have the L are so annoyed by it will buy it to get rid of them. LOL
Enjoy your popcorn.
I would use roads if I was allowed some how to use veichles but we can't rez prims on roads.

FD, you're supposed to rezz the vehicle off the road and then take it onto the road, I think.

It works very well.

For example: the day before yesterday, I placed an ad in the SLuniverse forums--the add displayed my Nikon SL100 digital camera and a few key pictures of the camera and other film equipment I sell. I also had a nice write-up to go along with it.

In just two days, my traffic exploded. I had 149 unique visitors (normally a lot lower than this for a day day period). I was new over at SLU, so a lot of new faces saw the ad, and visited the studio. And with the visitors, increased sales.

This is from only one ad. I currently have 4 ads placed within SL, and a few scattered around forums.

It really does work, and is absolutely necessary.

If you can afford it, placing ads in publications like the Metaverse Messenger (M2)--Second Life's more professional newspaper--could do you great service also.

Make sure your ads are crystal-clear to the viewer. Easy to understand, well written, and if possible, targeted to a specific audience.

Things to remember...if your items are unique and rare, you don't have to spend much money in-game to advertise...keywords do your work for you. If your product, however, is combating many others like it...it's wiser to up your ante a little. Recently I went from a total of $4500 a month on ads to $500, because I realized my products have little competition, and are supported by keywords and unique searches--this will save me a lot of money.

Cheers.

Ok, so I wasn't quite clear about what I was asking in the title. I DO understand that advertising, per se, works. At least to the point where if I see something on TV (back in the days when I actually watched TV.) that I'd never heard of before, and lived quite well without, it would suddenly appear in the house.

I'm sure things like the SLX enhancements contribute to the success of the big payers. But I'm asking about roadside billboards that AREN'T for sale, that seem to advertise real products or services.

Has anyone used them? Did they increase your sales or traffic? Any roadside plot cutters out there actually making money on their ADVERTISING?

Turned out the pop tarts on top of the pop corn changed my mind. Popcorn later maybe.

Sorry, I went into a more selfish example of advertising in general. Forgive me, I need another cup'o'joe.

Billboards do work if done properly. An 'ad farm' or a senseless ad won't garner nearly as much attention as a well-placed, intelligently designed billboard/ad, and few viewers won't recognize a 'throw away' ad...care and detail don't go unnoticed, and makes the world of a difference in marketing.

The reason many of the ads are for things that no longer exist is because those plots are for extortion of the neighbors, not for actual advertising.

Billboards in SL may or may not work (I have never heard proof that they do), but at the expense of every other resident or visitor to that sim. I not only ignore all billboards inworld, but I boycott those who advertise there and ask others to do the same because the ad farmers providing this "service" don't care about the SL community. You will never get my business by ruining my view or by destroying property values on the mainland.

One would suppose advertising would work really well for someone who rips off the name of a real world company's product, that has already spent millions advertising the name, to promote their own product in SL.

It'll certainly "up your ante a little".





Sorry, normally I refrain, but I couldn't help myself this time.

Hey, that's not nice--I imagine that was a direct jab at me. There's nothing wrong with offering a RL product to people in a digital universe. What's the difference between calling my hand-crafted camera a Nikon or a Glowbox? The product is still unique and handcrafted.

Nikon didn't build my camera, I did. The name isn't in place for sales increase, it's in place because people are familiar with it.

I wouldn't start a clothing line called 'GAP', because I think that would be piggy-backing in the wrong way. But to offer a few unique real-world items, exclusive to Second Life isn't--in my eyes--a frowned upon business model.

I apologize if my little studio has offended you. I'm here to contribute, not to bastardize.

And for the record, I'm almost positive my traffic doesn't come from the keyword search 'Nikon', but from 'camera, digital, film, photography, photographer, and studio'.

My products sell because they are of top quality...not because the name 'Nikon.'

Cheers.

A serious question and not a dig at Michael : Do you have to get permission to market something bearing the name of an RL company?
On the one hand it's quite flattering, I suppose, to have someone put your company's name on a product they're proud of. On the other hand, there's no guarantee that this product is any good. Michael has no doubt spent many hours creating his wonderful 'camera', but someone esle could come along and make something totally crap and call that a Nikon too.

What's the deal?

Then why not just call it the Glowbox and avoid any confusion about who might be authorizing the use of the trademarked name Nikon in SL?



And people will tend to purchase the familiar, hmmm? Ain't that the whole goal of advertising?



But making a camera called Nikon isn't?




Put your money where your mouth is and change the name to Mike's Camera, let's see if you experience a sales impact.

Honestly, and I've always wondered this from a guy who has so much to say on so many topics for which he is sure he is always right: What gives you the right to use the name Nikon for your product?

I think if Nikon really wanted to throw a cease and desist on me, they could, and I would completely understand. That is their right to do so. I have my own logos I can place on the cameras in a blink of an eye...and the models themselves are my own creation, the actual Nikon models were used merely as reference...so none of this worries me.

It's great advertisement for them. If they, however, want a piece of the pie...I'll tell them to bugger off, and either pay ME for this work, or I'll take the name off...that'll get their attention.

Pie...

I don't do any of this for selfish reasons. I've always been in SL to create, contribute, and collaborate.

Calling my camera Nikon hurts no one...certainly not Nikon. It helps them if anything. And how does it hurt you the citizen of Second Life? The only thing I can think, is that someone might be jealous their own product name stinks (or the product itself does), so they have to bitch and moan to make themselves feel better.

I guarantee if I renamed my camera something else it will still get the same number of sales, and the same number of traffic. Like I said, it's the keywording, marketing, and product that sell my stock...I'm positive people keyword 'camera' a heck of a lot more than they keyword 'Nikon.'

I'm here to create in a malleable environment...to contribute to the greater build...not to bastardize a company. If you've seen my studio, you'd know that.

Sigh.... That's not my point, Michael. Your camera may or may not be a great advertisement for Nikon, but can we actually use RL company names for virtual products without any explicit permission. Your camera, is after all, not really a camera. It cannot take photographs. It's a prop.

My point is, if you can resist being deliberately obtuse for a moment, that someone else could come along and throw two prims and a couple of textures together and call that a Nikon, which would not be a great advertisement for Nikon. The problem is, who decides what is good or bad for Nikon? Nikon, you or any random resident of SL?

Seems a little odd to me, that's all.

It is Nikon's choice to enter SL and market products, not yours. And your calling them Nikon is no different from making a clothing line called GAP. You are being hypocritical. It doesn't matter if it "doesn't hurt them." It probably is, but in ways you won't allow your mind to think of.

Actually guys...I think you're the ones being 'obtuse.' My product is only beneficial to all around, and flaming me for making a RL product available to you is unnecessary.

Legally, the quality of the product doesn't matter. I understand that. It's probably violating some copyright. And I also agree that a less flattering product might tip the scales...but like I said, I do it not for my profit, but for the community. And the day I'm hurting someone in any way, feel free to tell me, and I'll change it.

*sigh*

I can't understand why it's a big deal. Just because it's technically against copyright, doesn't mean you have to carry on like a bunch of pissed-off farmers with pitchforks.

I'm not hurting anyone. And there is absolutely no way I'm hurting Nikon.

And again, opening an entire clothing store called GAP is, to me, different than selling one item. Ok ok...technically it's not...but come on, what's the big deal? I sell two items with RL names...two...and the rest are my own creations.

Who am I hurting by doing this?

Man, I feel like you guys aren't very friendly. Second Life isn't about imposing stupid real-life rules...are you going to all citizens arrest me? Sheesh. It's not like I'm stealing another Second Life designer's product or brand. I'm giving the photographers of SL the ability to hold in their digital hands something they favor and are familiar with.

Why don't you guys just forget about the name thing, and let Nikon handle it.

Character is what you do when people aren't looking. And this speaks volumes of your character.

What does it say? Give me a break. What am I doing 'while people aren't looking?'

I don't get it. I've not heard one negative thing in-world...not once. I only have people thanking me for a solid product.

My 'character' is fine. I'm a good person, and a professional designer with scruples and pride.

I think you guys flaming me like this for something that doesn't hurt you (nor anyone else) is what really 'lacks character.'

Now come on...give it a rest. It's only one item for peat sake.

Why don't one of you try and explain why it upsets you so much. Or fill me in on the damage it's doing to you and Nikon. There must be a reason...it's obviously important enough to make me feel like shit about it.

Just for the record, I don't think I'm the one that hijackes threads...I think it's a few bias individuals who [seem] to stop at nothing to aggravate me.

funny, I don't even look at classified, barely use the various websites for finding products, and pretty much ignore billboards and/or avoid places with lots of them (exception for in store relevant signage and mall directories to find a specific shop)

@ general debate this has turned into:
"Technically against copyright" ? lmao, you actually typed that? I can see "technically illegal" in the case of people stealing survial neccessities, but really....

Perhaps if you advetised them as "Style based on" or "faux" or even "replica" you wouldn't hear so many complaints? just saying..

and actually it's Trademark Law you should be thinking of not copyright, unless you're abusing their ad copy as well... brand recognition is nasty proprietary business just look at example companies like Lego, and Adobe (they were mad because people would call altered images "photoshopped"...

just don't get too successful, they may not bother with a cease and desist, but rather a license fee, and damages for trading on their good name....