Corporate Sights that Work?

Unlike many others I don't have a problem with corporations participating in SL. I think there's plenty of room for all of us. As discussed in the recent Armani thread, though, it seems most corporations just don't understand SL.

I'd like to hear what corporations are in world that do get it.

I checked out the Mercedes sim and they seem to get it for the most part. Had fun racing their cars around with other drivers. Smashed into hillsides, flips, underwater. It's amazing how resilient those Mercedes are. Their golf game leaves much to be desired, though. Never could figure out that damn thing.

I also checked out the Motorati-Pontiac sims. Didn't spend as much time as I'd like but they seem to get it too.

What other ones are out there?

Bradley you need to enable your Private Messages.

I agree with Mercedes, but most I've seen are extremely lame. Dell Island anyone? That thing is just a dang empty monstrosity.

(*psst* it's "site"

Thanks Oryx. Private messages enabled.

Dell Island is a big snooze. Surely there must be more that understand SL.

Thanks regarding "site". It's fixed.

The Transformers sim is awesome to look at but there is nothing to do there.

Excellent build but nothing to keep people coming back again and again, however it did seem busy most of the time so they probably achieved what they wanted.

Also the free Bumblebee AV is simply awesome.

I was impressed with the Transformers sim. Funny, I didn't realize it was promotional, I thought it was a RP sim that a resident had built.

The Bumblebee Av is incredible. Almost too good. I'm seeing him everywhere.

My feelings on it too. Looked great, but once you seen it, you seen it. No interactivity an no repeatability. Felt the same way about Ben and Jerry's, amongst others.

Mari

Most of these corporate sims are 3D snapshots of what could be fun if people were there. They have to learn from Anshe Chung: provide some vitual employment opportunities and keep their 3D websites staffed and active.

Well, the question is, what do you mean by sims that work? I think the businesses that "get it" most are the ones that are quietly figuring out how this can augment their current businesses. They're not trying to wow us, the current residents.

May I say that LL is missing a bet by not having a "corporate forum", which would vastly accelerate their "getting it". We could even help them, if so inclined.

Nasa: Haven't been there for awhile, but last time I was there I thought Nasa's site worked. Informative, some fun, good educational facilities.

IBM: So IBM 'gets' SL for invitational conferences and as a platform they can outsource. They have developers working on the client codebase now ... you can find writeups by them in Google. But unless you're invited to one of their events -- not only just intra-corporate gigs, they've thrown some great charity events too, but only invitational -- I've never been. I do know one of their employees part of whose job is in SL who started an SL clothing shop, just to learn the place better.

Dr. Dobbs: gets it as a place to throw conferences, and to market their conferences to.

Reuters News: gets it ... they have been into collaboration technologies for a long time ... but their sim also is just for their own use. There are people there who understand the potential, but now they're just playing. Interesting to see if they stay.

Coldwell Banker: feeling their way toward a viable business model for inworld walkthroughs of RL homes. Be interesting if they stay. They need a lot of design work, but interestingly, they did not in any way solicit feedback when I walked through one of their homes.

Some may be trying to wow us, others not. As I said in the Armani thread, if they are trying to do mock ups of their stores to compare layouts or if they plan to conduct training then I'd say they have succeeded. On the other hand if the Armani store is there for marketing purposes then they really blew it.

Ben & Jerry's is obviously there to promote. One time promotion so that people can do a walk through of a museum is not very good marketing especially since it isn't all that interesting. If I want the history of Ben & Jerry's I'm sure I can find it all on their website. Kind of a waste to do it in SL. If they really want exposure then they should have something fun to do that keeps people coming back.

To answer your question, I'm interested in corporate sites that get it in regards to marketing to residents in SL. Regarding a site that is there for their own purposes, I cannot be the judge whether they succeeded of failed since I wouldn't know their goal.

Check out STA Travel. They have gone so far as to host an Orientation Island community. The build is nice, gives you a flavor for where you can go, and is informative.

The Weather Channel!

A friend took me there and we had a blast surfing and skiing (in our surfing suits). You get the surf board and the skis there for free and just go for it..

I fell off the ski slope into the ocean and skiing the bottom of the ocean was also a great time.

Thank the linden gods for interesting friends..!

.d

The thing is that a corporate site could do well if they had just one person who knows what SL is about and how to make use of it. I'm not sure if the SL developers themselves are able to make suggestions or are simply doing what they are told.

I like... AOL island. Yeah weird huh? It actually has several fairly interesting activities from skateboarding for lindens, a place to take your picture, the sticky wall, and a trivia game where you can win lindens. There are also multimedia halls that show concerts and such.

Oh yeah also the NOAA island. The tidal wave alone is worth it. It's a bit brainy but pretty entertaining when you're with a friend.

Ya. Like I said before somewhere on here, it's a lot like when the web was new, an corporations put up webpaqges dat were, basically, their print ad. In SL, Ben and Jerry's made a 3D "web site."

But where the ice cream themed rides, the brand building freebies, and the things you jes *gotta* go there and see? There are so many possible fun tings to do with a ice cream theme, an a company like Ben and Jerrys, an it jes wasn't there. I actually wanted t'see more to it. If the goal was brand promotion, they did't do it.

Mari

The Weather Channel Sim is another.

Your first paragraph says it all. Marketing could work well in SL, but it's just not like RL marketing. It's a whole new ballgame, and corporations think that they can build a cheap, easy presence - and let's face it, compared to other forms of marketing, SL is dirt cheap - based on their RL campaigns. It won't work and it alienates customers. They need to get someone who really understands SL and let that person run with the project.

It's really surprising because I would expect Ben & Jerry's to really get it.

I'd forgotten about the Weather Channel. Tried that a couple of months ago and had a great time even though my skiing was just as bad as RL.

Corps should do something like the Greenies sim; show some imagination but I think really getting SL would change their corp culture too much...SL is a freeing place and I'm not sure if free thinking empowered employees are any corp's goal (Dilbert anyone).

Witness the Italian IBM workers picketing IBM in SL. SL allowed it to become an international incident. Hmm, workers of the world unite.

Maybe fifteen, twenty years ago. They've just finished pushing a local ice cream company out and are locally not viewed particularly well. Oh, wait, yes they are, much in the manner of an internationally recognized brand like Wal*Mart. The peeps looooove their homogeneity.

I wish!

Spent one afternoon a month or so ago traveling to every corporate sim I could find.

IBM: Was propositioned by one of the IBM guys (sorry..I'm a Mac girl)
Ben & Jerry's: Nothing but griefers
Reuters: A few people, but the Reuters person was "away" the entire time I was there
The Weather Channel: a recent find thanks to Trout mentioning it (great island...can't ski in RL or SL though apparently...but I can swim in skis! Who knew!)
Mercedes: Had fun

A few others that have slipped my mind (not very memorable it would seem).

I'll need to check out the NOAA sim.

As already said...if they understood that SL isn't just a 3D website they would do much better here.

Isn't there an RL corp that sponsors some kind of ballet or something?

I have no issues with them being here..just do something INTERESTING! Be original...be creative...be something other than an RL company with way too much money and not enough imagination in the marketing department.

Was kind of hoping Disney would bring in the PoC III with pirate ships battling it out...the Port of Tortuga....something fun!

Oh never mind...they would just bring in that damn mouse and pass out freebie ears to everyone.

~Ari

I dont have a problem with them here, I have a problem with them acting like all they need to do is announce theyre coming and people will flock to them... I think not. They`re no one special here, I go to them in RL because I need them, I don`t need them in my SL. I never thought "OOH COOL _________ is coming to SL!" ever.

I only visited a handful of their sims, here are some I liked
-The weather channel sims (I had fun mountain biking!)
-Ben and jerrys was pretty cool and informative.

I think the scion sim was cool too, Im not sure im remembering the right sim, but it was like a dark city, EXTREMELY well made with roads and such.

Here is one i visited which was a disgrace
-playboy sim. I`m embarassed for them.