Branding Your Business in World

Besty Book aka Syllar Skidoo in SL has an interesting paper, ""Virtual World Business Brands: Entrepreneurship and Identity in Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming Environments." She discusses SL's top content creators in the piece.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....tract_id=736823 You'll need to follow the links to download a PDF file.

You can read more about her at http://www.virtualworldsreview.com

Now, let's discuss this, kids. No nasties. No harassment, no personal attacks, no posting off-topic pictures, just state clearly clearly and concisely what you think Betsy Book has to teach us and what your own experience is branding in world.

I thought it was a good read, but didn't reveal any secrets that the traditional marketing universe doesn't know. Strong brand name, clean logo, appealing to your customers and making the brand reflect self (Martha Stewart, Michael Jordan anyone). If you've never taken a marketing class and your serious about building brand recognition in world, read this paper.

I think it's interesting that *PREEN* uses the social aspects of MMOG's to help facilitate brand recognition. This too is nothing new. Despite all the lawsuits many people still view Apple as thier friend. A more interseting paper will come down the line in a few years, when it analysis how *Preen*'s social, guerilla marketting techniques work when there are millions of customers.

Quote Originally Posted by Aimee Weber"

"I'll take 2."


Will there be a public demo?

"unbranded" Bob Bravo (unless A.W. takes offense and lives on a cattle ranch)
__________________

Bob, you lost me there with the reference to AW and the cattle ranch???

Satchmo, the social aspects are certainly key to selling wares in-game. blaze has even proposed that this be more consciously used and privileged as a way of branding and marketing.

There's a kind of built-in "Friendster" in the game with these calling card systems. In RL, when I get a person's business card, I'm not enabled to track them through the world and peek to see where they are clubbing or shopping or having AV sex LOL. I find that really a funny feature of the whole SL "friend" thing, that granting of the "stalking" function. In TSO, you could make the friend, i.e. bookmark the person, but also turn off that "stalking" function so you could be free of them always finding you.

You can take all the friend cards and wrap them into one big spam list. Or, what is more often done, people marketing or renting space make "groups" which then turn into endless spam. Some people hate them...but they don't dare turn them off because of the important news of sales of products and rental opportunities they get. For example in the land business, the key to the mall owners' monopoly of space is the spam list. People are grateful to hear about new opportunities to get in the door first when a new telehub is made and that's how mall owners can instantly fill up their malls. It's amazing thing to watch. They have loyal customers absolutely enthralled. In fact some of the vendors even hand the mall owners their stores and vendors to put out just so that they won't miss an opportunity in-world.

The sales networks for products work sort of the same way, but not always as rigidly as the spam lists requiring you to join a group. I know I develop a list of suppliers and I am only too happy when one of them personally sends me an IM tailored to me and says "I have this new product that fits with what I already sold you" or "check out my new house" or "this furniture might work there" or whatever. I don't mind such messages at all, it's not "spam" to me but a service. But usually these kinds of social/supplier type of relationships come after some shopping, f2f chats, cueing to see if someone is likeminded, bonding, exchanging the friendhip cards, etc. It's a little dance you do and sometimes you wait til someone is offline to dump their friendship card because it seems unnecessary clutter, and other times you are hurt when someone does that to you.

Anyway, I'd welcome your further thoughts as to what you mean by the "social" aspect of marketing. I think "social capital" as in reputation in the metagame of ratings (and I don't mean the literal $25 ratings system) is part of this.

Prokofy,

This is already discussed in another thread, why are starting a new one?

Do you really want to discuss it or using this article as another bait to promote your xyz ideology and invite capitalists in SL, you seem to despise, for another confrontation?
Just curious.

Prok,

It is copied from the other forum thread:

/120/4f/49912/1.html

How blatant a grab for attention is that?

You are in great form today Prok! Aren't your fingers sore from all this typing?
Just chill out a little huh - you'll give yourself indigestion.

BB

Snowcrash, yes, I really wish to discuss this. That other thread is going to be closed soon due to personal attacks, mainly the really lurid personal attacks on me. And since I think Pathfinder started in important topic, I'd like to get a "clean" thread started. Lindens often recommend doing that, I'm told. If you'd like to play "confrontation" on "xyz ideology" go back to that as-yet unclosed thread, or start a new on in polysci to bash me, where you'll find other company

Your notion that I despise capitalists is the kind of wierd impression that only these forums can give you, so I can only say, contact me inworld.

I think you're forgetting one part -- the part where the "lurid personal attacks" were by you against me. Thank you for rewriting forum history again, Prokofy.

Here's your reminder: /120/4f/49912/2.html#post531101

I got this weird impression from reading your posts and I try to read them with open mind. I really think you may want to ask yourself why you are giving us (since its not only me) this weird impression, why your posts are so confrontational and turn into flame fest.

I think discussion is good but here is what I would do:

1. Outline what the problem is (without singling out individuals or groups)
2. Why do you think this is a problem in short term or long term (this is your opinion so be gentle)
3. What solutions to this problem do YOU propose
4. Why do you think your solutions will alleviate your proposed problems and how will this benefit Second lifers.
5. You may also include a disclaimer such as your current business, role in SL so people don't perceive this as a personal agenda.

I think you are quite articulate but the impression you provide is one of ideolog and confrontationist, not one who really wants to discuss issues for the greater good.

Snowcrash, I did all that already, and if you wish to have that discussion, go
here.

Since there is a lot of Prokofy hating going on in that other thread, I'll play here... till Prokofy says something that brings the haters over here

My interest in the long term sustainability of Social Marketing is summed up Aimmee:

"I DO fear that as the population of SL increases and with it my customer base, I will
be unable to establish personal face to face relationships with all my customers as I try to
do now."

I think "social capital" is a short term marketting solution in SL. If by social capital you mean personal relationships and overall game rating. Everyone knows what Starbucks is... does that give it social capital?

If part of the reason people buy your products is so they can feel like they are part of the "IN" crowd... what happens when the customer base is so large that you no longer feel like your part the crowd?

In the end, I think it's about quality products. I've never met Cubey, but I own a half dozen of his vehicles. I'll check out his products in the future not cause I think he's a good guy, but because he makes killer vehicles. Brand recognition is key. But not if that recognition is based on how "cool" the owner is. Otherwise we'd all be using Macs, while listening to Adam Curry's podcast, watching Toy Story, while reading the latest blog by Mark Cuban. Ok, so maybe social capital means something

That whole spam system is very temporary. When there are 30,000 mall owners, instead of overall players, I don't care who you are, you won't appreciate all that spam. Infact, I think the spam system you described would be built as a website, or podcast, or RSS feed... something time shifted, so I don't get spammed while I'm scripting, or following a Linden's order to conspire against Prokofy!

Well, what happened was that Prokofy totally slimed the other thread. It's like a puppy who soils his bed. Now he has to go somewhere else until it gets cleaned up. Funny, if Prokofy *really* wanted to discuss this, why couldn't he have done it without attacking the people discussed?

This is a great question Satchmo . I am looking ahead for solutions to *PREEN*'s scalability and I think the answer lies in FORM LETTERS. Example:



Dear Satchmo Prototype,
I would like to personally thank you for your purchase of my *PREEN* Blue Sweatshirt. You know how very much I care about you, and that means I want you looking and feeling your best. The listening device inside my vender gathered some of your feedback at the time of the purchase. I was moved when you said WTF! This rag looks NOTHING like the picture on the box!! This is exatly the kind of feedback that we get every day from hundreds of customers, and it always brings a smile to my face. Oh look at the time, Satchmo Prototype ! I have to run, I have an appointment with OB/GYN Let's stay in touch! OK? Love you!!

-Aimee <3




But that's not all. I have been toying with a new *PREEN* logo....

That was very funny.

I'm totally disillusioned now.

I would like to say that I have cherished my *PREEN* form letter since the day I received it. I had it sealed and framed for placing on my wall. Every time I read it I get that "special" feeling and I'm immediately reminded how important my purchase was. Sometimes I take it with me for a drive and talk to it, it's almost like Aimee is right there. Good times..

You can be in the "IN" crowd by just buying stuff from Aimee? Why the hell did I sleep with her then?

Actually, joking about form letters aside, I personally IM customers who buy my products while I'm online. Just to say thanks and to see how they're liking it, if they have any questions or feedback, and to see if someone referred them so that I can pay a referral bounty.

LMAO, I'll script it for you!

The answer may actually lie in your website. Perhaps you'll have to extend your website, to add a more personal aspect. Maybe your own blog and a blog for each of your models. Or a forum where everyone just hangs out and pals around. While it's impossible to have face to face time with all your customers as the business grows, it's quite easy to use forums and blogs to communicate with thousands. The SL forums themselves are a great example. The SL forums also show how people want to be involved in SL even when they are at work and can't log in.

Maybe you can't even access these more *personal* sections of the website if your not a customer, this way you still feel special

Aimee has a website? You know what? THAT MEANS THAT AIMEE HAS A MONOPOLY OF PREEN WEBSITES! I am going to make a competitive site right away at www.pr33n.com so that the important metaverse resource of PREEN WEBSITES will not be controlled ruthlessly by the person who actually created the whole damn thing. There will also be an auction of Aimee's airwaves on eBay, thanks to Linden Lab's board member insistence. It will only work in Mozilla browsers however, so make sure you download Firefox right away.

FYI, I capture IPS numbers.

My biz kept running away ... but I finally caught up with it...

Judging by that animation, you have a business pleasuring cattle.

/me backs away a step.

My grandpa used to eat Preens when he was having a hard to going number 2.