Sex, Pranks and Reality

Quite frankly, "big buisness" may be able to dump more funding into SL all at once, but I believe SL has a broader growth potential from catering to the Residents. With tier and Priemium accounts, LL has a real base to make it big if they play the field right. However, to play this field will mean LL starting to pay attention to, and work for, it's customer base.



Little. The loss of potential island sim growth, which will be made up for by Residents. Residential growth just takes a little longer, but is more stable. The loss of tier if a Resident pulls out is a lot less than if a "big buisness" pulls out. Putting all your eggs in the corporate basket is foolish, imo.



Yes *Grins*

I'm not here to even ~look~ at real-world merchandise. I'm here for friends and fun. To explore the near endless possibilities and creative outlets. I dabble in the buisness model for the fun of it (I'm a plant manager in RL), but all-in-all I'm here for a Second Life, not a Second Job.

Those that are running a virtual buisness, I applaud them. Not only their hard work and creativity, but their adapatble buisness savy that let them work within the unique, and ever-changin, boundries of SL. I'd say "big buisness" that complain about how SL works are really jsut mad because they'ar just a bit too stupid/lazy to figure out how the SL buisness modeling works.

As for this "reporter" who found nothing but all the "Sex sex sex"; I'll say to him the same thing I say to all the idiots complaining that "sex" is all they find in SL....

Stop searching for it and go look for the other things, you moron.

Sex is a basic human drive. Pepsi uses it to sell, Doritos uses it to sell, car sales, shoe sales, etc, etc, etc. Any product aimed at the adult market has used sex in advertising to gain humanities attention. Why? Old addage, say it with me, "Sex sells."

However, there is much more in SL than sex. Stop searching for "BDSM" "Sex" "Hookers/escorts" and what have you, and just search for what you're intrested in. Yes, some people use reverse advertising, saying they sell hair and being an escort service. Don't look now, but they do that in the real-world as well.

Quite frankly, I think these "reporters" need to grow up and learn journalism instead of sensationalism. Then eople might start to respect the news again. Maybe.

~Jessy

It's telling that the VP of marketing for Lenovo (which used to be part of IBM) thinks SL has no marketing value and that IBM (which used to own IBM PCs, now Lenovo) is into SL in a HUGE way.

I agree with Yumi M. It's the social aspect, stupid. The thing that RL marketers don't get about SL is that it is all about sharing human experiences and learnings. That's why there are hundreds of universities in here. That's why the cartoon sex still sells. If the real Ben and Jerry stopped in at their sim at random times, I bet it would be very popular. Imagine chatting with one of those brilliant guys? They could hold a brainstorm in-world and the SL person who comes up with a new flavor gets a lifetime supply.

Geez. SL is a no-brainer for marketers. I guess you need brains, though to figure it out.

Wait a second, a company that sells PCs doesnt see SL Residents as a Target Audience?

Someone needs to go back to business school.

SL - a very laggy, addictive computer program with lots of users. Many of which would be happier with a better performing computer...

Yup. Also, Prim Hearts seems to gain more an more visitors, too.

Is there anything left of Spitoonie? Anywhere? I feel like I totally missed out on it.



Oh yes. It's the one thing that is missed, but I think they easily miss it too, They here the buzzword "3D Web" and think "3D avertisement" or "3D Banner Ad." They do not think of the social interactivity that makes SL what it is.

It's why sex is big in SL: It is most definitely a social activity. That said, I think you'll find more people socializing while not on those kinda pose balls than otherwise.

I think of my usual day on SL, and it can be broken down as, really, socializing with people I want to socialize with, within a pleasing environment doing something I want to be doing at the time. Isn't that about what *everyone* else on here can claim?

How many of the corporate regions can claim to serve that purpose? Does anyone go to the NBC region, or BMW, or Comcastic after the big grand opening?

This aside form a general disposition against the corporate regions as a matter of course: we are bombarded with corporate adverts on the television, the radio, newspapers, ATM machines, gas pumps, shopping carts, and so on, which makes the intrusion of those same brands into SL highly resented. Providing a locale that does not endear itself to residents does not help them.

Mari

The consumers aren't reacting in a way that is convenient to marketers! Bad consumers, bad consumers!

Actually, this thread makes me a little less cynical about Second Life. It points out that perhaps the main reason that there isn't much to do on Second Life but get laid is because no one else has actually offered something better to do for Second Life residents.

The marketing industry just hasn't figured out Second Life yet.

hahahahahahaha!!!!!!! All the way through!

And Brenda, I'd like to see my name in a neon sign, too!

coco

WE do.

The big corporations pay no more than we do.

Someone needs to figure out how many islands are owned by corporations and how many by regular residents; ditto on the mainland.

coco

^ That. Just owning an island and paying a third party SL marketing company to develop it.

(Sorry if someone has already answered.)

coco

Spitoonie Island - fabulous place, will live long in memory!

coco

Hahahahahahaha! You guys are totally cracking me up!

coco

Marketing isn't the only reason for RL businesses to be in SL. Training, conferencing and collaboration sims are ongoing and growing.

BINGO!

Thanks Zaphod, that information is nice to know. I keep seeing people talk about the massive influence corporations have over SL, but there is no reason for that to be if they aren't contributing more money than your average island or estate owner.

Someone mentioned the example of American Apparel, and I have to admit that is the only RL business I've seen in SL (I don't get around a lot). I sought them out figuring it would be a good place to get some basic clothes. What did I find? A small selection of clothes that were overpriced and, to be frank, not particularly well-made. My thought as I left: No point in going to their RL store.

The thing that struck me about this is that they approached it all wrong. They tried to make a clothes business in SL, and their product did not compare well to great designers already here. My question: why aren't they seeing this instead as a marketing tool, something to build good will and brand loyalty for their RL product?

When I showed a non-SL friend my SL clothes, she fell in love with one freebie shirt and asked about how to get it in RL. I know I've thought the same thing with many of the clothes I've seen. So why not take advantage of that? Make decent-quality reproductions of your RL product, keep the stock current, and give them away FOR FREE! If the AA store in SL was a place you could get free nice-looking clothes, with new stuff every season, I would go shopping there on a regular basis -- and as a result, I would think of them when I went clothes shopping in RL.

In summary, if RL businesses saw SL as a philanthropy-based marketing tool rather than a revenue source, I feel their efforts would be more effective for their purposes AND less offensive to the SL population as a whole.

Are there any RL corporations already doing that in SL?

*Brandi Lundquist smiles and winks at the kitty*

mmmmm......sex and cats.....yes, I agree. I recently met a neko that really captured my lustful imagination.

Every cat I ever met (and was unaltered) has felt the exact same way...

But that's the exact issue, I think. They aren't contributing more money than the average island or estate owner, but they _have_ much more money, so the money they pay is a far lower proportion for them

Because of this, it's easy for them - for example - to put out content made by professional teams for free, because they don't need to worry about making tier: it's a drop in the ocean to them. On the other hand, the much smaller SL business that their content would be competing with are stuck.

Yeah, I don't like the feel of this. I don't like the idea of big business coming in world and competing with established Resident businesses in the traditional content channels. They have the financial resources to hire the best of the best content creators (sheep) and effectly squash the little guy. And for what? A few Lindens? That's another drop in the ocean for them. And offering this same high quality content for free, when the little guy is buttering his bread with it? Companies definately need to act responsibly in this area, and be very careful about how they devise their strategies for in-world presence.

(Disclosure: I'm one of the "little guys"

Honestly, RL businesses are going to eventually have a presence in SL or the "metaverse" or whatever this idea will turn into.

However, if you look at the world before the internet got to what it is today and the world AFTER, you see a lot more individuals having the ability to be heard and/or seen on many levels.

Music and online shopping come to mind. The big timers are behind on this because now it just takes determination, a reasonable sum of money and a good idea for you to become successful. Sure the dot com bubble broke because everyone was trying to do that, but even now you still see mom and pop stores making most of their revenue online as opposed to any physical store.

And where are the music stores in malls now?

Big time RL corporations that say things like what's in that article are really just hating the playa instead of the game (like pimps told you!). That VP of whatever is just upset because SL doesn't fit the conventional methods he's made a career off of and somehow that's our fault...so we're all 3d internet hookers to him.

I've said this a lot, but I think once someone figures out a way to give SL more RL value than entertainment and modest distance learning (brought to us by voice!) in a manner that isn't already seen on the internet then you'll see the whole game change and everyone will try to follow that first company's/individual's example.

I think all of that is way off into the future, though, which is fine with me! I go to a virtual world because I WANT to get away from the real world and the notion of having advertising shoved into every oraphice in my body. I do this instead of watch TV!

O.k. I'm over the kitty thing for now. I like what SqueezeOne is saying, and I agree.

Second Life and the internet are both very attractive to me because of the large potential for the little people to be heard. The same really would apply to big business.

I just broke out and started making a huge presence in SL and on the www a couple of weeks ago, and I'm already running into people in-world that I've never met or conversed with on any boards, who know of me. I'm no where near a professional marketer.

If I can get out there that easily imagine a big corp. with a marketing team and tons of $$$$$. I haven't spent anything but my time and limited skills and knowledge.

Brandi...xxx

Very major and with iPhone, one will be able to talk to someone's Avatar easily using babbler to translate..can't do that over the phone or video conferencing (far as I know).

The future is just starting ..now..no..now..

You may be selling yourself short Brandi. Tons of money and a marketing team doesn't mean smarts or creative thought. A lot of dullards work in corps. You may just be that good and those marketing teams would do well to set up a meeting with you..

True, that's one of my concerns as well...Right now SL gives us the opportunity to be creative and commercial...which resulted in some amazing work and I think we can all agree on that. But when a large clothing company waltzes in here and hires the best designers, graphical artists and what not we'll have a huge problem b/c they can set up stores everywhere. Imho LL has a responsibility in this, not that they'll take that but still......

Mandy C

/me grins....sex with either of My kitty pets......yummmmm

Thanx Dnali. I'm sure you are right about the dullards. They're everywhere.

If they want, Brandi will school 'em.....for a fee! They won't be so dull after I get done with them.

There is no doubt that at some point RL marketers may have to turn to successful residents to get a clue.

There you go, I'm all arroused and distracted again...