Finally, we have some first-hand data about how Second Life residents view in-world branding initiatives. The data comes from an in-world survey conducted by community site developer Komjunity (yes, the same company I poked fun at earlier today - this is how I ran across their site) and while it will no doubt trouble many companies that have invested in virtual brand shrines, it shouldn't be surprising:
72% of respondents are disappointed with the activities of companies in Second Life
42% think companies are just fad-following and lack long-term commitment to the virtual world
More than 33% are actually unaware of the presence of brands in-world
Just 7% consider in-world activities to have a positive influence on brand image and future buying behavior
When questioned about the causes of their dissatisfaction, residents cited lack of opportunities for human interaction with the real world companies and the resulting empty sims that appear to have "died out," due to lack of interest (either on behalf of the brand itself or on behalf of the community.)
Anyone who has followed my personal Second Life crusade should be familiar with this thinking. I've been harping on these very points for months and it is good to finally have some hard data to support my views.
The bottom line is that if your company is thinking about launching an in-world experience, stop and consider what you're doing and why you're doing it.
You shouldn't get involved with Second Life if:
- You want nothing more than a positive PR hit
- You think SL is just another place to advertise your stuff
- It doesn't tie to your other community building activities
- You don't have the resources or inclination to staff your sim properly
- You haven't thought through all the ways residents can reach out of the metaverse to communicate with your company
- You don't have a long term plan for keeping your sim fresh and full of life
Any company thinking about Second Life -- or any other metaverse -- needs to have a clear idea of how they want to engage the Second Life community, provide them with added value in return for which they may engage with your brand in-world, and directly involve them in your efforts to turn SL into a platform for sustained community building. Do these things and you're off to a great start. Don't and you are at best irrelevant to the SL community and at worst will actually do your brand very real harm in the virtual world.
Tip of the hat to Nick Wilson for twitting the link to an article about the survey.
