And now, they’ve sealed the deal with this. I haven’t checked it out yet, but I will tonight. Not that my skinny-ass SL avatar needs any sustenance, but this idea of product virtualization is becoming more and more commonplace.

No time to chat… gotta go home and check on my slowcooker beef stew. I got the recipe from Kraft.

The idea is this:

1. Create an avatar by describing your own features
2. Dress your avatar in virtual clothes which emulate real world clothing
3. Like what you’re wearing? Buy it right there, on mvm.com. Voila, an affiliate marketing application in a virtual method.

It looks like mvm.com is still developing partner and affiliate relationships because their clothing library is limited to 2 brands for women. And their primary means of income, it appears, is selling their engine to clothing ecommerce sites, so their users can see themselves virtually in the merchant’s apparel.

What’s missing, however, is the social component of the MMO, which is what creates the user loyalty and general addiction needed to make this formula financially viable. But I believe My Virtual Model may be a strong first step to bring affiliate/CPA marketing into the virtual world.

Incidentally, here is my own virtual model. She actually does kind of look like me. Don’t you love that they let you buy the clothes I’m wearing? Genius.

Apparently, there is some crazy growth in SL going on across the pond, and UK advertisers aren’t afraid of spending some serious marketing budgets to get in on the action.

According to MediaPost’s Tameka Kee:

In March, 61% of active residents–which comScore loosely defines as users who downloaded the software and “participated in some Second Life activity”–came from Europe. So while a majority of the in-world brand initiatives have originated from the U.S., the messages are increasingly reaching an audience on the other side of the Atlantic.

Also, take note of her reference to Coke’s Virtual Thirst program.  I guess I wasn’t the first one to suggest it (see previous post – Not Just Product Placement). 

And complimenting that info, eMarketer’s Paul Verna states:

In-game advertising in the UK is poised for rapid growth, according to the UK Internet Advertising Bureau‘s “IAB In-Game Advertising: The UK Market” report.

He also includes data that predicts that in-game marketing spend will be just about $2 billion worldwide by 2011.

Clearly, we’re not talking simply about product placement in the same way it would exist in film and television – we’re talking about product interaction.

From what I can tell, this idea was pioneered by the makers of an online community that I would have least expected this from – Whyville. This MMO is targeted expressly towards elementary aged children. But not only can these tweens drive Toyota Scions, but they are actually being educating on the car-buying process, including financing and FICO scores (covertly called a WhyCO score). The virtual version of the car is nearly identical to it’s real-world counterpart, including upgrades, paint colors, and features. While selling virtual cars to kids may not be Toyota’s key to immediate sales growth, they are setting up this future market to be educated car buyers and fostering the desire of these pre-license-holders toward their brand. They are also winning awards.

Second Life is flush with other examples of this type of product interaction. Brand name clothing and vehicles are already for sale, and we can only imagine the limitations with open-source, economy-based MMOs like SL and There. Why shouldn’t Coca-Cola sell their drinks along side the ever-present hamburgers? Why not buy an Ethan Allen sofa for your SL abode? Why isn’t Ray-Ban producing, branding and selling virtual versions of their sunglasses?

“Man, my avatar looks great in those. I should get a pair.”

“It’s high time for offline epics. By epics, I mean skill- or effort-derived items of an exclusive nature. If I score more than 10,000 points in a Nike-branded basketball game, I want to be able to buy special Nike shoes. I want players who stopped at 4,000 points to look at my feet with envy. If I save an old lady’s purse in a Coke game, I want to be able to order online six-packs of Coke in gold-colored cans as opposed to the traditional red.” Read the rest.

The tie between online activity and offline branding is BRILLIANT! This idea creates desire for the product, encourages loyalty for the game, and further establishes a brand in the real world.

I am going to steal this idea. Someday, when the company I work for has the budget.

At the risk of giving away all my ideas (which are like currency for me) for free, and with the safety of keeping all my ideas in one place, I start this blog. It won’t be regular. It won’t be 100% unique. It will be updated as I’m inspired, which does happen a lot, and it will be a collaboration of my thoughts, articles I read, and discussions I have. Mostly with my brother-in-law, who has a related obsession.

This blog grand opening is coming on the heels of one such inspiration. Next, the journey begins.