Listening to the latest words of wisdom from top marketing pundits, it seems that consumer engagement – with online advertising, with a brand, with just about every aspect of a product's marketing – is all the rage. Yet it has surprised me that, at least from recent articles I’ve read and conferences I’ve attended, not a single person is mentioning at length branded virtual worlds or MMOs as an advertising medium. What could be more engaging and immersive than creating an entire world that, at least online, the customer actually lives within?
At Upper Deck I work with games every day, and we're hyper aware of the online gaming space, in part because two of our products – the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game and the soon-to-launch World of Warcraft Collectible Miniatures Game – exist solely because of the popularity of the World of Warcraft MMO. Still, between World of Warcraft, which has nearly 11 million subscribers worldwide, Lineage, Habbo, Gaia Online, EverQuest, Eve Online, There.com and the hundreds of other virtual worlds and MMOs either already running or currently on the drawing boards, there is clearly interest and demand for such immersive realms. In fact, a study released on August 22 from Virtual Worlds Management found over 150 such online worlds operating or in development for just the 18-and-under market.
As brand marketers we can advertise around, and often even within, many of these sites, but think of the benefits of creating your own fully immersive, branded game or world. There are certainly huge risks, not to mention development costs, but, once engaged, consumers who "live" in these worlds truly live and breath the brand, not only online but also in the physical world. Trust me – especially if it's a game, with clear goals and achievement levels, where participants can form some type of alliance with other team members, players will quickly become your most vocal and ardent supporters in both the real and virtual worlds.
A few major entertainment and kids brands are already in or will soon be entering the virtual world arena with their own realms – Disney, LEGO, and Nickelodeon immediately come to mind – but what about other brands? Where are you, Coca-Cola? Nike? Scion? (All of whom, to varying degrees and in various forms, have admittedly experimented with placement in unrelated virtual worlds.) Some of us may have regrettably dipped our toes in the virtual world waters with Second Life, but that doesn't mean it's not the right approach, especially if a brand is willing to put the money and effort into creating their own branded world.
In short, if you're going to engage consumers, why not engage them for months (if not years) in a branded MMO or virtual world rather than for three to five minutes with a Flash game, viral video, or some innovative Rich Media unit?
