Many companies have taken notice of the importance of integrating Social Media into their overall Corporate Marketing initiatives and have effectively jumped right into the social media bandwagon by building successful presences on Facebook as well as on Twitter.
But what some companies have failed to acknowledge is that the use of, or integration of 3D Virtual Worlds into their Social Media Campaign can give them an even stronger presence online.
As we all know, social networking is all about interaction with one and another. If companies incorporate a 3D Virtual World Environment into their Social Marketing mix, companies can achieve an even higher level of interaction. In essence, a 3D virtual world is a three-dimensional, digital representation of an environment that graphically represents a fantasy or reality-based community.
The use of 3D Virtual Worlds encourages direct interactive engagement with your target audiences in an environment where these users can socialize and connect with one another. This concept can provide exciting new means for conducting focus groups, sharing thoughts, ideas, and reactions and immerse users in your brand. The value of a 3D virtual world collaboration space is that we can perform similar activities to those in the real-world but we don’t have to be physically in the same place – the immersive qualities of a virtual world enhance the collaborative experience.
In a recent report from the Athena Alliance, entitled “Virtual Worlds and the Transformation of Business“, the author Robert B. Cohen states:
“Virtual Worlds not only elicit customer-generated information and ideas, they enhance collaboration within and between businesses. These platforms facilitate a wide range of business activities and opportunities, such as training and education, product and service development, marketing and strategy creation, and finance exchange that can be executed in new, interactive environments. Virtual Worlds, by enriching and deepening collaboration within and between firms, can transform U.S. businesses in the modern era. This vision—now plausible with current and ever-evolving technology—sees the modern corporation operating and receiving knowledge and inputs from suppliers, employees, and customers in wholly new ways.”
Robert B Cohen also states that several Virtual World sites have millions of registered users and the total number of users is expected to grow to one billion worldwide by 2017.
After the reading the report, I strongly believe that integrating 3D Virtual World Environments into a Social Media Campaign is definitely worth trying.
So, just to get you excited about integrating the concept into your Social Media Campaign, I have come across what I believe is a few of the Best of Best 3D Virtual World integrations from recent and past.
1) Splenda: Imagine Life Sweeter™ contest in Second Life® where people were invited to send their wildest ideas about what would make Second Life sweeter.
2) Coca Cola: Coca Cola Launched a contest in 2007 that invited people to design a Coke dispensing machine for use in Second Life, the possibilities were limited only by imagination.
Conclusion: With 3D Virtual Worlds, imagine all the branding and viral opportunities that marketing strategies aim for.
Have you come across any companies that have utilized 3D Virtual World Environments in their Social Media Strategy and have effectively done so? Please comment below.
Ankush Agarwal
Senior Search Marketing Analysit
MarketNet, Inc.
