From the Sunday NY Times comes Rob Walker's report on how brands are positioning themselves in the non-existent online world of Second Life. Walker tells the story of Gareth Lancaster, mild-mannered manager of a a real life e-commerce applications firm.
In Second Life, Gareth becomes Moopf Murray, the marketing genius behind the Skoopf brand.
To use Second Life terminology, Skoopf is strictly an "in world" brand, not a carry-over from "“RL" (real life). It was founded by Lancaster'’s virtual-world avatar, Moopf Murray, a Second Life resident since January 2004. One of Lancaster-Murray's products is the Skoopf Ultra Roller Skate, available in-world for about 50 Linden dollars. (That's the Second Life currency; one U.S. dollar is worth about 250 Lindens.) Lancaster says he has sold about 50,000 pairs.
The article goes on to explain Moopf's business model and his network of about 2,000 virtual resellers. While Gareth isn't making quit-your-job money, he has created something leading brands are paying top-dollar to understand: a virtual brand people are willing to pay cash money for.
With the networks and studios doing what they can to own the digital video space, the question remains: which brands will claim first-mover advantage in the virtual world?
Curious about Skoopf skates? Here's the virtual commercial:
Links
Millions of Us - brand consultancy dedicated to "harnessing the power of virtual worlds."
Moof's Products - Gareth's/Moopf's online store
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