Virtual Worlds Forum

Music has always been a big feature in Second Life, but when it comes to branded activity, it's been restricted to artists and labels rather than music manufacturers. Not any more though: Gibson Guitar is opening its Gibson Island tomorrow with a live gig. The company's island is (naturally) in the shape of a Les Paul guitar, and offers several venues for in-world gigs. Playing the launch is Bob Welch, apparently a multi-platinum solo artist back in the 70s, not to mention a former singer/guitarist for Fleetwood Mac.

When it was announced earlier this week, Google Lively seemed to be focused on people's own personal virtual rooms, rather than branded rooms. However, it seems the latter has just as much of a role to play in Lively's future, with the announcement that the National Geographic Channel has launched its own Lively space, created by virtual agency Millions Of Us.

Electronic Arts is certainly exploring links between its games and physical retail, what with the recent deal seeing Ikea furniture sold within The Sims 2. That game is also the subject of a deal going the other way, with retailer H&M now selling an outfit designed within The Sims 2 by a player, as part of a competition.

Makena Technologies has always been pretty forward thinking in striking branded deals for its There.com virtual world, and its latest example is no exception. The company has partnered with US clothing brand NaCo USA, which targets Hispanic and Latin American consumers. The companies say the online audience for this demographic is 19.5 million people in the US, to give you some idea of their ambitions.

Virtual worlds agency Millions Of Us has launched a new division, Virtual Greats, which will focus on making branded virtual goods based on celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Elvis Presley, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Tila Tequila and The Incredible Hulk. An eclectic list, I think you'll agree. Initially, the company will be selling items based on these celebs in virtual worlds including Second Life, Habbo and Gaia.

AOL is getting into the virtual worlds market, although not (as yet) with its own world. Instead, it's signed a content deal with virtual world Planet Cazmo. The deal will see content from AOL's KOL site featured in Planet Cazmo as virtual goods, as well as a racing mini-game with KOL characters and branding. The two companies will also be cross-promoting on each others' sites, and there'll be a Planet Cazmo widget on the KOL site.

There's another branded feather in Makena Technologies' cap, with the news that it's teamed up with CosmoGIRL magazine for a 'Get Ready for Summer' promotion within its There.com virtual world. Brands also on board include Gillette Venus, Cover Girl and Tampax Pearl.

It's surprising that more real-world furniture retailers and designers aren't involved with virtual worlds and games. After all, if people are buying virtual furniture in these worlds, isn't there an opportunity for the retailers to get involved? And so it's proved, with a deal between IKEA and Electronic Arts for The Sims 2.

That's the headline coming out of some new research by Gartner Group, which highlights the way many big brands have dived into virtual worlds, but then quietly slunk out within a year and a half when they don't meet their initial expectations.

If you're selling hooky Playboy items in Second Life, it must be a bit of a shock to have two Amazonesque Playmate avatars show up and start taking notes. However, that's what's happening in Second Life, with an investigation led by Playboy Island manager MSGiro Grosso.

Playboy has revealed that it's setting its sights on the virtual worlds market, although clearly this is one brand that won't be joining the rush to target kids! However, the company hasn't announced detailed plans, but instead gave some hints in its Q1 earnings conference call that virtuality is high on its list of priorities.

It's tempting to see China as a potential goldrush for virtual worlds, given its huge population. However, an article in Business Week makes it clear that it's very early days indeed, claiming that the largest local virtual world, HiPiHi, has 48,000 registered users, while its main rivals NovoKing and UOneNet have £10,000 and less than £1,000 respectively.

A famous Business Week cover story arguably kicked off the hype around brands and Second Life, so it's interesting to note a new special report on the site written by New World Notes blogger Wagner James Au, looking at what campaigns are actually working within virtual worlds.

We covered Reuters' article about larger virtual agencies looking beyond Second Life for new projects the other day, but New World Notes has followed it up with another angle on the story, pointing out that smaller boutique agencies aren't ditching Linden Lab's world.

Reuters has an interesting article which, while it merely expresses a trend that's been clear for some time in the virtual worlds industry, backs it up with quotes from the principals. The subject: virtual agencies turning their attention away from Second Life towards other virtual worlds. It includes some pretty critical quotes from Electric Sheep COO Giff Constable, although he's not entirely down on Linden's prospects.