Apr 26 Sitearm Madonna “Selling the Invisible in Second Life® – How to Brand your SL Business for Fun and Profit”
Monday, 10am PST (GMT-8) (Online 3D Trade Show – Click here) 

SUMMARY

Sitearm Madonna will discuss the benefits of developing and using improved branding to increase awareness and sales of your Second Life products and services.  As a result of attending this presentation you will:

• Have a more powerful perception of branding and selling
• Identify immediate next steps to improve name recognition and sales

Topics include:

• Top Ten Ways You Know You Need to Improve Your Brand
• Focus
• Positioning, Pricing, Selling
• Quick Fixes

Siterma VWP performs virtual environment projects in business, music, tourism, arts including content creation, event planning, 3D region building. Services include custom consulting and project management.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER’S BUREAU

The Speaker’s Bureau sponsors presentations on state-of-the-art designers and example uses of Second Life. Presentations are scheduled in series that focus on a theme. The current theme is Brand Marketing. 

• To see the schedule of upcoming events, or a list of completed events, please click here.
• If you are interested in presenting, or have a suggestion for a presentation topic, please click here.

The Speaker’s Bureau is a service of the Linden Lab® Solution Provider Council.

Machinima – The Alternative to Animation
Ariella Languish, CEO, Framed in 3D

I) Intro

1) What is machinima? Many define it as the use of pre-rendered environments (i.e. games) to conceive an animation product. I think this definition doesn’t grasp the large-scale image, the “what could be” of this industry. So what if we looked at this from a different approach and re-defined the definition to include something more broad. Could we include the idea of global in the definition? First, I want to take the idea of “Global Animation” and apply it to machinima and what it stands for. I want to introduce this perspective to you guys today, and at the end you can tell me if you think machinima can compete as a viable form of animation today. Discuss some positives and negatives.

II) How big is big?

1) There is no genre of film or television more global than animation. It can be applied to any visual media form. It can tell a story for a narrative, sell a business, be used in an advertising agency campaign. It’s the one of the only feature of the virtual world that can be meshed into the real world as you can literally export it out of the game and broadcast it without limitations. What does this mean? The business prospects who want to give machinima a try don’t only have to be those with an established presence in Virtual Worlds. They can just be a small business on your street corner or maybe a large corporation that wants some industrial video work done. Thinking about machinima as only available to those in Second Life or other gaming environments only limits us.

2) When Animation first started, it was geared at children ages 9 and below. In recent years, it has been geared towards adults. How often have you seen professional animation attributed to something as trivial as cough medicine or even tampons? Next time you watch TV, watch out for this. Animation really is everywhere!

III) Where is the animation industry going? NOT POSITIVE. Is Machinima our solution?

1) Animation (as in anything NOT machinima) is a time consuming process. It’s one of the most labor-intensive industries in the world. It involves thousands of background images, objects, that never require just one person, but call for teams of people. Much of this work is outsourced to companies in lower-wage countries which are able to deliver under the time deadlines. Which leads me into my next point, why machinima will greatly help the animation industry.

2) Many renown animation companies are closing their doors and going bankrupt:

i. A.D. Vision

ii. Gaenon and Central Park Media

3) Even the bigger animation companies like DreamWorks had tons of layoffs as they saw funding for projects decrease. What does this mean? Animation is NOT recession proof.

4) As animation gets better, the necessity to build an infrastructure to support animation’s resource requirements has made quality animation an expensive endeavor. Demands are unpredictable and small companies can generally respond to a customer’s project faster. Large animation companies have more trouble as they have to ramp things up as their process is generally more time consuming. Can they meet the demands of future clients? Possibly not.. In general with the economy, animation projects of all industries have:

i. Minimized budgets

ii. Decreased time it takes. Most have the mentality of fast and cheap.

So, who or what will meet these demands? My opinion is that smaller animation companies can thrive in this time of need with less staff and an alternative way of doing things. Small Machinima companies are the perfect solution to meet the needs of the animation industry crisis.

IV)  Benefits – 2 types of animation that can thrive here (narrative and business)

1) In the world of narrative-

i. There is an ecosystem of financial support, tax breaks, and broadcast quotas that serve to bolster their animation sectors.    

a. Examples- Canada has a computer Animation and Special Effects tax credit- 20% refundable tax credit

b. The Canada council for the arts- sure you know Canada is amazing for the arts and grants

c. In USA- Local arts agencies

2) Machinima costs less

i. Did the research for Courtroom Animation. Got together a team of 4 (me- machinimatographer, a set builder, someone who makes custom animations, and a photorealistic avatar maker) and figured out how much it would cost to do a series of 3 courtroom animations based on real trials and lawsuits (we would have to replicate everything realistically, build the exact set, show the exact way the person had their accident, create a photorealistic avatar of the person involved, etc).

My team’s cost: Less than $2,000K for each courtroom animation. This covers the resources and the manpower and at actual industry rates.

Every other courtroom animation company I contacted said it was approx. $7,000 PER courtroom animation.

What’s the math? We do it for a third of what it costs for the other companies to do it. 70% off! It’s unheard of!

3) Machinima takes less time

i. Why is the price so low? It doesn’t take us long to do. All the elements are there, the elements are already either accessible or can be created by a specialized individual, even within time constraints.

The hours to create 1 courtroom animation (a set, a character, a custom animation of them getting into an accident, and this viewpoint happening from all different camera angles and perspectives so the jury can see what happens)- Approx. 5-10 hours of labor per person (sometimes more depending on the situation).

Another studio would treat this as a month long endeavor. Delivery would take much more time and quality is not as good.

4) Machinima requires less people. It’s helpful because it keeps everything contained, easier to manage, easier to produce good content at acceptable time frames.

5) Without the disadvantages of slow software, large crews, loads of politics, and time-consuming processes there is more creative freedom. We each have the ability to create to our best potential and not be weighed down by meager budgets. Even with a low budget, things can be done to make the project more cost-effective whereas with a big studio, the project would not be as feasible. It opens up doors. But it’s important to realize these machinima folks should be compensated for their time—at rates that are comparable to hourly industry rates. In the end, it will take them less time than a traditional animation, so the project still saves a lot of moola.

6) Machinima can even be the suitable choice over video. Video has come up with lots of affordable equipment solutions, but it still requires manpower, travel, and time that isn’t comparable to machinima where a lot can be done in a smaller frame of time and budget.

7) A hard working machinima crew can juggle a few projects at a time and keep it moving. With new challenges and a diversity of projects, machinimatographers will be able to take on anything.

Second Life is one of the only games that has a non-issue with traditional IP and engine licensing issues that hamper individuals from making machinima from other games. They support machinima and they support machinimatographers, whether its for profit or non profit projects.

V) What we need?

Many individuals want to learn to do machinima themselves. There are already lots of talented individuals who understand this medium technically and can produce good work. What we are lacking is ambitious business professionals willing to take this medium to a new level. We can do this by making it global. By producing content for businesses big and small. By getting involved in the :30 spot industry, narrative filmmaking, industrial videos, etc. We need professionals to take a big leap and produce more machinima for the big leagues. Walt Disney didn’t achieve his whimsical empire by being the greatest animator ever. He did so by assembling the greatest animation team ever. Discover what you do best and strive to do it better.

1) Good examples of those taking advantage of this:

i. Ill Clan’s machinima work has been used in the new Hollywood movie Role Models

ii. Lainy Voom has had many screenings at national and international film festivals that accept the art of machinima: Fiesta Shooot Awards, Cinemanila Film Festival, Atopic festival, etc.

iii. I got to work with some great teams on companies like IBM and HP who are taking advantage of this medium for reasons such as: Trade shows, marketing videos, commercials, web episodes, etc.

VI) Finally- Example of a machinima I made alongside the team of Popcha! 

1) IBM Episode 6 http://www.youtube.com/ariellafurman#p/u/5/M7KhtkoKc1s

i. Creative approach IBM used to market their new software line. Premiered this machinima to a big trade show in Florida. Suddenly, all the characters from the episodes came out on stage (real life versions of the avatars) and started dancing. Took the brand story to a new level.

VII) My information for more info

Name: Ariella Furman or Ariella Languish in SL

Email: Ariella@AriellaFurman.com   

Website: Framedin3D.com

[ 10:03] Patrice types for Ariella: http://www.spexposition.com/
[ 10:05] Patrice types for Ariella: Machinima are movies made in Virtual worlds
[ 10:05] Patrice types for Ariella: Mach hinima in Annie’s pronunciation
[ 10:06] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella defines machinima.. more than a version of movies and television
[ 10:07] Patrice types for Ariella: or animation
[ 10:08] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella: Machinima is a form of animation.. it is global.. it can tell a story and do branding as Annie said, and it can reach the whole world
[ 10:08] PA: totally believein Second Life as a media platform
[ 10:08] Patrice types for Ariella: users could be very large or tiny – corner store even
[ 10:09] PA: and Machinima is a great ambassador for Second Life – tremendous
[ 10:11] GB: what is machinima lol
[ 10:12] RH: machinima is more than global
[ 10:12] Patrice types for Ariella: machinima can be global in reach.. not just in SL or other virtual worlds
[[ 10:13] PA: It has to be able to stand on its own too – and we are gettign there more and more
[ 10:13] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella- notice how prevalent animation is
[ 10:13] Patrice types for Ariella: animation is time consuming.. one of the most labour intensive artistic efforts
[ 10:14] Patrice types for Ariella: animation is moving from 1st to 2nd and 3rd world labour markets
[ 10:15] Patrice types for Ariella: and animation companies have suffered in the recent recession
[ 10:15] RH: Ariella, it’s not as expensive as doing video though – real simple corprate product runs about 50K.
[ 10:15] Patrice types for Ariella: demand for animation is unpredictable.. so an opportunity for small companies
[ 10:16] PA: you can create machinima for a much greater saving
[ 10:16] FF: agree Pooky
[ 10:16] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella: machinima may be the perfect solution to this animation crisis
[ 10:16] GB: Quality – Time – Cost ….. pick 2 you never can have all three
[ 10:17] RH: What is price structure $ per minute? $ per hour of labor. Or what other cost structures?
[ 10:17] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella lists some the benefits of machinima
[ 10:17] Patrice types for Ariella: we will have a chance for questions and discussion after Ariella has done speaking
[ 10:18] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella: machinima is cost effective
[ 10:18] Patrice types for Ariella: an example a courtroom presentation animation
[ 10:19] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella made a budget using crew of 4 in SL
[ 10:19] Patrice types for Ariella: cost was 25% of a comparable animation in RL
[ 10:20] Patrice types for Ariella: 70% of RL cost as a baseline
[ 10:20] Patrice types for Ariella: and machinima looks very good
[ 10:20] Patrice types for Ariella: rates are not lower..
[ 10:20] Patrice types for Ariella: the time is faster in production, because so much exists prebuilt
[ 10:21] Patrice types for Ariella: machinima = smaller teams, less time
[ 10:21] PA: Machinima needs the same level of production value as ANY film does
[ 10:21] RH: you have to factor in actors too.
[ 10:21] Patrice types for Ariella: easier management, and higher quality
[ 10:22] Patrice types for Ariella: even with a small budget, quality production can be done using machinima
[ 10:22] Patrice types for Ariella: bottom line- you can save moola!
[ 10:22] RH: Saving moola, good :>D
[ 10:22] Patrice types for Ariella: $$$ that is
[ 10:23] Patrice types for Ariella: machinima crews can be doing more than one project in a given time frame
[ 10:23] Patrice types for Ariella: SL is better in its Intellectual Property structure
[ 10:23] Patrice types for Ariella: SL is supportive of Machinima… Ariella
[ 10:24] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella- what do we need to make better machinima
[ 10:24] PA: It is very supportive and that is really appreciated
[ 10:24] Patrice types for Ariella: Ambitious business talent professionals to push
[ 10:24] Patrice types for Ariella: the art and business of machinima
[ 10:24] FF: would like to see more classes on machinima production in SL
[ 10:24] PA: machinima is a great way of showing how Second Life can be used as a Platform for media and video
[ 10:24] Patrice types for Ariella: 30 second comm, etc.
[ 10:25] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella: Walt Disney assembled the best team.. he was not the best himself
[ 10:25] Patrice types for Ariella: in early animation
[ 10:25] PA: A great producer will do that too
[ 10:26] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella – SL production team L works has work in commercial feature film
[ 10:26] Patrice types for Ariella: and others (I will put this in transcript)
[ 10:26] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella has done web shows, expos and so forth
[ 10:27] Patrice types for Ariella: time for everyone to look at a Youtube made by Ariella and a team of creatives
[ 10:27] Patrice types for Ariella: for IBM
[ 10:27] PA: great work!
[ 10:27] GH: know that still good production
[ 10:27] JD: we love ibm !! they love the virtual worlds so much!!
[ 10:28] Ariella Languish: http://www.youtube.com/ariellafurman#p/u/5/M7KhtkoKc1s
[ 10:28] PA: you can show also great character development – community building and branding opportunities
[ 10:28] Patrice types for Ariella: 5 minute break to look at video
[ 10:28] Patrice types for Ariella: back for questions
[ 10:34] GH: I have seen this before. Its great. I like the voice acting very much
[ 10:35] PA: yes very important voice over work
[ 10:35] RH: Talk about tools. Which do you think are easiest to use.
[ 10:35] Patrice types for Ariella: I know we have some other machinima makers in the house..
[ 10:36] Patrice types for Ariella: question: how are animations for special things made?
[ 10:37] GB: I am now making animations
[ 10:37] Ariella Languish: Abranimations (50L an animation)
[ 10:37] Patrice types for Ariella: ariella- bought from Abranimation
[ 10:37] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella also Poser, and Motion capture
[ 10:38] Ariella Languish: Damien Fate, Stroker Serpentine
[ 10:39] PA: there are a lot of them – there is the machinimatographers group
[ 10:39] PA: everyone can join that
[ 10:39] PA: mamachinima is another group
[ 10:39] PA: M>A>G> has a ning
[ 10:39] GB: As someone who has an advertising background in RL, taking a 5 minute machinima to a potential client is going to lose their interest…. they need to see short and sweet as a concept
[ 10:39] PA: there is a woman in machinima group on facebook too
[ 10:40] Patrice types for Ariella: Annie question- cost savings – do you screen for existing scenes or make from scratch
[ 10:40] Patrice types for Ariella: eg, do you search for existing scenes and locations
[ 10:40] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella- best is a private sim- no intruders
[ 10:41] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella also asks for permission to use private land for small fee or credits
[ 10:41] GH: we offer 2 sims for filming
[ 10:41] Patrice types for Ariella: recommend to ask permission first
[ 10:42] Patrice types for Ariella: Annie suggests there are many cities existing in SL eg Paris
[ 10:42] PA: redoing “Psycho” in Machinima might need to wait though
[ 10:43] Patrice types for Ariella: existing sims can have bad lag.. so better on a private sim
[ 10:43] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella agrees, and control on a private sim is preferable too
[ 10:44] GG: Doritos spot can be seen at http://silverandgoldie.com/doritos.htm
[ 10:44] Patrice types for Ariella: What about comment that SL machinima ready for prime time?
[ 10:45] GH: please lookup also this movie:
[ 10:45] GH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Zkq49MuLQ
[ 10:46] Patrice types for Ariella: South Park for example has very simple animation but good story and acting
[ 10:46] Patrice types for Ariella: play to the strengths of SL
[ 10:47] Patrice types for Ariella: I will put all the links in the transcript.. including those sent me in IM
[ 10:47] PA: Machinima has the message
[ 10:48] Patrice types for Ariella: We are at the very beginning of something big with SL machinima
[ 10:49] PA: Books also have great ability to sell with a video from them
[ 10:50] PA: its a fantastic way to bring people into a novel and want to know more
[ 10:50] Patrice types for Ariella: G points out that even novels can be moved into machinima
[ 10:50] Patrice types for Ariella: Great writing is the basis of great films
[ 10:51] Patrice types for Ariella: so should be same for machinima
[ 10:51] PA: I put on Shakespeare in habbo hotel – and produced romeo & juliet in Nov of 2003 in a 2.5 D VW
[ 10:51] Patrice types for Ariella: there are so many creative people in SL
[ 10:52] RH: What is the make up of a team in M. development?
[ 10:52] RH: Realistically.
[ 10:53] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella basic team:
[ 10:53] Patrice types for Ariella: set builder
[ 10:53] Patrice types for Ariella: custom animation maker
[ 10:53] Patrice types for Ariella: group of actors
[ 10:53] Patrice types for Ariella: avatar maker (photo realistic)
[ 10:54] Patrice types for Ariella: set hands (continuity)
[ 10:54] RH: Since you’re all here as developers – what is the cost generally for M. making. I know it depends, but is there a rule of thumb.
[ 10:54] Patrice types for Ariella: general producer
[ 10:54] Patrice types for Ariella: Ariella this is often director/cinematographer/director
[ 10:55] Patrice types for Ariella: overall costs?
[ 10:55] MS: for example this machinima u realized ariella how much it cost?
[ 10:55] Patrice types for Ariella: Premiere for editing, Space navigator, and computer are basic costs
[ 10:56] Patrice types for Ariella: FRAPS for screen capture
[ 10:56] GH: dont forget sound and music
[ 10:56] Patrice types for Ariella: Final Cut alternate for editing
[ 10:56] GH: only for mac! lol
[ 10:56] GH: avid for PC if you have money
[ 10:57] RH: Where do you get sound and music?
[ 10:57] GH: There are a lot of soundpools you can use
[ 10:57] PA: sound and music are so important – people will watch lesser video with great sound – than a great video with awful sound
[ 10:57] GH: but you have to work on it then with sound editing software
[ 10:57] GH: like “samplitude” or sound forge or else
[ 10:58] Patrice: great job Ariella!
[ 10:58] Ariella Languish: Sound and Music– you can either hire a professional composer (a good one in SL is Dizzy Banjo for example) or purchase royalty free music (you can google this) and select a track which is anywhere from $50-100 USD per music track

Mar 29 Ariella Languish “Machinima in Second Life® – The Alternative to Animation”
Monday, 10am PST (GMT-8) (Online 3D Trade Show – Click here) 

SUMMARY

Ariella Languish will discuss the benefits of developing and using machinima for your projects and provide an analysis between animation and machinima. Successful examples of using Second Life to create machinima and how you can develop machinima skills will also be discussed.

Ariella Languish is CEO of Framed in 3D, a company that creates animated commercials using virtual worlds. Machinima clients include IBM, HP, World Bank, Nestle, and Deloitte.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER’S BUREAU

The Speaker’s Bureau sponsors presentations on state-of-the-art designers and example uses of Second Life. Presentations are scheduled in series that focus on a theme. The current theme is Brand Marketing. 

• To see the schedule of upcoming events, or a list of completed events, please click here.
• If you are interested in presenting, or have a suggestion for a presentation topic, please click here.

The Speaker’s Bureau is a service of the Linden Lab® Solution Provider Council.

Chat Transcript Summary 22-Feb-2010
Speaker’s Bureau Presentation “Government Branding in Second Life”

Introduction
 site – welcome to the solution provider exposition and our 2nd promotional event
 site – the exposition opened Jan 25 and is a permanent online 3D trade show
 site – the exposition maintains an inworld region here on SPConference 3, and a realworld Website on http://www.spexposition.com
 site – turns it over to Annie

Branding in Second Life Work Group
 annie – hello!
 annie – there are speaker’s bureau, brand marketing working group, and exposition group
 annie – all part of sp council
 annie – speaker’s and brand groups are sponsoring “brand marketing” speeches
 annie – today and also next month
 annie – feedback will be reviewed and next steps in brand marketing taken
 annie – if interested in brand marketing in sl please IM annie milestone
 annie – “brand” means well known name, sign, melody
 annie – “brand” means distinctive quality, profile
 annie – “brand” can be a person, thing, organization etc.
 annie – “brand” can come from ANYthing
 annie – today we look at how SL helps brands come into existence
 annie – turns it over to Patrice

Speaker’s Bureau
 patrice – hello!
 patrice – we have speaker’s planned through June already
 patrice – IM me or use website to suggest more topics, offer to speak etc.
 patrice – hands over to Evis

Presentation
 evis – hello!
 evis – is an SL solution provider
 evis – marketing background

 evis – governments are “in a bind”
 evis – governments have an image and a communciation problem
 evis – governments are beginning to address these problems using virtual worlds provide engagement and communication opportunities
 evis – “emotional connection”

 evis – but there are barriers
 evis – governments require advance policies and plans
 evis – some groups are writing policies already for using virtual environments
 evis – governments require budgets
 evis – goverments require accessibility

 evis – governments in fact are a service and provide a “brand”
 evis – if the brand is bad it turns off consumers (citizens)

 evis – there are barrier breakers (good)
 evis – example work in progress in Ontario
 evis – example broadband and hardware costs are dropping
 evis – governments have recognized the need to be a positive brand re their services and communications

 evis – now some examples
 evis – MuniGOV is a government coalition using Web 2.0 and SL
 evis – US Navy has a public campus as well as private virtual world
 evis – Humana Military Healthcare has TRIWORLD brand healthcare portal for military families
 evis – communication and information

 evis – some Government branding considerations
 patrice -  IRS = Internal Revenue Servise (US Tax agency)
 evis – example TAX, POST OFFICE
 evis – TAX brand is “pay your taxes” simple message
 evis – in SL you also want SIMPLE MESSAGE/ SIMPLE ACTION
 evis – then provide real substance / service
 evis – trust, consistency
 evis – appeal to audience standards
 evis – use existing groups to help

 evis – some considerations on branding
 evis – appearance is everything but substance is even more
 evis – meet and exceed your promises
 evis – adapt, improve, stay in touch with how your brand is performing with your audience, keep it moving

 evis – Tips for Solution Providers
 evis – do your homework about what’s out there and what’s going on – e.g. RFI, RFP
 patrice -  RFI = Request for Information
 patrice -  RFP = Request for Proposal
 evis – there are websites (see slide) with government contract information
 evis – opportunities
 evis – match your proposal to the RFI/RFP spec
 evis – provide answers to their real problems

 patrice – jh is near Wash. DC area and willing to collaborate on govt. apps with other SP’s
 patrice – now questions from the audience

 patrice – what if I can’t find a simple website name to match my brand?
 evis – punt

 patrice – other military besides navy in SL?
 jh – Yes, they do… Army, and USCG, and NASA
 kk – we have a Dept. of Labor site
 al – Yes US Army does.. if you search for the sim US Army you will find it
 kk – 7 islands

 patrice – is there govt. assistance for SL work?
 evis – there are typcially govt. contracts for new media technologies etc.
 evis – www.sba.gov
 kk – We have a WIRED Grant for $5.1MM from Labor
 patrice – there are EU grants

 patrice – can cities have brands?
 evis – yes
 gp – yes, Galveston
 patrice -  London UK!
 sm – “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!”

 patrice – who is the Linden Lab contact for government apps
 evis – Scott Linden
 evis – looks up group name
 evis – Real Life Government in Second Life

 patrice – any special concerns re cities already in SL?
 evis – due diligence on what they have already and what they could add new
 evis – “do your homework” before approaching

 patrice – what if someone does a city without the real city’s permission
 evis – hm….put that one down on “questions to be answered”

 patrice -  calls time
 evis – my slides will be on the website
 evis – My Pleasure folks, thanks for attending and thanks for the great questions
 patrice -  and as promised, Madhavi is hear for questions, friending, about the SP Program

SUMMARY

With the right combination of research, marketing, and networking, a Solution Provider can connect with Government and NGO (non government organizations) to find opportunities to secure contracts. Governments are already looking to leverage this technology and rebrand themselves to better their relationships with citizens. Solution providers can benefit by presenting creative and innovative ideas to government requests. 

In this presentation you will learn: 

• Key points regarding government “branding”
• Examples of live projects
• How to locate government contract portals 

Evis Blackflag, Aegean Group, has produced the Ontario regions, the first inworld conference for the World Bank, and navigated the government contract process for both Second Life and real world business endeavors. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER’S BUREAU

The Speaker’s Bureau sponsors presentations on state-of-the-art designers and example uses of Second Life. Presentations are scheduled in series that focus on a theme. The current theme is Brand Marketing. 

• To see the schedule of upcoming events, or a list of completed events, please click here.
• If you are interested in presenting, or have a suggestion for a presentation topic, please click here.

The Speaker’s Bureau is a service of the Linden Lab® Solution Provider Council.

Chat Transcript Summary 25-Jan-2010
Speaker’s Bureau Presentation “Can Branding Work in Second Life?”

 SM: Madhavi Linden – presentation starts

 SM: Madhavi – first, about the Solution Provider Program
 SM: Madhavi – speaker’s series presents topics of interest
 SM: Madhavi – and fits in goals of SP Program to be successful
 SM: Madhavi – experience of SP’s is a significant resource
 SM: Madhavi – the permanent Exposition and Speaker’s series cultivates that
 SM: Madhavi – these are created by the Solution Provider COuncil
 SM: Madhavi – SPC provides a way for Linden Lab and Solution Providers to work together effectively for mutual success
 SM: Madhavi – SPC provides feedback and projects to Linden Lab
 SM: Madhavi – SPC has several work groups
 SM: Madhavi – you’ll hear from some of these next; enjoy
 SM: Madhavi – and now, Kim Anubis

 SM: Kim – hi all! thanks for coming today
 SM: Kim – welcome to the solution provider exposition
 SM: Kim – to have an exhibit, go to our URL www.spexposition.com
 SM: Kim – also introduce our sponsors
 SM: Kim – Glenn and Madhavi Linden
 SM: Kim – turn it over now to Annie Milestone

 SM: Annie – Hello !
 SM: Annie – In the last 2 years SL business has focused on company internal use and educations use
 SM: Annie – but not so much in brand marketing
 SM: Annie – Brand marketing is a kind of “unpolished diamond”
 SM: Annie – This event is a kickoff for working group on Brand Marketing in SL
 SM: Annie – you are invited to discuss this with us… all year
 SM: Annie – we are looking forward to the next steps and growth in Second Life this year especially with brand marketing

 SM: Annie – today we throw out the evocative Question Can Branding work in Second Life?
 SM: Annie – enjoy our speaker today, and give us your feedback
 SM: Annie – introduces Patrice Cournoyer

 SM: Patrice – Thanks all and welcome!
 SM: Patrice – in 2007 sharp rise in large companies in SL
 SM: Patrice – increased in 2008
 SM: Patrice – began to decrease late 2008 and early 2009
 SM: Patrice – of 17 brands listed in 2007, only four (4) active today
 SM: Patrice – some RL brands disappered in RL too (Pontiac)

 SM: Patrice – presentation is to look at learnings since 2005, 2007, and current
 SM: Patrice – in 1990′s the world wide web was just starting
 SM: Patrice – back then “web was not a good idea”
 SM: Patrice – because initial attempts to use were exploring what worked
 SM: Patrice – Second Life in 2007 was similar
 SM: Patrice – early rush to explore
 SM: Patrice – 2007 videos (see links later) were very optimistic
 SM: Patrice – then 2008 economy took a hit
 SM: Patrice – marketing budgets were cut back
 SM: Patrice – some people thought SL was not good for brand promotion
 SM: Patrice – but SL is doing well in 2010!
 SM: Patrice – despite the RL economy

 SM: Patrice – suggest 3 alternative methods
 SM: Patrice – first, study the survivers
 SM: Patrice – these companies entered early and are still here, alive and well
 SM: Patrice – IBM meetings conferences presentations
 SM: Patrice – Dell, Nokia, Cisco doing well also
 SM: Patrice – US Navy training
 SM: Patrice – Health organizations training
 SM: Patrice – Government agencies recruiting and research

 SM: Patrice – next strategy is Leverage the SL Environment
 SM: Patrice – standard branding uses logos logos logos
 SM: Patrice – in SL 30 is a good crowd
 SM: Patrice – in RL 100,000 web hits is the norm
 SM: Patrice – in SL need to focus on repeat visits and interaction
 SM: Patrice – example, I Am Legend had major
 SM: Patrice – increase in box office sales becasue of SL presence
 SM: Patrice – others include L Word, CSI, and Gossip Girl

 SM: Patrice – third method is Grassroots Branding
 SM: Patrice – these are “Inside SL Brands”
 SM: Patrice – the SL brands that work IN SL work becauase they follow the same good rules
 SM: Patrice – but they thrive on in world SL name
 SM: Patrice – and repeat visits
 SM: Patrice – this is a key area for more study for IN SL brand marketing
 SM: Patrice – shoes, lingerie
 SM: Patrice – but also SL names like Chung and Anubis
 SM: Patrice – and sports like GOHA

 SM: Patrice – fourth Tools that are needed
 SM: Patrice – Metrics – there is no standard metric for SL viewing
 SM: Patrice – on web, “clickthrough” can be tracked,
 SM: Patrice – also things like proprietary algorithms e.g. google
 SM: Patrice – suggest repeat visits, purchasing etc.
 SM: Patrice – Expertise – SL’s unique selling propositions
 SM: Patrice – Create and Modify
 SM: Patrice – Social Interaction

 SM: Patrice – invites questions and ideas from audience (see below)
 SM: Patrice – happy to answer as I can; our REAL purpose in this series will be to stimulate continued discussion and ideas
 SM: Patrice – thank you for participating
 SM: Patrice – reminder next talk coming up on Government and Branding in SL Feb 22
 SM: Patrice – and you can talk too – see our website

 SM: Madhavi – thank you Patrice and thank you all for attending
 SM: Madhavi – for more about SP Exposition see www.spexposition.com
 SM: Madhavi – for more about Brand Marketing, IM Annie Milestone
 SM: Madhavi – for more about Speaker’s Bureau or to speak, IM Patrice Cournoyer

Questions Discussed
 EF: – Question: what possible relevance does Branding in SL have to merchants in SL?
 SM: Patrice – my first answer is look at most well known SL companies in SL – use their lessons for merchants
 EF: – Question: Aren’t computer companies bad examples for branding? What about real consumer good?
 SM: Patrice – see what computer companies are doing right that can be used elsewhere
 SM: Patrice – again look at what’s survived and adapt it
 EF: – Question: What about RL furniture sales using SL as a 3d web engine?
 SM: Patrice – yes IKEA has one now but it’s limited
 EF: – Question: How do we as content creators deal with an ignorant media who fails to do even the most basic research on virtual worlds before writing stories?
 SM: Patrice – it’s painful but we’re getting better at it
 SM: Patrice – SL can blend more with those as we go forward
 SM: Patrice – and SL still has unique selling points

Open Questions For Continuing Sessions
 EF: – Question: Is it possible that SL is still just too new and will take more time? for RL companies to adapt?
 EF: – Question: There’s been some talk of managing customer expectations (of their ROI) – of course that’s important. Another approach is to /adjust/ their expectations so that they realize that there are other types of success besides ‘large numbers’. For example, some types of promotion create a branding instance that stays in front of the user for long periods (ex: a useful HUD). Got any perspective on this?
 EF: – Question: What tie-ins to other mainstream social media does Second Life need? For example, a social network that ties into Facebook / Myspace? Built-in twitter capability? etc?
 EF: – Question: What’s some good ways to market a machinima made in Second Life?
 EF: – Question: Any examples of SL brands spilling into real world branding / marketing initiatives that you can think of?
 EF: – Question: Care to weigh-in on some of the ‘worst case scenarios’ for branded VW projects? Examples I would include would be: Grocery stores, restaurants, physical stuff like massage therapy, dentists, etc?