[by Todd] Great piece on Marketing Profs about the realities of Second Life.
There’s such a rush to get in on The Next Big Thing that many companies have little understanding of what Second Life is, how it really works or what they can achieve there. In many cases it seems like companies are jumping into the site just for the sake of doing something cool.
Greg Verdino notes that often his clients, many of whom are convinced they need to be on Second Life, have never themselves been on the service.
That, in itself, isn’t so surprising. Two million people—the current population of Second Life—is actually a rather small group relative to the total population of Internet users. What is surprising is that so many companies are willing to make marketing decisions based mostly on what they’ve been reading in the press. You wouldn’t open a store in a new region of the world without first conducting extensive market research, scouting location, and establishing clear business objectives. You need the same diligence here if you truly want to succeed.
For my money, and my clients’, Second Life bears watching, but it certainly isn’t ready for prime time. I would be hard pressed to see a situation where the investment of getting in there will deliver sufficient results.
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