SECOND LIFE MADNESS

Wow!!! I am absolutely floored by the flurry of activities and emotions surrounding Second Life these days. Crayon is a new marketing company that just launched in Second Life. They set off a reaction when they called themselves the first company to be launched in Second Life, which is just not true. It’s actually hysterical how untrue that is. After the MAJOR backlash from this statement, they came back and said they meant they were the first to actually launch a company in Second Life that did not exist in the real world previously. Whatever. If anything, they’ve turned this into a semantics issue—not surprising from a “marketing” company.

Anyway, Crayon and its grandiose claims have struck a nerve with the current SL community and a lot of people are pissed off. It has raised the discussion of brand proliferation in Second Life, large companies coming in and plastering themselves all over the virtual world. Rightly so, it has left many of the original business owners in Second Life feeling insulted. I like Tony Walsh’s reasoning the best because it relates the situation to history—which like he says, people are in a bad habit of forgetting. I’ll post my favorite excerpt of Walsh’s blog post here, but I encourage you to read it in its entirety as well as the ensuing comments:

“Have we learned nothing from real-world history? Ages ago, imperialists planted their flags on "New World" soil, claiming to have discovered virgin territory, oblivious to the natives peering out cautiously from the treeline. Indigenous people, wildlife, and territories were viewed as obstacles to be conquered on the road to profit.”

A couple colleagues/friends of mine have already expressed that it would not be one bit surprising if a lot of the original Second Lifers leave SL altogether and find (or create) a new virtual world where marketing, PR, and advertising is banned. Considering the amazing things they have created in Second Life, I would not put it past them. They seem to know what they’re doing.

After attending the SLCC in 2006, I learned that one of the biggest challenges facing Linden Lab was to come up with ways to better market the businesses and services created by SL residents—mind you, not RL brands like American Apparel and Adidas. Companies like Electric Sheep Company , Millions of Us, and Rivers Run Red that help bring large RL brands into SL would be out of reach (financially) for SL brands. What to do? Well, if Crayon wanted to ease some tensions and hard feelings coming from some of the dejected SL residents, they can start by offering their marketing expertise to the very people they have offended—though it may already be too late for some good will (and I mean free or pretty cheap good will). Seriously, how is the community expected to welcome Crayon with open arms when their first order of business is bringing Coke into SL?

Comments

[jJ]

Mimi,

Joseph Jaffe here. President of crayon.

It's kind of funny how this has been blown out of proportion...given that we're a company of bloggers, podcasters and Second Life residents ourselves.

If you think we're big bad marketing, you'd be 100% mistaken...we're a young, intense, passionate start-up and we exist to make sure the marketers out there recognize SL for the unbelievable environment and authentic experience that it is.

Splitting hairs or not...we are proud to have launched in Second Life. We could have chosen a fancy boutique hotel in New York and invited the press, but we didn't. We chose Second Life because we believe in Second Life and because it was walking our talk - not lip service but honest follow-through.

So that's the story from my perspective. As a blogger, I know how things get blown out of proportion, especially through the chain of broken telephones...I know I've done it many times, but I always contend 2 things as a blogger:
1) Admit when you're wrong
2) Give the other party the opportunity to respond...and see if they do.

Second Life is unbelievable and we intend to run our business from Second Life and continue to be true evangelists.

All I ask is that the long time Second Life residents don't become like the very people they despise...set in their ways, close-minded and resistent to change.

Take care,

Joseph

[Mimi Harris]

Thanks for the response Joseph. Did any of you guys attend the Second Life Community Convention? It was a great place to be to learn more about SL and the cool stuff the residents have been doing there. If you didn't attend, that's too bad. Next year's should be interesting though.

I apppreciate what you are trying to do and no, I don't necessarily think you're a big bad marketing company. Hell, I work in PR so I am all to aware of what people think and say about "promotion" line of work. But, a big part of what I do here is Research. And I think you guys should have done a little more of that, that's all. I'm actually a little surprised Millions of Us didn't point out to you guys some of the facts that have been disputed.

As far as locale for a launch, I don't think there's anything wrong with launching at a boutique hotel and inviting the press. We love to talk about social media and how it's changing things, but I still think the in-person feel of traditional launches are hard to beat. Good luck with the new venture- I can't wait to see what happens next.

-Mimi

[Tony Walsh]

Joseph, you refer to things being "blown out of proportion," and suggest there's a "chain of broken telephones" at work here. I'm wondering if you can be more specific about what is being blown out of proportion, and by whom.

I've read a handful of critical posts and comments reacting to the initial round of Crayon communications--primarily specific, valid complaints about Crayon's highly-debatable assertion and subsequent hair-splitting. These criticisms have been based directly on what Crayon has communicated--where are these broken telephones you're referring to?

Based on the lack of specifics in your comment, it seems like you might be suggesting Crayon's critics are irrational and misinformed in general. Could you clarify your position on this?

[Taran]

It doesn't really matter that much in the grand scheme of things. Consider this: http://www.knowprose.com/node/16507