My colleague Noah Mallin once heard a panelist describe Second Life as “the Vietnam of online marketing.” A lot of marketing dollars, virtual blood and real-life treasure went in to snapping up virtual real estate and even billboards on Second Life. There was a buzz that in-person meetings were so 1990s and that instead, our avatars would meet virtually. The result, of course, is history.
Nobody talks about Second Life as a marketing venue anymore and contrary to predictions, we continue to have in-person meetings, sometimes traveling an entire day for a 45 minute face-to-face. Truth be told, clients appreciate the personal touch and knowing that they can drop by the office to talk about search and social media, their accounts, or even to play an impromptu game on the ol’ Wii.
Cultural fit continues to be an important sell in our pitches. Marketing execs wants to meet us and feel comfortable with us. So I was definitely amused as I read about MinneAdpolis.com. Ad agencies in the Minneapolis region have come together to create a virtual world of avatars to show clients and prospective employees how it is a cool place to be in and to promotes it as “the City of Advertising.”
This is clearly aimed at New York agencies – they don’t call the ad world “Madison Avenue” for nothing. Will ad agencies prosper in Minneapolis? Sure. Are they really a threat to New York agencies? Probably not. Still, there are enough businesses that need creative services in that region, who may very well prefer being in closer proximity to their agency. Will clients suddenly realize how cool Minneapolis ad agencies are because they have a virtual site with cool avatars? The answer is No.
Ironically, the drive to be cool and cutting edge undercuts the proximity advantage Minneapolis Agencies should be emphasizing. This speaks to a larger truth here – many companies and organizations want a presence in social media, cool widgets and what have you, but not enough of them take the time to ask how these map to a larger strategy.
Could this virtual world possibly take creative talent away from New York? I’m pretty doubtful. Like most New Yorkers, I have a love-hate relationship with the city. I love to complain about it – cramped quarters, overpriced everything, smelly subways, but it will take a lot more than a website to convince talent to give up the Big Apple and instead move to the “City of Advertising.” What attracts people to New York is the unique energy, the history and culture and diversity. This goes much deeper than the “The black shirt and skinny jeans” wearing the MinneAdpolis website touts. On the other hand, if you wear purple and ride a motorcycle Lake Minnetonka might just be for you.
Tags: Lake Minnetonka, Multi-User Systems, New York, New York City, Real estate, Second Life, Virtual reality, Virtual world
