Retailers 'Sell' to Young Virtually†

Kohl's, Sears Build Brands As Children Clothe Their Avatars Online

Wall Street Journal, August 19, 2008 — Retailer Kohl's Corp. this month launched a new line of apparel, but the plaid skirts and printed T-shirts won't be sold in its 957 stores. Instead, it's selling them on Stardoll.com, a virtual community for teens and tweens where kids can fork over "Stardollars" — purchased online at a nominal sum — to buy apparel for their online characters.

Fans Resist End of Virtual Disneyland†

Created to Celebrate 50th Anniversary, Free Game to Shut

Wall Street Journal, May 20, 2008 — For Walt Disney Co., the task of opening a virtual version of Disneyland on the Web was relatively easy. Closing it, though, is proving to be quite a bit more difficult, thanks to the wrath of obsessive fans of Disney's theme parks.

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Disneyland in 2005, Walt Disney launched a free online game called Virtual Magic Kingdom whose look and layout mimics Disneyland's. Users created avatars and explored the online park's various regions, such as Tomorrowland and Main Street; chatted with other users; and participated in online promotions that crossed over into real-life activities at the company's resorts in California and Florida.

Disney's notoriously obsessive fans got deeply into this.

A Second Look at Virtual Worlds

It's all about engagement.

eMarketer, April 14, 2008 — At the recent Virtual Worlds Conference held in New York, a keynote speaker asked the crowd of a few hundred for a show of hands. About a third of the attendees represented kids' brands, a third were with virtual world companies and a third were vendors of software and other technology.

Web Playgrounds of the Very Young

Forget Second Life. The real virtual world gold rush centers on the grammar-school set.

New York Times, January 2, 2008 — Trying to duplicate the success of blockbuster Web sites like Club Penguin and Webkinz, children’s entertainment companies are greatly accelerating efforts to build virtual worlds for children. Media conglomerates in particular think these sites — part online role-playing game and part social scene — can deliver quick growth, help keep movie franchises alive and instill brand loyalty in a generation of new customers.

Virtual Worlds, Real Ad Dollars

Kids and marketers enter pixellated space.

eMarketer, October 22, 2007 — Ad spending is likely to increase substantially as more kids and teens spend time in virtual worlds and as more marketers create campaigns for those environments. Parks Associates estimated in June 2007 that $15 million was spent advertising in virtual worlds in the United States in 2006 and projected that it would rise tenfold to $150 million in 2012. The figures did not include marketer-branded virtual worlds. They also did not include other revenue sources, such as micro-transactions or subscription fees.

A Virtual View of the Store Aisle†

Kimberly-Clark and Others Track Shoppers in New Ways; Finding Huggies on the Shelf

Wall Street Journal, October 3, 2007 — Using a new tool developed by Kimberly-Clark Corp., a woman stood surrounded by three screens showing a store aisle, a retina-tracking device recording her every glance.

Asked by a Kimberly-Clark researcher to find a "big box" of Huggies Natural Fit diapers in size three, she pushed forward on a handle like that of a shopping cart, and the video simulated her progress down the aisle. Spotting Huggies' red packages, she turned the handle to the right to face a dizzying array of diapers. After pushing a button to get a kneeling view of the shelves, she reached forward and tapped the screen to put the box she wanted in her virtual cart.

Kimberly-Clark hopes these virtual shopping aisles will help it better understand consumer behavior and make the testing... continue reading

Toyota's Club Scion Gives Socializers A Lift At There.com

MediaPost Publications, August 14, 2007 — TOYOTA'S SCION DIVISION HAS ENTERED a second Second Life. Actually, a fourth. Toyota's Gen Y car division has this year created a presence on Whyville.com, Gaia.com, Second Life, and now, There.com. For the latter, the company--with help from Makena Technologies, which hosts There.com--has just launched Club Scion, a social club doubling as vehicle exploration.

Just Ahead: The Web As A Virtual World

Imagine being able to have a digital replica of yourself stroll from one site to another

BusinessWeek, August 13, 2007 — When Google Earth launched in 2005, users were exhilarated to type in their home address, see the earth as if they were floating in space, and then swoop down to view a satellite image of their house or apartment. These days users have moved on to upgrading Google Earth with their own photographs and three-dimensional digital replicas of buildings. But one day they'll be able to alight on a Google Earth street and meet someone else there--and even have a conversation.

Scion Drives Into There.com

MediaPost Publications, August 10, 2007 — TOYOTA'S SCION HAS PARTNERED WITH Makena Technologies, parent company of the virtual world There.com, to launch Club Scion--an in-world branded nightclub cum hangout spot.

Second Life's Real-World Problems

Time, August 9, 2007 — Reality is catching up with Second Life, the much hyped 3-D website that lets users create alter egos called avatars who can walk, chat, fly, have sex and buy and sell virtual stuff for real money. The ballyhoo surrounding this online community has led multinational brands from Reebok to Toyota to establish beachheads on Second Life to interact with consumers and be a part of the next wave in social networking.