New Virtual Marketing Practice Offers Innovative Ideas to Reach Consumers
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 4, 2007) – To mark its 10 year anniversary, French/West/Vaughan (FWV) --one of the nation’s largest independent public relations, public affairs and brand communications agencies -- has opened a virtual office in the online community of Second Life (www.secondlife.com).
Second Life is a virtual experience where people from around the world communicate, explore, create, run businesses and more. The game itself has a real economy where residents can buy and sell virtual land and goods. With over 3.1 million registered users, Second Life has caught the eyes of corporate marketers looking for new ways to showcase their brands to consumers.
“In a world of rapidly changing communication technology, brands have to keep pace,” said FWV President & CEO Rick French. “You may read blogs, listen to podcasts and fast forward through television commercials on your DVR. Our agency is exploring new mediums to build strong relationships between brands and consumers.”
The new FWV virtual office is introducing two clients into Second Life. The Global Water Foundation (GWF) will use FWV virtual marketing services to raise worldwide awareness of the need for safe and healthy drinking water and adequate sanitation in developing parts of the world. FWV created a GWF virtual education center in Second Life and coordinates online concert events to raise awareness about the need for clean drinking water. FWV also is opening a virtual shopping mall for Canada Post (the Canadian Postal Service) so it can showcase the retailers that use its business services.
“Entering a new virtual market requires many of the same considerations you would make when entering an international market in real life,” said FWV Vice President Chris Shigas. “You need to understand the culture, the currency exchange and the delivery channels for communication, products and services in this new market.”
Second Life is also a valuable market research tool. Retailers can build three-dimensional stores and see how shoppers flow through their store designs. Businesses can test new messaging and get feedback from consumers in the game, similar to a focus group. Utilizing these virtual technologies is more cost effective than running pilot programs in real stores.
“So far, the Internet has been a very isolating and two-dimensional experience. You surf web pages and are unaware if other people are looking at the same web page as you,” said Shigas. “With Second Life, you are in a three-dimensional environment and interacting with other consumers while experiencing a brand or a message. It is the future of the Internet and learning to market in this environment will help keep you a step ahead of your competitors.”
In addition to opening its new Second Life office, on April 15 FWV will also unveil a completely redesigned company Web site at the same domain, www.fwv-us.com. The redesigned site will feature enhanced functionality, and will serve as a media portal for news feeds, thought leadership, social media and expert commentary. FWV is also launching a My Space page (www.myspace.com/frenchwestvaughan), which went live on April 1.
About French/West/Vaughan
French/West/Vaughan, celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, is the Southeast’s largest independent public relations, public affairs and brand communications agency. The agency was named a 2006 finalist for PR Week magazine’s “Midsize PR Agency of the Year” award, and was named the Holmes Report’s 2004 National Consumer Agency of the Year. National and international clients represented by the agency include the Global Water Foundation, Minute Maid, Ford Motor Company, Wrangler, Nestea, the Justin Boot Company, Canada Post, Speedo, Diageo (Bulleit Bourbon), Pfizer, ASTROTURF and bioMérieux. Regional public relations clients include North Carolina State University and Tweetsie Railroad, among many others. The agency is headquartered in Raleigh and has offices in both New York City and Tampa.
