credible authenticity, loyalty and the immersive branding enviroment

::EDIT 21/10/2008 02:09::

This video not only gives a good insight into how virtual worlds can potentially be used as a method to promote a brand and get it into the public eye, but also the future of branding principles.

Text 100 states the one way communication of the past mass-media communication channels such as print and television are being superseded by pier media technology where the public can communicate with the media, dubbing it just another pier. Where this is the case the client risks losing their message if they are not authentic. The speaker references Walmart who fell through when they put their authenticity on the line by getting others to blog for them and were seen right through by their piers (the online community) and therefore lost credibility.

To Text 100, branding within secondlife is an experiment in communication within an immersive environment.

Another very important point the speaker makes is that of the brand (Text 100) needs to earn the right to speak within these communities, they need to be credible (note how the speaker admits that admitting there is a marketing element to their presence is part of being authentic). Upon earning this right (through authenticity), they can assume that they have earned the respect and trust of their piers (the public), and hopefully develop loyalty to the brand within the community.

All this sounds very bad for a typical brand. But the speaker goes on to say that the bonus in integrating within an immersive environment is that you have a brilliant way to track what the public really thinks about your brand. I think that this model could not only be applied to virtual worlds and online communities, but this model could be applied in the future to brands in a real world social network.

tj -x-