As a parent, I’m well aware of this busy part of the year – it’s back to school time for our kids. Retailers are feeling it too since they’re trying to entice shoppers with their Back to School sales. For this year’s Back to School promotion, retailing giant Walmart is catering to our youngsters with virtual worlds and Miley Cyrus, a busy teen celebrity that’s a singer (well, you be the judge of that) and television actress in a show called Hannah Montana.

Miley is selling gear from her show Hannah Montana including a line of clothes and accessories, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc. To promote the gear, Walmart has created a Hannah Montana virtual world where you can design an avatar, or a 3D representation of you, that can dress up in Hannah Montana clothes. Your avatar can also decorate that room with a Hannah Montana bedspread, posters, etc.

Walmart is driving people to the site via a print ad in their weekly circular — the ad contains a link to the virtual world site. They also created a micro-site where you can get Miley (aka Hannah) to call your child and remind them to go back-to-school shopping at Walmart.

So can this promotion be a success for Walmart?

There are indicators that virtual worlds are more than just a game. For starters, virtual world proponents have argued that these environments mimic real life. This argument is backed up by virtual world gamers reporting that they have real-world emotions or ties when they engage in virtual activities, such as a virtual marriage. And beyond emotions, the exposure to a virtual environment has influenced the purchasing decision of online shoppers. In the case of Land’s End, the integration of a virtual dressing room into their eCommerce engine demonstrated a 13% improvement in the shopping cart totals and a 26% increase in online purchases.

So while Walmart’s social media experiment two years ago never did more than generate buzz for the company, their foray into a virtual world with the backing of a teen celebrity has the makings of a successful marking campaign.

Until recently, I didn’t understand the hype that surrounds virtual worlds. It was not until reading a recent article on virtual in-world therapy that I realized the incredible opportunities that virtual worlds have to offer.

People use in-world therapy sessions for a number of reasons. In-world therapy has become so popular thanks to the ease of finding someone who shares your concerns and/or issues. According to Second Life’s Health Support Coalition, there are more than 70 health support groups. Second Life offers islands that were created by medical institutions, such as Jokaydia II by the Online Therapy Institute. Other support group and therapeutic islands were created by peers looking for a cathartic outlet.

Coming from a small town, rare diseases were, well, rare. It’s safe to say that when my friend from high school was diagnosed with Lupus during our junior year, our friends had trouble relating. We all obviously cared for her, but we couldn’t come close to giving her the type of advice and support that her friends in a virtual world were. She met people who, like her, had just been diagnosed, as well as people who have been living with Lupus for years. The article that I read made me realize why, even after all these years she remains so committed to her in-world support groups.

Additionally, the anonymity factor is extremely important. Being from a small town, I understand that there is no such thing as a secret. Everyone knows everyone’s business. So when a mother of three children goes to group therapy for substance abuse, the rumor mill goes into overdrive. In order to avoid having her dirty laundry aired in front of the whole town, she keeps her mouth shut and a smile on her face. Now, thanks to virtual worlds, she has an anonymous outlet for her inner turmoil.

Unfortunately, many health care institutions still don’t recognize many psychological disorders. Even when health insurance companies recognize behavioral health issues, they limit the number of visits to a therapist and the client usually has high copayments. Yet people suffering from anxiety and depression may have found an outlet. Without the added stress of expensive doctors visits and medication, people can let out their frustrations and worries during their in-world therapy sessions. Most sessions are peer-based, so like my friend with Lupus, these patients are able to learn from others who are fighting the same battle. Other sessions are monitored by medical associations.

The cathartic relief found at in-world support groups rivals the same results patients get from spending hundreds of dollars with a therapist. Furthermore, the convenience factor is unbeatable. Need to talk at 1am? Chances are good that someone else is in the same boat. Can’t get away from work or the kids? A support group is just a few clicks away.

So what’s next for in-world therapy? Real-world therapists recognize the opportunities and have started to offer their direct services in virtual worlds…for a price, of course. So will in-world sessions with a therapist become more popular than traditional visits? Maybe not right away, but this will definitely be an interesting trend to watch.

Google finally has an answer to Second Life. Their virtual world, called Lively, is a browser based world that you can bet will integrate all the Googley things we love (search, gmail, documents, etc.).

There are three reasons I always thought Second Life was going to fail. First, the search functionality in Second Life is about as bad as it could be. No doubt Google will fix that problem. Another problem with Second Life is that it isn’t browser based which I think severely limits the amount of people that will be willing to try it. And in the end, Second Life has a pretty steep learning curve. You spend the first few hours trying to learn how to fly and navigate, all the while being propositioned by naked avatars to do things you aren’t even sure are possible. The great thing about Google is that they consistently produce products that are intuitive to the user.

Unfortunately Lively isn’t available for Mac yet so I can’t play with it, so if anyone out there is able to test it and try it out, I’d love to know how it compares to Second Life.

Also, if you’re still one of those people that think there is no future in virtual worlds, you might want to rethink that, as over $345 million has been invested in virtual worlds already this year … in a tight economy.

Do you ever wish that all of the things you desire could be found on a “one-stop shop” site? Lucky for virtual world enthusiasts, I think I might have found the one-stop jackpot of virtual worlds. Small Worlds is a 3D virtual environment that combines multiple virtual media forms into one cohesive online world. Small Worlds runs in your web browser, so there is no downloading of software onto your desktop. This will appeal to many people who do not want to clutter up their memory by downloading virtual world software.

Because Small Worlds is targeted towards preteens and up, it is likely that many of its users have had prior experience with Webkinz. Similar to Webkinz, users have the ability to design a living space for their avatar, adorn the living space with furniture and various décor, and invite friends to check out their virtual home. However, Small Worlds has differentiated itself from other virtual worlds by embracing the concept of integration and taken virtual living spaces one step further. Avatars may invite friends to watch YouTube on virtual televisions, view Flickr pictures on virtual picture frames and listen to last.fm on virtual radios that decorate your avatar’s living space.

While still in beta testing, content in the Small Worlds virtual environment is created by site administrators, though Small Worlds representatives have hinted that users will have the ability to create and modify content in the future. Just like in Second Life, users will be able to create places, clothing, vehicles….the possibilities are endless. Similar to other virtual worlds, users will be able to sell the virtually created content to other online avatars to make real world money.

As if those two worlds integrated weren’t enough, Small Worlds also plans on being a virtual world recognized for social interaction, casual gaming and media consumption. Like I said before, Small Worlds sounds like the “one-stop shop” for everything you might need from a virtual world. The only complaint I have about the Small Worlds Beta, is the navigation within the virtual world. All navigation is done by mouse click and is sometimes hard to see where you are going or to click the desired location within the virtual environment. However, the navigation is a small obstacle for the Small Worlds creators to overcome.

After spending a long day navigating through Small Worlds watching YouTube videos and chatting with friend avatars, there’s nothing I like more than relaxing in my virtual hot tub with my dog Patty Mayonnaise nearby.

While attaining my bachelor’s degree, I often took some of my classes online. In fact, if there was an online class available to me I signed up for it. The online classes I took consisted of reading the text book, completing assignments and using a discussion board to communicate with fellow classmates. However, what was missing was actual face to face interaction with the teacher and other students.

I recently discovered an article that showcased a university that has created a virtual classroom within Second Life. Below is a screen shot of the classroom that was developed by San Jose State University. These virtual classrooms are being created so that students taking online courses can still get what’s missing from not physically being at school.

This got me thinking, would I want to take an online course if I still had to attend class in a virtual world? I actually like the idea. I would still be able to do the work from home and it would make that particular course more personal since I could see my teacher and fellow students (as represented by their virtual selves) similar as I would in a normal class setting.

Although I think a class meeting in a virtual world has some benefits, one point in the article that I don’t necessarily agree with is the idea that having class in a virtual setting would help students overcome real world problems, such as public speaking. Perhaps virtual courses might help with other real world problems, but nothing compares to being physically able to speak in front of a live classroom.

What’s in the future for virtual online courses? Will research discover that this type of learning is more beneficial than the standard online courses? It could be that adding this virtual element will improve the online course experience and create that sense of being part of a class.

Online worlds have attracted big business. Marketing and advertising inside virtual worlds has taken on new and innovative strategies, as more and more companies are establishing an interactive presence “in world.”  The Engauge Digital Behavioral Research Department loves to conduct research in a range of worlds - so I thought it would be a fun idea to explore Webkinz.

If you aren’t already familiar, Webkinz is an online world created by Ganz for kids ages 5-13. Webkinz has an estimated 530,733 in world visitors everyday. In terms of US visitors, Webkinz has seen tremendous traffic and growth in comparison to other virtual worlds.

Ask any child you know if they have heard of Webkinz and you will most likely get an earful about their specific Webkinz avatar: born from a real-life stuffed animal that translates into a digital avatar with its own personality and hobbies. The avatars – whose stuffed counterparts are purchased in stores by parents – have the ability to chat, make friends, get jobs, build homes, and play games with others, all in the comfort of a supervised and secure environment that caters to parental concerns.  And of course the in-store purchasing power is not limited to only stuffed animals – parents and their children can dress their stuffed avatars in clothes or give them Ganz brand lip balm, and all have digital codes to convert the real life products into interactive versions for their pet. Webkinz and Webkinz related products are well sought after gifts for children.

So in researching this whole Webkinz world as opportunity space for our clients, I naturally have my own avatar – a friendly, opportunistic, sunglass wearing chicken.  He’s got his own place, complete with a bed, couch and a couple of cacti and it turns out that he apparently really wants a toy cell phone.  He’s got several friends and even has a job where he earns his Kinzcash (Webkinz currency) to buy things like smoking hot sunglasses or furniture for his room.

It appears that with so many visitors to this online world, that Webkinz and the Webkinz generation will be the future of other online worlds. It will be interesting to see how the world grows and evolves as the “Webkinz generation” grows into adults. Will this generation transform the way we look at virtual worlds in the future?

At 11:30pm on Monday April 29, 2008 I was standing in line at Best Buy in Buckhead with about a hundred other die-hard Grand Theft Auto (GTA) fans awaiting the latest release of the game - GTA IV.

Being a Gen Y kid I have grown up with a video game in one hand and a computer in the other hand. So what’s the appeal of this game that makes me (and millions of other people) wait in front of a store for hours just to get it? Interactive game play.

The world that has been created by the Rockstar team is simply unbelievable. The amount of experiences that a user can have in this gaming world is amazing. For example, you can stand on a street corner and watch traffic, weather, people, and animals all interact with each other and with you all in a virtual world type of environment. The size of the city is mind boggling. In fact, there is such detail that you can roam most of the city and not run into the same character twice, which in the gaming world is very rare.

Truly the biggest appeal for me is the multiplayer component to this game - you and a group of friends can play in a match up to 16 players at one time! People can go to restaurants, clubs, bowling, pool halls, the beach … you name it, you can do it. The way the console makers and video game developers have teamed up to create a completely unique online experience may very well have changed the way we game forever. Fifteen years ago if you wanted to play with a friend you needed to be in front of a television together. Now, you just pop on Xbox Live or the PS3 Network and boom connected to millions of people.

To sum it all up this is a truely unique gaming experience with unlimited possibilities and it simply makes me very excited about the future of gaming and online interactivity.  But, it isn’t just me who thinks so. GTA IV is the first game in nearly a decade to receive a 10 out of 10 review from IGN. Impressive to say the least. Check out the full review.  

Honestly, I could ramble about how great this game is for hours, but I’ll let you find out for yourself. See you online and happy gaming!

On Thursday February 28th, Cybergrrl Oh interviewed Del Ross, VP Distribution Marketing (Americas) at Intercontinental Hotels Group, regarding Crowne Plaza’s presence in Second Life – Place To Meet Island. Now anyone that’s read the Spun blog knows that we’ve created this space and continue to be super excited about it.

Of course, with Second Life, rarely does all go smoothly. And this event was no exception, with images not appearing to the host having lag problems – it was indeed a typical Second Life event. But it worked out well because it not only highlighted the challenges that companies can expect to face but also how well the functionality of the island works.

The interview included tough questions regarding the strategy decisions for creating Place to Meet Island, how it’s currently being staffed, what marketing tactics were used, ROI that has been realized and what the future holds for Crowne Plaza’s Second Life presence.

All in all, this is a great interview to check out.

Here in the Behavioral Research Department, we always have the opportunity to uncover unique and interesting discoveries. So, when we were tasked with planning a surprise Second Life engagement party for Spunlogic Account Manager Nalini Humphrey, we thought we had a pretty good idea of what we were in for. Unique and interesting definitely weren’t lacking, especially with Batman, flying watermelons and….Well, take a look for yourself … click on the video below. =)

Last night’s Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association’s (AiMA) event - “How Virtual Worlds are Impacting Interactive Marketing” - featured an exceptional group of speakers and really fascinating content.

The event’s panel was moderated by Del Ross, VP of Distribution Marketing (Americas) for InterContinental Hotels Group – and one of our very favorite-ist clients! The panelists included:

• Christopher Klaus / Founder and CEO for Kaneva
• Mike Donnelly / Director Worldwide Interactive Marketing for Coca-Cola
• Rhonda Lowry / Vice President, Emerging Technologies for TBS
• Paul Greenberg / Director of Consumer Marketing for The Weather Channel

This event was special not just because Del wore his best jacket-tie combo, but because it was actually simulcast in-world. So people attended the real-life event and others logged into Crowne Plaza’s The Place to Meet island in Second Life to see it broadcast.

Check out a quick video of how this looked from Second Life:

Attendees were treated to great insight from leading brands who have done more than just dabble in virtual worlds. A few interesting take aways:

Coca-Cola has been active in virtual worlds for five years, taking a very deliberate approach to how they engaged in this medium. They wanted to allow their fans the freedom to enjoy the brand while at the same time providing some structure around doing so. For example, one of their projects was a contest - allowing users to submit ideas that would satiate their fan’s thirst for “an experience” (a play on words). The result was creative - and very brand adherent - ideas.

The Weather Channel is one of the most popular island’s in Second Life. They took a gaming slant in their space. This has led to a tremendous amount of sports-related activities on their island, such as mountain biking and surfing. Residents have even taken it upon themselves to hold surf contests!

Turner has also been involved in virtual worlds for quite some time. Their CNN brand allows Second Life users to be in-world reporters (a version of the real life iReporter). Another one of Rhonda’s more interesting case studies was about tapping into an existing Myst Uru fan base of hundreds of people in Second Life as a way of promoting their own Myst Uru world outside of Second Life.

Finally, Kaneva’s Christopher Klaus provided his perspective on what he believes will shape virtual worlds in the future. His belief is that many people will look to virtual worlds as a social outlet, which is why Kaneva is built to support this kind of culture. His stance is that while many of the worlds that are more fantasy-based will always have a core fan-base, others would be wise to create an environment that fosters social networking.