Día 1 · The Blog of the New Brand · El Blog de Barcelona Virtual
The Blog of the New Brand · Published by Barcelona Virtual · www.bvirtual.com
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
This year, Barcelona Virtual celebrates its fifteenth anniversary, a milestone we are proud of.
Given the earthshaking events of the last decade and a half, I think we can feel genuinely pleased to have not only survived, but prospered, despite all manner of challenges:
- The birthbangs of the Internet in 1995... - Followed by the glittering "boom years" of the late 1990s... - Then chastened by "bust" of the Dot Coms in 2001-2002... - Only to be challenged by recurring paradigm shifts ever since... - Now fortified by the current, worldwide, economic crisis...
Fortified? Yes, indeed. If there is one, single thing that we are learning these days, it is the age-old maxim, "First things first", or in Spanish: Primero, lo primero.
What is this mysterious "First Thing"? What exactly have we learned? Again... and again... and again?
It is simply said, but agonizingly so, because if we tell you, it will sound like a cliché you have heard so many times that the meaning has been lost. Nevertheless... here goes:
The most important thing is, has been and always will be Our Customers.
But we don't mean that in the obvious way. What we've always been clear about, is the importance of building relationships in order to succeed in business.
What we now know, is that it's not only important: it's essential!
The only way any company will survive the changes of the New Decade is for it to cultivate a deep friendship and intimacy with its Key Customers.
Why? Because they possess all the Secrets! They know what new trends are important. What improvements in products they need. And if you are a True Friend, they'll share the very best part with you... THEIR OWN CREATIVE IDEAS (and even Dreams).
If you are not sure how to "be intimate" with your customers, keep coming back to this blog. All during this year, we will be exploring new ways to foster genuine, sincere friendships and strong alliances with... your own Customers.
To get you started thinking, here are a few fantastic tips from a legendary leader who intimately knows and cares for his own Customers, Steve Jobs of Apple Computer:
1. Do what you love to do.
2. Be different. Think different.
3. Do your best. Do your best at every job.
4. Make SWOT analysis.
5. Be entrepreneurial. Look for the Next Big Thing.
6. Start small, think big.
7. Strive to become a market leader.
8. Focus on the outcome. Be a yardstick of quality.
9. Ask for feedback... from people of diverse backgrounds.
This said, the New Brand seeks to fully know and anticipate all potential needs of its fans and friends.
In fact, true New Brands don't even view such friends as "customers", but rather "partners", people whose lives are enriched by their products and services and who have a vested interest in the growth and success of these same brands.
This more relaxed approach to the Relationship with the people who purchase and recommend their products causes New Brands to view everything in a much more organic way. They spend more time thinking "out of the box" and less time obsessing about GRPs and clicks.
In fact, if they DO obsess about anything, that would be how to enhance the user experience of their fans and friends in the best possible way. This affects product concept, design, the pre- and post-sales experience and, of course, what happens whilst the customer is making the potential purchase decision. This critical moment might occur in a retail space, an office, public fora such as a gym or even during "down time" en route to work in planes, trains or automobiles.
An exciting new development in this area of 360º Customer Experience is emerging in the field of Sensory Marketing, especially in the discipline related to the sense of smell. Omniaroma, a European leader in aroma-based Marketing is now applying specific strategies in Spain, Germany and other European markets, based around the idea of enhancing ROI while making the Customer Experience much more personalised and enjoyable.
According to María José Alberdi, Sales & Marketing Manager for this Barcelona-based "New Brand",
"We remember 5% of what we see, only 2% of what we hear, a mere 1% of what we touch... but a whopping 35% of what we smell!"
Hmmmm... Might be time for a little "Aroma Therapy" for your own New Brand as well!
Friday, 6 November 2009
Be sure not to miss this amazing video!
Not only is it the expression of the many virtues of 3D; at the same time, it's an excellent example of online storytelling. Just the thing you might need for your own New Brand, in order to capture the attention of Gen X (as well as Y and Z, for that matter!).
Our hats are off to "Pantural", the sole scriptwriter-director-producer-animator of this riveting mini-epic, visual love-poem to both cars and the merits of 3D.
WE BELIEVE IT! WE LIVE IT! Since our creation in 1995, Barcelona Virtual has always recognised the importance of 3D and included it in our strategies, when relevant. Our 3D Department never stops pushing the envelope, researching the latest and greatest in our internal R&D projects.
Paul Fleming, founder of Barcelona Virtual, recently spoke with Germán Sierra of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya about innovation, 3D Virtual Worlds, Electronic Paper and Holograms. Shall we listen in?
Facebook has just launched an application for Infojobs, Twitter is on many people’s lips when describing how they found work after being unemployed for a time, and you at Barcelona Virtual are committed to the virtual world to generate added value for the company.
Are social networks and interaction on the internet fundamental for any company?
PF: The strategy to pursue in terms of digital marketing has to tailor itself to the needs of the target group in each company. When they have customers made up of urban oryoung professionals from the digital generation, the use of social networks is unavoidable.
In other cases (family SMEs, for example), it may be more effective in terms of ROI (Return on Investment) to go for an integrated “On+Off” strategy, using a combination of traditional means, personal contact and the Internet.
Do you think there is a distrust of virtual worlds or simply ignorance?
PF: That’s the sixty-four million-dollar question, as for agencies and entrepreneurs, the answer determines whether they will sell or not.
Any new technology is a new habit to understand, learn and adopt. The speed of today’s changes frightens anyone who wasn’t born a “digital native”, which translates into passive ignorance (inertia) or even active ignorance (distrust). The distrusting ones are those who see a threat in these changes, or who simply shut down due to information saturation.
In our 15 years as a digital agency, I’ve learnt to wait the time it takes for a new technology to be understood and become part of the fabric of everyday life.
What do you think of the news that practically wrote off Second Life?
PF: They’ve made me see the great importance of the media of the “Matrix” of the twenty-first century. Something that is not analysed and disseminated in the media, no matter how valuable, simply does not exist. There is an imperative need to educate journalists, to explain very well to them the significance and application of the new technologies in terms that they can take in, and consequently communicate.
The perception of the “death of Second Life” is proof of this. Second Life has done nothing but grow and improve since it burst on the scene as the media “favourite” in 2007. There are specific data of real cases that show its huge usefulness to universities and business. However, we at the forefront of 3D Virtual Worlds have to fight a great deal against ignorance. The majority of people who criticise Second Life are like the ones who talk negatively about a film without having seen it.
Do you think, then, that this prevailing lack of knowledge of Second Life has been a drawback in attracting new users and evolving more quickly?
PF: It is, in any event, a lack of knowledge that doesn’t frighten me, because I still remember very well the years of struggling, for example in 1995, when we insisted with the press and business that the internet wasn’t just a fashion but that it was going to change everything. In those days, there were only 296,000 web surfers in Spain and the technical barriers were significant.
For this reason, in terms of the integration of Second Life and other 3D Virtual Worlds in the strategies of companies and brands, let’s just say that I have learned a patience based on this experience with the web. Its time will come, when there is a critical mass of users and more technical improvements. Then, the demand for experts in “Experiential Marketing” with the experience that we’ve accumulated over recent years will grow – and be valued – as is due.
Please click on the photo to enlarge it
Barcelona Virtual goes back to 1995, but you opened offices in Second Life in 2007. Why did you take this decision?
PF: We are virtual and restless. I personally have “the gift or failing” of living always some 2 or 3 years in the future. There are issues such as wireless e-paper, 3D virtual spaces and holography that I take completely for granted and I long for the day when they start to figure more in our everyday life.
The decision to be the first Spanish advertising agency with offices in Second Life was born of this restlessness and desire to be always at the forefront. We also wanted to get in early to learn and experiment with these new codes and languages of communication and relation.
And it hasn’t gone badly, as your traffic rose by 85% compared with last year. How did you get people to hear about you?
PF: That’s right: last year, we had 214,000 visits to the Barcelona Virtual Island in a year when many reckoned that Second Life had died out.
The secret behind the 85% rise is simple. You have to create a community: paying a great deal of attention to the details and creating contents and activities that your online community likes. You have to put in hours, nurture the users, place a lot of emphasis on the relationship. Many companies that started on Second Life and failed did so because they didn’t understand the commitment to the user that exists the moment you open your doors.
What is the profile of the companies that have contacted you to work in a virtual world?
PF: There are big leisure and entertainment brands like Universal Pictures and Sony PlayStation®, whose target publics are found in these online 3D environments. Added to this sort of company are FMCG companies like Sunny Delight. Curiously, we’ve also been able to help financial institutions such as the Foundation of Caixa Sabadell and Banco Sabadell (creating the Leo Messi avatar) to establish themselves on Second Life. They know that they have to evolve and experiment to continue to be relevant.
Finally, it is evident that universities, with their vocation as knowledge and innovation catalyser in society, cannot get left behind. In this sense, we’ve had the pleasure of working with the IE Business School and, more recently, with the UOC itself.
Video of the successful launch of PlayStation® Home on the Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life
Saving on costs for training, on travelling to meetings, Second Life could be considered by many companies with employees spread all over the world to be a low-cost forum. What other functions does it have?
PF: Absolutely: telematic meetings offer these advantages, huge savings in training, travel and accommodation costs.
This year, to give an example, Intel saved 265,000 dollars in costs of this type by organising its conference on Second Life. And not just that: bringing together a multinational team from various branches and countries in a telematic space is a “greener” option, as it reduces Co2 emissions. For its part, teaching is strongly committed to the use of spaces like Second Life because they are ideal for experimentation, role play situations, therapies with people with physical disabilities and prototype development.
Would you recommend interaction in a virtual world to every company or do you think it can only be successful in certain sectors?
PF: I believe that the majority of multinational companies can benefit from the advantages of 3D immersive spaces, especially those whose internal culture is very digital. In the case of the more “traditional” companies, I would only recommend it for those that are capable of adopting the new mentality of “borderless offices” and whose managers support the initiative.
Can you describe some of the advantages that may make virtual worlds a future commitment for companies.
PF: The company that works in the virtual world gains a more modern and innovative image to the outside world, internal revitalisation with its own employees and their day-to-day motivation, besides better and greater knowledge management thanks to the breaking down of internal bureaucracies that hinder the flow of information.
In addition, it can establish a stronger, more lasting connection with the New Consumer of the twenty-first century. It also grows in terms of brand affinity and tangible support for sales since 15% of Second Life users have bought a product in real life thanks to information that they’ve seen “inside” the virtual world and a further 62% have recommended real products to other avatars.
Please click on the photo to enlarge it
You have your own e-Learning centre. What were your expectations when you designed it?
PF: With our “CEL” (e-Learning Centre), we want to offer the option of telematic meetings and their corresponding cost savings to our clients, besides providing added value to the Barcelona Virtual Island Community, where we hold all sorts of courses. I would also point out that we want to carry on experimenting, along with partners such as the UOC, with the e-Learning project in itself.
Any predictions about what may happen in the future? Will companies take a punt on virtual worlds?
PF: The issue of avatars and their 3D Virtual Worlds invaded popular culture some time ago. We have our alter egos in Second Life, Habbo Hotel, World of Warcraft and PlayStation Home, but also in Wii, Messenger and our mobiles.
CINESA cinemas are being fitted out digitally with 3D features to exploit a new film genre. December of this year sees the premiere of “Avatar”, a film by James Cameron that has revolutionised the movies. All we need is for the internal culture of companies to understand and value everything that 3D Virtual Worlds can offer.
When this happens – and it will happen – a very strong demand for these services and for professionals and teachers capable of conveying this new knowledge will be unleashed. Beyond this, I predict the fusion of holography with the Metaverse. In other words, I believe that from the middle of the next decade it will become common to hold meetings where we press a button and find the avatars of the people we’re talking to in a 3D holographic virtual space in front of our very eyes.
In his speech "3 Things Every Marketing Manager Should Know About 3D Immersive Spaces", Paul Fleming revealed interesting, recent data onconsumer behaviour in Second Life.
Citing from the study Real Life Brands in Second Life, Q3 2008, published by Market Truthsin November of last year, he underlined the great influence held by so-called "WOM" users, those who engage in active Word of Mouth recommendations.
According to Market Truths, a full 62% of users in Second Life have recommended a real life (RL) product to someone else in Second Life (SL).
Furthermore, another 61% had actually considered buying a RL product as a result of a recommendation they received from another avatar in the 3D space.
Does this generate "Real Life Sales"? Absolutely.
One of the virtues we never tire of extolling here at Barcelona Virtual is the complete integration of SL and other 3D platforms with the Internet. This makes a "click-to-web" process possible that brings an avatar who clicks on an ad or infocube directly to the web of the advertiser, or even to a specific product page on an e-commerce site.
According to the same report, this is reflected in more relevant data:
- 28% of users in Second Life have gone to look at a product in the "real world" after seeing information in SL
- 15% actually purchased a product outside of Second Life after seeing information on it in-world
- And the even more advanced types of users bought RL products whilst inside of Second Life
It's time for marketers to turn a deaf ear to ill-informed journalists and others who do not understand the power of Immersive 3D Spaces.
The ROI and the results are beginning to speak for themselves.
The UOC continues its commitment of developing activities in interactive applications, on this occasion focusing on the possibilities offered by 3D Virtual Worlds for learning and the creation of Online Communities.
The event’s speakers include (in alphabetical order):
The Forum’s conferences will not be offered in a physical venue, but instead will take full advantage of this year’s topic of telematic presence, by taking place live in-world within Second Life.
Visits to the Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life surpassed 214,000 in 2008. During the first semester of 2009, traffic jumped 85%, when compared to the same period last year.
Monday, 7 September 2009
Those in the Press and within Advertising who are overzealous in their criticisms of Virtual 3D Worlds, and of Second Life in particular, will soon have to bite their tongues.
Their grounds for rejecting investments in Second Life and similar immersive spaces just don't hold up when one takes a look at real numbers from real sites that use such platforms correctly.
Take our own site, for example. Since launching the Island of Barcelona Virtual in Second Life in mid-2007, the site has grown to be a leading Second Life brand for the Spanish speaking user population.
This fact is borne out by the numbers. In the first six months of 2009, traffic to our Island jumped 85% when compared to the year before, logging 133,195 visits*, compared to 72,079 registered during the same period in 2008 in the comparative report.
The number of unique users also increased (18%) to 26,186 avatars* during the first Semester of '09, a solid gain from the 22,198 users logged during the first part of last year.
The comparative report gets even more interesting when we track numbers related to Brand Loyalty and Community strength:
DAILY VISITS JUMP 85% from 396 a day to 736
DAILY USERS increase almost 20% from 122 unique users/day in 2008 to 145 avatars daily.
STICKINESS AND LOYALTY metrics also rise, reflected in an average of 5 visits a day per avatar, compared with 3,25 a year ago.
Without a doubt, this loyalty to the Island of Barcelona Virtual is due to a constant focus on the part of the Island's team on Community-Building through Live DJ events, personal attention to individual needs and successful campaigns in-world for Universal Pictures, Obra Social Caixa Sabadell, Sony PlayStation, Sunny Delight and other "New Brands".
Isn't it time we talked together about getting you started in 3D Worlds?
* IMPORTANT NOTE The comparative data excludes the first 25 days of January, since we began tracking metrics beginning on 26 January 2008. Hence, the full data for 2009 is even higher: 151,266 visits and 31,695 unique users.
Welcome to the Blogs of Barcelona Virtual, The Agency of the New Brand, specialised in Digital Marketing and Interactive Advertising strategies, as well as the development of 3D Virtual Worlds.
Please visit us at our web, BVirtual.com, our blog on 3D Virtual Worlds Mundos Virtuales (in Spanish) and the agency blog, Día 1 (in English).
This year, Barcelona Virtual celebrates its fifteenth anniversary,
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