Sensible (and rather successful) projects in virtual worlds do not always have to include spectacular buildings or large budgets. Virtual Worlds are ideally suited for viral campaigns, for example, where you often can achieve a lot with a small budget - a a clever idea.
Use the virtual world of Second Life to create more brand awareness for "EnBW" in the most efficient way possible and at the same time prepare the ground for the next wave of activities.
At that time the client was executing a large scale campaign in the classic media named "Neue Trikots braucht das Land" ("New Jerseys for the Country") where small sports clubs could receive jerseys for their teams (and lots of additional equiment) very cheaply, when they were willing to accept them with EnBW branding.
The Otherland team started with the same basic idea and created soccer jerseys in Second Life, which were given out for free to every avatar who wanted them. In addition, avatars could pick up a backpack from vendors placed besides a virtual soccer field, which virtually contained an unlimited supply of jerseys.
Avatars would now wear these backpacks and carry them into heavily populated regions of Second Life. When another avatar clicked on the backpack, he immediately received his or her own set of the EnBW-branded soccer jerseys - and the wearer of the backpack received 10 Linden Dollar (the local currency of Second Life).
This small incentive (less than 4 US cent) was sufficient to get the typical snow ball effect of a viral campaign running. And, as it is very easy - and essentially free of cost - to deliver virtual goods and pay out virtual money in a virtual world, the infection rate was very high!
The campaign succeeded to reach approximately one third of the German population in Second Life within only 6 weeks. It got a lot of press coverage in popular media and in the business press and was able to raise brand awareness for the EnBW brand measurably in EnBW's target group - in physical reality all over Germany, not just in Second Life.
DISCLAIMER: The project "Neue Trikots braucht das Land in Second Life " was done, while the participating members of The Otherland Group were still with their former employers, Pixelpark AG resp. Elephant Seven AG.
