hyperempowered

World of Warcraft Visa Rewards Card Now a Reality

Back in March of last year, Phillip Torrone wrote on his MAKE: Blog -

"Very soon, credit card companies and game makers will reward their customers who spend money in the real world using private label "rewards" credit cards. They will use gifts of virtual currency such as Blizzard's World of Warcraft gold and Second Life's Linden dollars... It's not a matter of if, just when - credit card companies, Pay Pal, Amazon, eBay and the individual "gaming" companies eventually bridge the real and virtual currencies with loyalty programs and private label credit cards - there's too much money out there to -not- to do this. This "demographic" is the battleground."

When I read what Torrone wrote last year, my reaction was - "He's absolutely right.  As virtual economies grow, this one is a no-brainer"

Now, just more than a year later, Torrone's prediction has finally come true as  Blizzard Entertainment announced this week that they've partnered with the First National Bank of Omaha to issue the first World of Warcraft Rewards Visa card. With the card, Wow gamers  earn game time by using it for normal credit card purchases. Users accrue World of Warcraft game time at a rate of 1 percent of every dollar they spend. There is no annual fee and there is also an introductory rate of 0 percent APR for the first 12 months.

Personally, I'm surprised that it's taken so long for Blizzard to partner with a credit card company.  It makes sense that Second Life will follow suit very soon.

Virtual aloft to Re-Open In SL Next Week

(pre-renovations)

Every once in a while an agency and a client will launch a campaign where all the pistons are firing and you end up  hitting all the right notes. Launching the virtual aloft Hotel for Starwood Hotels in Second Life was one of those projects.

Now, after more than a month of virtual renovations based on consumer feedback, aloft will be reopening its newly renovated virtual hotel in Second Life on Tuesday, May 8th. 

This coming Tuesday's unveiling of the new design is the result of more than six months of obtaining feedback from Second Life residents that began back in September of last year.  The input we've received has been absolutely amazing, and ultimately had a big impact on such design features as public spaces, guest rooms and exteriors – everything from color palette to space planning.

After reviewing all of the comments that came in, several changes to the hotel's design were made and will be reflected in the “real-life” aloft hotels when they open next year. Some of these adjustments include adding radios in the guest room showers, providing additional seating in the lobby, and incorporating artwork created by local artists on the walls in the public areas.

If you are a Second Life resident I hope you can join us in celebrating the re-opening of the hotel in Second Life with a meet-and-greet and informal Q & A with the aloft team on May 8th, at 8PM ET/5PM Second Life time.

Also, next week we'll be announcing that as aloft segues from the virtual world to the physical world, it'll be donating all of its virtual land back to the Second Life community. Until Friday, June 1st, Second Life residents can submit their ideas on the best use of the land once the virtual aloft closes at the end of the month.  Submissions must be 500 words or less and will be collected via the virtual aloft blog. 

In early June, we'll announce who won the rights to the island and will present the land to the new owner.

"Ten Rules For Success In Second Life" (a work in progress)

(photo nicked from here)

After launching two successful projects in Second Life, virtual aloft for Starwood Hotels and "Girls Night Out" for iVillage, and now working on our third for STA Travel, here are our "Ten Rules For Success In Second Life" (a work in progress)

1. Don't do it just because your competitors are
   • Hundreds of brands will launch in Second Life this year and almost all of them will fail. Being successful in Second Life is extremely difficult. Come up with a great idea for your brand that fits your specific business objectives.  If you don't have one, don't do it.
2. Don't watch from the sidelines
   • Get beyond the Welcome area. Explore. Enter Second Life's "underground" Don't let someone do the work for you. Dive in yourself. Make friends. Ask for help.
3. Embrace and respect the culture you are entering.  As a brand you are an outsider.
   • Second Life is an established community that has its own indigenous population. Understand that when you enter Second Life, you will be an outsider. Don't forget that Second Life is a true virtual economy with an active marketplace. People are making their living in Second Life. Learn about and respect the culture you are trying to embrace. Expect to be hated and work to win over the community. Brands don't have much influence in Second Life. You need to earn respect, and it won't be easy.
4. Don't do a hit-and-run
   • After you launch your project in Second Life, you have to maintain it with programming. Second Life is a channel, not a destination. Don't let your location become a ghost town.
     
5. Reinvent your brand in Second Life, don't just copy it.
   • Embrace the fact that Second Life is about creativity. Share your brand with Second Life residents. Don't try to replicate exactly who you are in the real world in the virtual world. It's boring and ultimately, it won't work.
6. Don't look for success in the numbers... You won't find it
   • There are no good metrics for Second Life. Don't do it because of numbers. Do it to tell a story. In terms of numbers, any success today will come from "spill over" into other areas.
7. Don't try to compare Second Life to what you already know.
   • Second Life is a new language. It's not the web. It's not television. And, most importantly, it's not real life. It's something completely new.
8. Success in Second Life comes not from knowing what to do, but knowing what not to do.
9. Learn to love Second Life's faults, quirks, and weaknesses.
   • The grid goes down constantly. Only 65 people can be present in the same sim. There are no good communications tools. There are lots of problems with Second Life. But these are the things that make it "real" for people. And it allows people to invent their own tools. Second Life isn't slick. It can be ugly and cumbersome. But it's also accessible and democratic.
10. Have Fun!