Kzero

10 things you need to know about Google Lively

1. Google Lively is browser-based Lively is accessed via a downloadable plug-in and then runs in the browser. It's currently PC only with plans for a Mac version soon. 2. It's a lot like IMVU The virtual environment is consisted of rooms (max 20 people per room) with a supporting catalogue of related accessories for ...

Lively trailer

Google launches Lively virtual world

Google has launched an open beta virtual world called Lively. It's a small downloadable client linked to the browser targeting (as per the avatar design) mid to late teens and has a feel of IMVU about it. The world is comprised of rooms and there's an existing inventory of avatar accessories. Casual ...

Who’s winning the War of the Virtual Worlds?

Virtual worlds need new users, particularly new worlds. But there's only so many users around to sign-up to new worlds. Is supply exceeding demand? At present, quite possibly. In the near future? Even more likely, until new worlds stop relying on viral activities and focus more on more traditional marketing channels to ...

Virtual worlds case study round-up

It's great to see some of the more traditional and longer established market research and consultancy agencies finally turn their attention to virtual worlds. Not so good to see elementary findings presented as headlines though. K Zero has been publishing virtual world case studies since 2006 at a level far ...

Evaluating virtual world business models. Part One

In terms of growth, the virtual worlds sector is exploding with dozens of new worlds across many different fields appearing on a regular basis. With this growth comes new types of business models, some tested, some untested. Some rely on 'traditional' web-based revenue streams whilst others are experimenting with brand new ...

Will luxury brands drive the growth of virtual goods?

The purchase of virtual goods in virtual worlds is increasing and most worlds now incorporate this element into their propositions. But which categories or types of products will be most successful from a revenue-generation perspective? Backing up on this point slightly, let's talk about the area of revenue sharing for brands ...

Apply Virtual Worlds and MMOs 2008

I'll be at the Apply Virtual Worlds and MMOs 2008 conference this Thurs (10th July). Ping me if you would like to meet up. The conference is 'where leading media, developers, communications and consumer entertainment brands and agencies come to discover how to build and monetise virtual worlds.' Here's the session ...

Interactive timeline of virtual worlds

Annie Ok has created a pretty cool interactive timeline for the virtual worlds sector. It's a collaborative project and already goes back to 1973. Dive in and check it out. �

Google cameras hit the streets of the UK

Google continues to roll-out Street View, now turning attention to the UK, starting with London. The Sunday TImes reports..... The camera cars begun to trawl the streets of London and other British cities this week to take of pictures of unsuspecting people leaving shops, entering churches or perhaps kissing someone they should ...

Updated: Virtual world analysis for 20 - 30’s

And here's the segment tailored towards 20 - 30 year olds. Related: Virtual Worlds feature-set report

Updated: Virtual world analysis for tweens and teens

Here's the updated segment of the Universe graph for virtual worlds targeting tweens and teens. Related: Virtual Worlds feature-set report Kids and Tweens case study

Updated: Virtual world analysis for under 10’s

Here's the updated segment of the Universe graph for virtual worlds targeting under 10's, aka Da Kids. Related: Virtual Worlds feature-set report Kids and Tweens case study

Avacars

Another day, another new virtual world pops up, or drives up in this instance. Coming this Autumn is a virtual world called Revnjenz, promising a virtual community of street racing. Taking a note from Barbie Girl's original business model of entrance via a real-world purchase, Revnjenz is accessible only via a secret code ...

Club Penguin and Second Life make it into top 10 fastest growing UK sites

Recently published data from Neilsen Online, reported on by Net Imperative shows the surfing destinations of UK residents. The research covers the period May 2007 - May 2008. The top ten based on total minutes includes sites such as MSN Messenger, eBay, Facebook and Google Search (the top four in order). The ...

Two new Playstation videos: Home and Life

Here's Life, a seemingly Google Earth type geotagging application. And the latest Home walkthrough (it's going to launch any year now).

LEGO uses UGC for new Universe logo

LEGOuniverse is scheduled for release sometime late 2009 but planning for the upcoming MMOG (Lego's positioning, rather than a virtual world) appears well thought-out and geared well towards raising awareness. The supporting website has been in place for a while now, quietly gathering interest in the beta via the newsletter. Now LEGO has ...

Virtual world feature-sets and positioning: new report coming soon

A new K Zero report will be available shortly. Covering existing virtual worlds and those in development, this report will explain and assess: Full feature-sets and functionality Target market assessment and size Brand positioning and messaging Marketing, advertising and acquisition strategies Population/resident analysis Business model evaluation, roadmap and growth assessment This report is ideal for: Companies considering entrance ...

Twinity - What is it good for? Asks the Metaverse Journal

Australian-based virtual worlds news site The Metaverse Journal has taken a look at German-based virtual world Twinity and doesn't really like what it sees.... “Twinity – the virtual world that mashes up the real with the virtual world”, proclaims their website. However, Twinity is no more of a mashup of the ...

HD Vision Glasses, now just $19.95

If only! But hey, they've got a Euro style design. Which is nice.

Augmented reality and dynamic contextualisation

Sling that puppy out at a dinner party, i dare you. Folks from the Departments of Advertising and Computer Science at Michigan State University have recently published a paper relating to augmented reality (learn about the METLAB). The paper titled 'Increasing Sales in Supermarkets via Real-Time Information' explains a leading-edge idea ...

Geotagging the real-world

As seen on Google Maps.....augmented reality?

Sims 2 Ikea video

Some background info on this campaign here.

Sims 2 H&M Fashion Runway trailer

This is a video from a recent virtual fashion campaign in Sims 2, as explained in the previous post.

H&M brings a metabrand to life

Fashion retail company H&M has brought virtual clothing in the real-world via a campaign deployed into The Sims 2. This metabrand move was prompted by The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Runway competition conducted over the summer of 2007. The winner of the competition had their virtual clothing manufactured into a real-life ...

And speaking of Mirror Worlds, here’s Moondus

Moondus is a mirror world platform created by the folks behind Virtual Italian Themeparks. Seems they've switched focus a little away from Second Life. FAQ's are always a good way to understand how company's view their proposition....... 1. What is Moondus? Moondus is the new Virtual Reality platform from Virtual Italian Parks. With ...

Near intro video and background

Targeting an older audience than most virtual worlds at present, London-based Near is prepping for launch. Near can be classified as a mirror world - a digital space modeled on real world places, in the first instance, surprise surprise, London. Near is being positioning as a 'social entertainment platform' and importantly ...

Beg, Borrow or Steal? What can brands do in virtual worlds?

To the casual observer, during 2007, there was only one option for brands wanting to move into virtual worlds - Second Life. It still amazes me today how many totally unsuitable companies (based on product/service offering and target markets) actually set-up there. To the more informed individual however, of course there's ...

Luxury Interactive Conference, NYC

I'll be in NYC at the Luxury Interactive 2008 conference this coming week (Jun 16 - 19). Speaker companies at this event include Facebook, Cartier, Sony, Bloomingdales, Estee Lauder and Lacoste. Ping me if you'd like to meet up whilst I'm there. Related info: K Zero Luxury Brands in virtual worlds ...

Adweek: Movie Studios Expand Into Virtual Web Worlds

The pennies are starting to drop..... With fewer bodies in movie theaters and consumers migrating en masse to digital formats, Hollywood studios are understandably keen to reach their market in new, hopefully more effective ways. Although virtual worlds have a spotty record so far, some studios clearly see great potential in ...

Sports sector intel

Sports virtual worlds (examples of 'Vertical Worlds') are a niche I believe will become increasingly popular. Why? Two main reasons - relevance and gaming. Here's the latest intel in this sector. This week we've seen another soccer-based VW announced to join Football Superstars. Interzone Futebol will be a 'soccer-focused virtual world with matches ...

Virtual Goods in Virtual Worlds with Virtual Greats

The virtual goods sector is primed for major growth due to the increased attention given by real world brands and of course the uplift in virtual world populations. - recent estimates value the virtual goods sector at $1.5bn. The Luxury Brands case study explains the virtual goods opportunity in this ...

Lesson 3: No brand is an island

No brand is an island. In metaphoric terms in the real world, of course, no brand or organisation can afford to be an island. In other words, almost by definition, brands in any market place have to have an outward personality in tune with their customers and prospects as opposed to ...

Lesson 2: Some things are better left 2D

Or in other words, just because you can doesn't mean you should. One thing I learned pretty quickly by observing some of the marketing and tech-led tactics in Second Life was that some things are better left on websites rather than put into virtual worlds. There was an assumption that taking an ...

Lesson 1: The World is Not Enough

I've been to Niagara Falls. It was great for about 20 minutes. Then I left. I left because I got it - I took in and admired the scenery and then left because there was nothing else to do. I think this applies to a lot of the virtual worlds I've visited. ...

50 lessons I’ve learned in virtual worlds

I've been involved in virtual worlds for 18 months now. During this time I've developed relationships with virtual world operators, companies delving in-world, active individuals living inside them and other organisations and people trying to figure it all out. And it's fair to say I've learned a heck of a ...

2009, the year of the….

In the virtual worlds sector, undeniably, 2007 was the year of Second Life. And here's just a few of the companies that set-up the shops (in some cases literally) in 2007. What about 2008? Well, we're more or less half way through and it's fair to say 2008 is the year ...

Forbes: How Technology Can Save Retailers

Forbes writes recently about how the fashion industry can benefit from understanding and adopting new media opportunities, including virtual worlds. 'For the fashion industry, traditionally a late adopter of technology, it has been a particularly steep learning experience even though pre-teens and teens directly and indirectly control billions of dollars in purchasing ...

Second Life needs to do a David Beckham

Ok then, so, an analogy between Second Life and David Beckham. In 1991 at the age of 16, David Beckham signed as a professional footballer with Manchester United. He had some early success being part of the FA Youth Cup winning team that year and made his first team appearence in ...

May marketing news

Sunday Times covers BDO Second Life launch Ambling in Ambling: Boats, power, cars and speakers Brands and Worlds. Who’s the Daddy? Children in Virtual Worlds conference Ikea to sell virtual furniture in The Sims Metaverse 08 conference Official and unofficial machinima Virtual goods and Stardoll overview from Google Zeitgeist08 More Interoperability news NY Times talks about virtual world brand ...

Connected London

Om Malik over on Gigaom is referencing a recent Ofcom report (The Nations & Regions Communications Market 2008 May) in the story, 'In London, a Glimpse of a Broadband Future'.It's about the state of connectivity in London and the UK. Full article is here. Snapshot: In London: * 40 percent of people watch TV or ...

Presentation audio available from vBusiness Expo

Clever Zebra ran their successful first virtual business conference in SL recently. Whilst this event focussed mainly on business applications, I closed the first day with a more consumer perspective, explained the Seven Point Plan for marketing in virtual worlds. The audio for this presentation is here (registration required) and the supporting slideshow ...

Agencies need to get ‘Tech Cred’

Adweek is carrying a story from the 4A's Digital Conference. Mark Kvamme from Sequoia Capital comments on how he views the convergence of advertising and technology in the context of agencies. "You have to have world-class creative but you have to have world-class tech folks who can translate that into conversations," ...

Global Kids Inc brings worlds together

Taken from the press release: On March 20, 2008, spearheaded by Global Kids, Inc., a unique collaboration amongst virtual worlds, which combined report audiences of over 10 million users, streamed live from the Waldorf Astoria where Kofi Annan received the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s first award for international ...

Updated virtual world data for Q2 2008

The K Zero Universe graph has been updated with Q2 2008 data. Several worlds in development have been added including Jumpstart, Kraze, WeeWorld, Whirled, Ourworld and Mycosm. Here's an extract from the 10 - 20 year old average age sector. The full Universe graph is over on the Insight page.

NY Times talks about virtual world brand placement

Entering virtual worlds for real-life pitches is the story headline over on the NY Times today. The article delves into the deals made by McDonalds, H&M and Ikea to place virtual brands into the Sims. Some extracts from the story: Electronic Arts, the world’s largest video game company, said it made ...

More Interoperability news

Virtual Worlds News has an interesting article about some recent developments in the field of Interoperability. There's been a call for requirements for "Information exchange with Virtual Worlds" by the ISO MPEG Working Group. Here's a quick extract: The summary of the call looks at three example use cases that would be improved ...

Virtual goods and Stardoll overview from Google Zeitgeist08

The Google Zeitgeist08 event took place last week. Here's an interesting segment from Mattias Miksche, CEO of Stardoll giving an overview of virtual goods, UGC and the Stardoll business model.

Unofficial machinima: IBM

Sometimes unofficial machinima creations have little upside - in other words, they're not created by non-employee brand advocates. Part of the Official and Unofficial machinima series.

Unofficial machinima: Iron Man

Iron Man has attracted a higher level than normal of unofficial machinima creations, several various reasons. Part of the Official and Unofficial machinima series.

Official machinima: Iron Man