3M has launched a virtual goods marketing campaign to promote its Privacy Filters product line. It's a serious product and serious subject - filters designed to prevent data theft in public places by making a computer screen impossible to read from the side.
The campaign, though, focuses on the lighthearted with several TMI ("Too Much Information") themed virtual goods designed for the campaign. When opened, these virtual items opened to reveal funny short videos of embarrassing moments with the warning, "Don’t let TMI happen to you." There is also a Facebook application where consumers can watch other embarrassing videos, choose other TMI 'badges,' and send them to friends.
"Friends don’t let friends TMI," is another creative in the campaign; it urges consumers to begin a TMI intervention ASAP with their Facebook and LiveJournal friends.
Any Good Can Go Virtual
Created by Gage advertising agency and AdNectar, the campaign illustrates that just about any product can be turned into a virtual good that will (the advertisers hope) spread virally through social networks. Increasingly, companies are turning to the virtual communities to help boost sales of real-life physical products.
Retailers, in particular, are using virtual worlds with much success. Specialty youth-apparel brand Boy Meets Girl teamed up with online fashion game/community Fashion Fantasy Game to drive real-world sales with virtual goods recently.
JCPenney linked its wedding registry program to bridal services site OurWeddingDay.com to offer its bridal customers online wedding planning tools and services.
"Get Your Island On"
Virtual good campaigns that integrate well into the social networking milieu work the best, Adnectar says. Earlier this year Malibu Rum launched a "Get our Island On" themed marketing campaign in which more than a dozen different types of drinks were featured on several different social applications on Facebook.
"By enabling consumers to send our Malibu Rum inspired drinks to their friends, we are capturing their endorsement in a social setting," said Lisa McCann, Malibu's senior brand manager.
The campaign, designed by AdNectar featured an expandable window in which drink recipients could upload their favorite party picture into a themed background.
