The Five Rulesof Virtual Brand

ManagementNic Mitham

Virtual worldspresent new

types of opportunities for

marketers

But with opportunities

come challenges

For many brands considering metaverse

marketing......

Their brands are already in virtual use - unofficially

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Gucci D&G Armani Nike Puma Adidas Rolex Omega Cartier

SL Unofficial brand counts

Official Adidas Store

Unofficial Adidas Store

Official Adidas Shoe

Unofficial Adidas Shoe

Rule One:Ignore

Virtual worlds are a fad and the

people that live in them are weirdo's

But, is doing nothing really an

option?

Ignore activity and you lose market

intelligence on your brand - and competitors

And the brand may be present in undesirable

locations - brand damage

Brand guidelines may be being

broken - brand damage

Rule Two:Remove

We Came,We Saw,

We Deleted

Probably the first decision

considered

Removal dynamics

Reviewed and removed -

‘We don’t need to be in there’

Pre-campaign brand sweep

Unofficial assets removed to

make way for official activity

Where would Oakley look for

unofficial activity?

Rule Three:

Observe

Look and Learn

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Untitled 1 Untitled 3 Untitled 5 Untitled 7

Virtual branding learning curve

Real world brand marketers

Virtual world brand marketers

Learn how to he brand is being used - 4 P’s

How is the brand being deployed?

Cut and paste approach

Medium detail approach

Detailed approach

How is the brand being presented?

Rule Four:Endorse

Give them an inch..and see what

they do with it

Instant access to research and learning, via

collaboration

The brand is instantly

leveraged into the virtual space

“We have spoken to Coca-Cola and they have released their trademark to SL Merchants, Therefore, any of your items that were disabled on June 7, 2007 have been retrieved...”

Image credit: New World Notes

Rule Five:Engage

Give, then you will receive

A collaborative marketing approach

Engaging to create and grow

communities

Engaging for NPD / research/ prototyping

Summary

Virtual worlds are growing and

brands are present

Real world brand owners have a new channel to

consider

The concept of virtual brand

management has to be considered

In order to protect their greatest asset

.co.uk