Sports Marketing in Second Life

About a year ago, Pat Coyle wrote an interesting article pushing for Lucas Oil Stadium (the soon-to-be home of the Indianapolis Colts) to go live on the Internet-based virtual world of Second Life. Recently, his article got me wondering what sports properties exist on Second Life, and how they function to support their brands. Below is a list of four major sports properties with significant presences in Second Life.

adidas AG

For $50 Linden Dollars (L$50—roughly $0.20) you can outfit your avatar with a3 Microride shoes from the adidas store, which allow the wearer to bounce around like a kid on a pogo stick. The shoes may not have permeated the Second Life market like adidas once hoped, but the move to open a retail outlet got some positive press back in 2006 and may have also made Second Lifers feel like an important demographic.

Reebok

Direct your avatar over to the Reebok island on Second Life and you’re in for a marketing treat. Unlike at the adidas Sim, at the Reebok store you can buy shoes AND customize them. Shell out L$50 for the initial white pair and before you know it you’ll be upgrading to a custom-color pair for only L$5 more. You can come back as often as you want to switch the color, and the cost is L$5 each time.

Major League Baseball

In July of 2006 Major League Baseball simulcasted its popular Home Run Derby on Second Life. Fans and their avatars paid L$1000 (about $3) to congregate at the virtual stadium on “Baseball Island” and watch the event on virtual screens. The event was criticized for adding very little interactivity to the experience, though the MLB marketing executives did set up chat rooms for fans to trash talk, and sold virtual MLB merchandise at the event and at in-world stores.

NBA

If the Major League Baseball foray into Second Life is a rim shot, then the NBA’s presence is a slam dunk. At the NBA headquarters that opened there in June 2007, sports-minded avatars can watch 3-D diagrams of games in real time while chatting with others, play HORSE and Crash The Boards at the NBA Jam Session area where basketballs are freely available, and buy NBA merchandise. Like the Reebok store, this virtual world is likely to attract repeat visitors.

One of the detractors to sports properties focusing their attention on Second Life is that some of the recent media has highlighted the adult nature of the virtual world. For a family-friendly brand like Major League Baseball, association with Second Life has its drawbacks. Just consider the recent articles decrying inappropriate behavior, FBI investigations, sexual harassment, and pornography. So while some sports properties are excited to be among the first in the industry to brand themselves in these virtual worlds, others are understandably worried.