Commentary

Contact: Virtual Worlds Await

After spending seven years steeped in virtual reality at Walt Disney Imagineering, Joseph DiNunzio left to create a virtual world of his own, one that crosses the digital divide to the real world, or a phone booth to be exact.

The president of 4orty2wo Entertainment, a company that specializes in "immersive, entertainment-based alternative marketing campaigns," DiNunzio and his colleagues create hype for brands by way of search operas, or alternate reality games (ARGs), which engage consumers through a mix of mystery, puzzles, and real-life clues that all add up to an entertaining game for hard-core fans and a lot of eyeball time for marketers.

Take, for instance, 4orty2wo's campaign for "Halo 2," which launched last summer (one of the few declassified campaigns the agency is able to discuss). During a trailer in "I, Robot" for the game, the url ILoveBees.com flashed for a brief second on the big screen. Curious moviegoers logged onto the site for a California bee farm, which appeared to be the victim of a bizarre hacker attack. As weeks went by, clues were revealed that video game fanatics discerned as the back-story behind the game's opening sequence.

Global Positioning System coordinates were revealed, which led gamers to phone booths scattered across the country, and at an appointed time, fans received a recorded message revealing even more clues. As DiNunzio puts it, it was their version of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast in 1938.

While campaigns like this work well with gamers, marketers should note that ARGs average between 2 and 3 million players. "It definitely has a broad application," DiNunzio says emphatically. "The spirit of creating an immersive narrative applies to a lot of brand messages. You have to start with a client committed to building a community and building a deeper relationship with customers," he says, adding, "It can work hand and glove with traditional media. You can give messages in traditional 30- and 60-second ads, but this tends to be a longer lasting message and one that you want to form a community around."

And the medium is not without metrics. Due to the nature of the games, campaigns can be developed to gather specific metrics relevant and tailored to each client. "On the analytical side, we have a deep understanding of what our clients need," DiNunzio explains. "One of the beautiful things we can do is build a set of metrics to suit what the clients want."

Recent campaigns have proven to be hits, and DiNunzio says several clients have returned for repeat campaigns, although he declined to disclose the brands. But, given the interactive, entertaining, and engaging nature of the advertising, expect this new version of reality to stick around.

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