• by Liz Tascio , December 29, 2006

Instead of trying to add the virtual world Second Life to its marketing campaigns, Leo Burnett Worldwide has decided to actually move in.

The agency, with marketing-services partner Arc Worldwide, plans to launch an "ideas hub" in Second Life, says Mark Tutssel, Burnett's chief creative officer. It will be a gathering place for the agency's 2,400 creatives, and a central location for consumers to interact with the agency.

"The consumer wants to play a part in advertising," Tutssel says. "I think this co-authorship is one of many ways the consumer is adding value to brands."

Moving into Second Life was easier said than done. Leo Burnett had to train employees in the program and learn how to be a good virtual neighbor; that delayed the launch a month.

Leo Burnett's UK office and social media firm Millions of Us is designing the 16-acre campus in Second Life. The company plans to move its Cannes Predictions Event and others into the virtual world.

"A great idea has infinite possibilities, and I think Second Life has infinite possibilities for us," Tutssel says.