Smokin' in SL
Well I guess the answer to my question is: "Yes, they will come if you provide some engaging, even addicting reason to do so."
The Second Life Assassin game, promoting Universal's Smokin' Aces out this Friday, invites avatars to register at the Nomad Casino where they're given a gun, five avatars to "hit" and the opportunity to win real cash money (if you can exchange $L for $US).
This is by far the most engaging adver-driven thing I've encountered in Second LIfe. I registered out of professional curiosity, but played for the sheer fun and competitiveness of it. I've been peppering my conversations with my own anecdotal market research and I'd say around 75% say they are more likely to see the film after playing.
I like the style of execution too. The actual Smokin' Aces messaging is limited to your HUD and a few posters in the casino - not too overbearing, which is important for this crowd. Also, I frequently find one or more avatars in the lobby with NBC Universal over their names (they actually work for Electric Sheep Company, the developers) who are very helpful with tips as they fix bugs in real time. It's like launching an official movie website and including a live chat of the developers killing bugs right on the homepage. This kind of open-source dev, while unheard of in traditional spaces, is refreshing and welcomed by the visitors who may ask why something is loading slowly or even report new bugs. Nay, the SL crowd demands that brand of immediate feedback and sausage-making info.
At my last log-in I saw 665 players. I also gambled up to 3 chainsaws, one axe and finally got a shotgun. I've had two kills, but I've been killed several embarrassing times. Here's me in all my fightin' glory:
