Real-world

The Virtual World project has provided a view of what consumer behavior will be like when digital advances enable each of us to design our own personal avatars. The reality of virtual world environments is found in the actual dollars that companies gain from their presence, as well as the actual people that seek vicarious videogame-like experiences. Those two realities of the artificial virtual world environment form the focus of our Consumer Behavior learning outcomes. First, we must develop profitable marketing strategies for virtual world brand presence. Second, we must determine the relationships between the individual customer characteristics of “real world” people and their “virtual world” avatars. Therefore, this assignment assesses your individual grasp of these two focal skills.

1. 
   Developing Profitable V-World MARKETING STRATEGIES (4 Points)
   

1. 
   Types of Marketing Strategies include the following overlapping categories:
   
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     Promotion – “real world” advertising/awareness to drive traffic to “virtual world” site
     
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     Presence – “virtual world” branding of people, places, and things (e.g., storefront, market signage, avatar clothing/uniforms, virtual world audio-visual media, etc.)
     
   • 
     Production – creation of “virtual world” sites designed to express narrative and themes that reinforce company/brand, much like “soap operas” were originally produced by detergent companies to showcase romantic lifestyle situations that attract female homemakers
     
   • 
     Prediction– conducting “virtual world” research using digitally animated simulations to gather market intelligence and model future “virtual world” as well as “real world” strategies.
     

2. 
   Company/Brands relevant to the scenario script include, airlines, hospitality/leisure, apparel, restaurant/bar, personal care/toiletries, electronic devices (e.g., cameras, cell phones, laptops, etc.), and many others.
   

2. 
   Determining Relationships Between “Real World” People & “Virtual World” Avatars (6 Points)
   

1. 
   List your personal traits and describe how easy/hard was it to think of your self with the avatar’s GEO-DEMOGRAPHIC profile?
   

2. 
   List your personal traits and describe how easy/hard was it to think of your self with the avatar’s PSYCHOGRAPHIC (lifestyle) profile?
   

3. 
   List your personal traits and describe how easy/hard was it to think of your self with the avatar’s MOTIVATION profile?
   

4. 
   List your personal traits and describe how easy/hard was it to think of your self with the avatar’s BELIEF, FEELING, and ATTITUDE profile?
   

5. 
   Explain how your personal BEHAVIORAL profile (purchases/uses) is affected by playing the avatar role. Are you more likely to consume differently than before playing the avatar role? Would a prolonged virtual world experience have a stronger affect on your personal consumption patterns?
   

6. 
   Explain how the design of a personal avatar for your own virtual world experience could indicate certain “real world” BEHAVIORAL preferences? (e.g., physical traits, lifestyle, geographic destination, brand motives, etc.)