As part of the ongoing cooperation and research between the world’s largest real-cash MMORPG, the First Planet Company (Planet Calypso) and Florida State University, researchers have recently proven that selling items in a virtual space can have better results that selling via traditional advertising forms; print, internet, television, etc.

Authored by recent PhD graduate Rob Hooker from the College of Business at Florida State University, the study results aimed to determine how a consumer’s activity with a brand in a virtual environment may or may not influence his/her decision to purchase the brands’ offering.  Conducted during the Planet Calypso “Miss Calypso” beauty pageant, researchers found that the more immersive a virtual world/environment is, the consumers intention to purchase a product that they interact with rises accordingly.  Additionally, the study found that virtual worlds have a significant level of immersion, or “Flow.”  When measured within the studies’ parameters, researchers found that virtual worlds have a marked higher level of Flow than similar studies based on traditional advertising formats.

The collaborative research is not aimed solely at improving First Planets’ offerings, but the data will help all scientists develop a better understanding of the cognitive human state in relation to consumer behavior.  Ultimately, this knowledge will work it’s way down to the business level, providing companies with a better understanding of how to position their brand and sell in virtual environments.  An example:  The Flow that a consumer exhibits is a distinct construct or measurement that is clearly separate from the perception of the activity that said consumer is engaged in, i.e. clear goals, a lost sense of time, explicit feedback, etc.  In socially oriented activities, such as the beauty pageant used for this study, consumers may become more self-conscious of their appearance.  These higher levels of self-consciousness have a direct correlation to increased participant Flow.  It is, however, important to keep in mind that this result contradicts the previously accepted Flow Theory.  Researchers in the First Planet/Florida State University study found that Flow positively impacts brand attitudes and purchase intention within the virtual world context.

“This study was successful in demonstrating that an individual’s perceptions of an activity lead to a mental state that creates positive brand attitudes and subsequent purchase intentions.  More specifically, virtual worlds create opportunities for participants to lose track of time in enjoyable brand related activities,” said Rob Hooker.  ”This creates a mental state which contributes to a participant’s attitude about a brand.  Ultimately, this strongly influences the participant’s intention to purchase a product from that brand.  63% of participants from this study indicated that they would purchase Calypso clothing following the activity.”