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.”
This past Sunday, Jon “NEVERDIE” Jacobs put his virtual egg up for public auction. The winning bid was placed by David “Deathifier” Storey. The Atrox Queen Egg is not a new addition to the virtual economy, as NEVERDIE originally purchased the egg in 2006 for $10,000 from a player who had received it as loot from a completed quest. However, the story of the egg doesn’t end here, as according to Planet Calypso, eggs are bound to hatch, and thousands of players are now left speculating if the outcome will be worth the high price tag. In other words, is Deathifier set to double his investment, or, quite literally end up with egg on his face.
“This is an exciting and important development for the future of all virtual worlds being built, using the Entropia Platform. Together with our partner planet owner companies we will be in a position to offer real bank services to the inhabitants of our virtual universe.” Says MindArk CEO Jan Welter Timkrans.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=88882e1b-fc71-4463-ab16-cd9053c5b38b)
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