Colgate - The Results

If you've been following the Colgate Saga on this blog, you will recall that Joni West, president of This Second Marketing, was going to get back to me with the results of the Colgate Smile promotion at the end of the holidays. And sure enough, right on cue, here is her update:

In spite of the first few blogs ripping into Colgate for entering Second Life with the Colgate Smile Center and not mentioning the focus of the ACTUAL promotion, we have gotten AMAZING results!!! Since you said you would be so kind as to re-address this once the real promotion was done, I hoping you will blog on this…it is pretty impressive!

We more than DOUBLED out previous one-on-one brand outreach record*! We hand delivered the Colgate Smile package which includes the virtual Colgate Smile, a list of 10 places in SL that will make you smile, and other freebies, to more than 30,000 UNIQUE Second Life residents! Now THAT is good virtual marketing! We also helped countless newbies to learn how to “wear” things (like the Colgate Smile) and how to teleport to places (on the smile list). I believe Colgate has added value by promoting in-world in this way. It is NOT about the “build,” it is about the interaction and the free useful items! People who didn’t get the Colgate Smile package can go the Colgate Smile Center and get it from a vending machine…that is what the Smile Center is there for... Below [...] I have pasted an edited snippet that was captured by one of our buzz agents. The responses from residents when offered the Colgate Smile package was OVERWHELMINGLY positive! People really got a kick out of having a nice Colgate Smile for their avatars since most of them only had the default facial expression.

[9:38] Hi, Jess, have a Colgate smile and welcome to Second Life....
[9:38] accepted your inventory offer.
[9:49] accepted your inventory offer.
[9:50] You: Hi Everybody! If you would like a Colgate smile just IM me. Also, there is a list of 10 Second Life sites to make you smile....Enjoy!
[9:50] accepted your inventory offer.
[9:50] You: Enjoy, Phobe
[9:51] : ty
[9:51] accepted your inventory offer.
[9:51] Paccepted your inventory offer.
[9:53] You: Here Ringo, enjoy a Colgate smile
[9:53] l: lol
[9:54] accepted your inventory offer.
[9:54] accepted your inventory offer.
[9:55] You: Baby, the folder i gave you has some clothes, along with the Colgate smile....
[9:57] : hey Post. New to this... what is the colgate smile inworld?
[9:58] : OK. So do I 'wear' the smile?
[9:59] : How do I use it?
[9:59] You: do you see the folder?
[9:59] You: in your inentory?
[9:59] You: "Colgate Smile"
[10:00] : so do I use the colgate smile?
[10:00] just clik 'wear' and it should fit nicely
[10:01] : ok, done...I think.
[10:01] accepted your inventory offer.
...
[10:06] accepted your inventory offer.
[10:06] accepted your inventory offer.
[10:07] accepted your inventory offer.
...
[10:08] accepted your inventory offer.
[10:08] accepted your inventory offer.
[10:09] accepted your inventory offer

*Previous one-on-one brand-related outreach was done by This Second Marketing LLC for IMAX to promote Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix this past summer.

I removed the various avatar names above, and clipped some of the text purely for the sake of brevity. Joni also sent through the following photos:


By my reckoning, 500 inworld hours reaching 30,000 avatars makes for an average of 60 "conversations" an hour or one a minute. As I can see from the above chronology, it is certainly possible to exceed this, if you hit the right places. I couldn't do it, mind you.