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been viewed on web pages either in static images, interactive flash format,
slide shows or 2-D movement forms. The few websites that have offered a
360ยบ view of their products have done so for limited sections or products.
This has often been powered mainly through grouping static images and not
through fully integrated applications. Virtual immersive worlds have changed
this forever. As people get used to the idea of creating and using avatars for
several purposes online, they will transfer this expectation to the websites of
brands that are both product and service-based, whether in an e-retail envi-
ronment or not. They will expect to view products in 3-D in real time and
they will demand brands to provide them with applications that enable the
trial of products on a personalized avatar in e-commerce websites. For serv-
ice oriented luxury brands like retailers, hotels and resorts, consumer expec-
tations will include viewing the locations in panoramic form and not in the
standard boring slide-show format that is common today. These expectations
will also be transferred to the offline brand interaction. As an industry that
is known for avant-gardism and innovation, luxury brands will naturally be
expected to lead in this evolution.
In approaching virtual immersive environments such as Second Life and
World of Witchcraft, luxury brands have to first understand how this world func-
tions rather than pretend that it doesn't exist. It is also essential to understand
the demographics of both the user profiles (avatars) and the user controllers (the
creators of the avatars). This will provide some insight into the key drivers of the
participants and their motivations, behavioral patterns and desired expectations
both online and in the real world. With this understanding, luxury brands will be
ready for the next step.
In addition, luxury brands should view virtual immersive worlds as the
vital environments for researching and experimenting in a wide range of
areas including future trends, social evolution, brand perceptions, product
design and service generation. These virtual platforms could be used as the
place for discovery, inspiration, imagination and perhaps realization of multi-
dimensional projects including design concepts and future trends analysis.
This is particularly appropriate as the participants of virtual immersive envi-
ronments are accustomed to stretching their imaginations.
Several parties have derided luxury brands for their minimal presence on
virtual immersive environments. Apart from Giorgio Armani which rebuilt
its Milan flagship store in Second Life, Hublot which held a press confer-
ence and product presentation, and Christian Dior which placed a teaser
campaign for its jewelry collection on Second Life, other examples of luxury
brands' initiatives in virtual worlds are scarce. This is, however, not a crime.
Again, to avoid the cat effect (see the beginning of this chapter in case you
missed that) or the bandwagon consequence, virtual worlds provide enor-
mous opportunities for engaging luxury brands with the future through the
eyes of the virtual world residents. Varying aspects like socio-dynamics,
foresight analysis, creative groups, demos, cultural innovations, collaborative
