the avatar age: the future of entertainment and advertising

The Avatar AgeEntertainment and Advertising in the Future

Reuben Steiger

CEO, Millions of Us

Virtual Worlds West

San Jose, CA

October 11, 2007

What is Millions of Us?

The world’s leading agency helping brands connect with large online communities, virtual worlds and social networks

Millions of Us: Key Clients

• Toyota• General Motors• Mini• Sun Microsystems• Coca Cola • Intel• Microsoft• Comcast• CNN• Warner Brothers• HBO• 20th Century Fox• Diageo• Budweiser

What is an Avatar?

Now, an online persona

In Hindu lore, the earthly form of a God

Houston: We Have a Problem

Authenticity and Advertising• Only 24% of U.S. residents trust what companies tell them (Yankelovich, 2007)

A Statistic to Ponder

User- generated, social communities represent the fastest growing market segment totaling 31% of all consumer Internet usage

(Comscore, 2007)

The Programming Grid of the Avatar Age

Virtual Worlds BlogsUser Created Content Communities

Social Networks

Younger

Older

Audience Age

Other Worlds100 Million and Growing. . . .

Habbo Hotel: 32 million users Gaia Online: 8.5 million users

Zwinktopia: 10 million users Stardoll: 8.5 million users

Some Predictions for 2008

• Social networks will become “Avatarized”

• Virtual worlds will become more like social networks

• Television tie-ins will increase for virtual worlds

Virtual WorldsFrom Habitat to Second Life

1985 2005

Where it all BeganPhilo T. Farnsworth: 1928

Fast Forward: 2007Across the Street: 1100

Sansome

And So It Began. . . . .The gentle blue glow

Meanwhile. . . . .

550 million automobiles by 2002

What Happened to Communities?

Telling Stories in Virtual Worlds

What is Scion City?

So that’s how we got here. . .

Now how do we go mainstream?

Thank You