In the Realms of virtual brand opportunity
By Simon Fuller. Brand worlds. Once upon a time, we brought you a handful of teen-oriented virtual worlds making eyes at marketers. Now you can add Free Realms, Sony Online Entertainment’s (SOE) massively multiplayer online role-playing game, to the pack.
Since launching in April of this year, the free-to-join MMORPG has notched up around 5 million users. It’s set in a rather whimsical fantasy world – expect pixies, goblins and their ilk – with players taking on missions and joining mini-games.
And while this gameworld isn’t a hotbed of brand activity just yet, it could well have appeal. SOE is currently in talks with several potential partners and feels there would be benefits aplenty for brands coming onboard, especially if they want to communicate with the younger market.
“Free Realms has a broad appeal and reach, with millions of registered users,” explains Candace Ivy, global brand manager for Free Realms at SOE. “Secondly, we are squarely appealing to boys and girls, which is a difficult thing to do well. We are also at the forefront of social media participation and, of course, the product itself is in the digital medium, so we have a constant line of communication with our player base, and are speaking to them in the numerous places they go for information.”
So, just what kind of brands might find a home in Free Realms?
“We are always looking to partner with groups that really make sense,” says Ivy. “Since our primary demographic is tweens and teens, we are sensitive to finding partners that speak to the age group with some authenticity, but also maintain the wholesomeness of the brand equity.”
Already, SOE has connected the world to music by partnering with pop-punk band The Dares, who recorded the MMORPG’s theme tune, It’s Your Worl’.
“Free Realms and The Dares were recognized for the first concert to take place simultaneously in the real world and a virtual space,” adds Ivy. “You can now also find their avatars in the Free Realms game world playing the song everyday.”
